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An Affirmation of Coexistence between Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Human Intelligence (HI): An Inquiry into the Structure of Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel, Klara and the Sun
Get PDFA narrative reflective of the perils and promises of automation entering the subjective realm of humankind, Kazuo Ishiguro’s latest novel, Klara and the Sun, confronts us with the notion of coexistence between artificial intelligence (AF) and human intelligence (HF) by uncovering a robust structure arising from the contestation amidst a host of binaries: Human versus machine, AI versus HI, self versus the other, science versus nature, and the list goes on. Although a vast majority of analytical inquiries into this novel uncover the incoherence of human identity and consciousness in the society deeply invested in affordances of the fifth industrial revolution, a structuralist intervention into the narrative brings into visibility the fact that AI and artificial friends (AFs), regardless of their claim to universal decipherability, ultimately remain unable to plumb the depth of human heart. In this novel, Ishiguro confirms that the unpredictable vagaries and volatility of the human heart are eternally indecipherable to AI and AFs. Human nature is hieroglyphic to AI. For example, Klara’s failure to rightly assess the future course of Josie and Rick\u27s romantic affinity serves as demonstrative textual evidence. Taken on its terms, the successive navigation of these binary oppositions leads to identifying the narrative structure wherein the coexistence between AI and HI achieves its endorsement. These twin purposes of the narrative—the unconquerability of the human heart by AI and the coexistence between AI and HI—ascend to the centrality of meaning, governing other binaries and producing a compelling rendition of the structure
Overcoming Communication Challenges: Training Family Medicine Interns Amidst COVID-19
Get PDFIntroduction
Assessing and addressing possible deficiencies in medical school training is important for residency programs. Due to virtual rotations and low patient volumes, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted medical students’ opportunities to practice patient communication. Communication skills are essential for medical students and residents. Continuous participation in communication training can increase the self-efficacy of healthcare professionals. Due to the likely impact of COVID-19, we designed and implemented a tailored workshop that focused on increasing 16 incoming family medicine interns’ level of comfort communicating with patients and their families.
Methods
Sixteen incoming family medicine interns participated in the workshop during orientation in summer 2021. Workshop activities included personalized communication results, open-ended discussions about breaking bad news and improving health literacy, a medical jargon game, and teach-back method scenarios interacting with mock patients and mock patient’s family members. Pre- and post-assessment surveys were administered electronically. Communication apprehension (PRCA-24) and preferred style of communication (CSM) were measured in the pre-assessment. Satisfaction with the workshop was evaluated post-assessment.
Results
Interns demonstrated average communication apprehension pre-assessment. The most common (n=12) communication style was friendly. Post-assessment findings revealed that most respondents rated the workshop as useful (n=5) and somewhat useful (n=5). Many (n=5) respondents recommended this training. Responses for individual questions ranged from 9 (56%) to 12 (75%) of the 16 interns. Interns suggested future workshops include increased time for the teach-back method scenarios.
Conclusion
Interns whose medical school training was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic found communication training useful. Future workshops should assess changes in communication outcomes post-assessment to determine the impact of the training. Additionally, future studies should consider incorporating a communication theory as a framework to determine appropriate communication activities that can address medical students, interns, or residents’ communication apprehension.
Keywords
communication apprehension, communication training, family medicine intern
Can You Say “Effective,” in Japanese?: A Comparative Study Between 34 Hours on Duolingo’s Japanese Course and Chapters 1-4 of Genki 1
No full textThe Reinforcement of Social Hierarchies through Social Media.
No full textSocial hierarchies can be traced back to almost seven millennium ago, yet social media has yet to reach 30 years old. As with the introduction of previous mass communication advancements, a question of utmost importance arises: how might social media influence global society? Although the direct answer to this question varies on argument and belief, this article discusses the reinforcement of social hierarchies through social media usage by examining two of its characteristics: interconnectivity and dominance. Underlying the characteristics, the principal theme of the article revolves around the January 6th insurrection on the United States capital. When discussing interconnectivity, the article will focus on the convenience and speed of information spread by chiefly investigating the role and dynamics of virtual groups; semiotics through the analyzation of the role of memes as well as Kathryn Sorrells’ concept of the Power of Text; semantics by the breakdown of common textual strategies of oppression; and fear acquisition in terms of virtual, non-lived experiences and blind ignorance. The conditioning of social media users to conform, accept, believe, or act towards defending an idea will highlight the dominance section of the article as well as the oppressive structuralism and mechanics present online. This section pivots around the theory of colonization in the twenty-first century. Lastly, the article features a section dedicated to the potential struggles that arise from proactive measurements in ensuring a more safe, equitable digital space and calls attention to the importance of responsible global citizenship practices
Early career engineers’ perspective on leadership competency development in undergraduate education
Get PDFThe purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study was to investigate the perceptions of early career engineers regarding leadership competency development within the undergraduate engineering curricula. Participants were selected using purposeful, convenience, and snowball sampling. Study participants represented the early career engineering population, those five years or less removed from graduating with their engineering degrees. Perspectives on leadership competency development within the undergraduate engineering curricula were gathered through semi-structured interviews. Study participants (N=20), through their lived experiences, described expectations of leadership competency from their employers and their ability to meet these expectations. Their ability related to preparedness resulting from their undergraduate engineering programs. Interview transcripts generated thematic analysis utilized in organizing, interpreting, and analyzing information. Findings showed challenges for early career engineers in meeting the expectations of their employers regarding leadership competency. Engineers related these challenges to a lack of effective leadership competency training encountered within the undergraduate engineering curricula. Early career engineers made recommendations for educators and administrations on how to increase the effectiveness of leadership competency development. Future studies include researching the disconnect between the level of competence of engineering graduates and early career engineers related to inaccurate leadership assessment
