Lingnan University participated in THE Digital Universities Asia event from 9-10 May 2023, in Kuala Lumpur

President Leonard K Cheng delivered a keynote talk on the topic of 'The Critical Role of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences in an Increasingly Technological World.'
The university also conducted a workshop on 'How Universities Can Apply Inclusive Business Practices to Address the Digital Divide and Inequality in Asia.'
Led by Professor Albert Ko, a group of speakers participated in a panel discussion on 'How Liberal Arts Education Can Close the Tech Skills Gap.'
A roundtable discussion was held behind closed doors to discuss key issues related to ‘The road ahead: Innovating in the liberal arts education with technology’.

Highlights

The rapid rise of AI and ChatGPT, with their use of automation and generative machine learning, has raised many questions about the implications for higher education and academic research.

These new technologies are already having an impact as universities consider the pros and cons of allowing faculty and students to use such tools and what rules or guidelines to put in place.

Beyond that, though, there is also the wider debate about how the latest tech developments will change the role and function of specific departments and even undermine the need for some of the more traditional subjects.

To get a better sense of where things may be heading, the recent THE Digital Universities Asia 2023 sought to address many of the more pressing issues. Held in Kuala Lumpur, the event brought together notable figures, with Lingnan University invited to host a half-day of sessions and panel discussions.

In his keynote talk, Lingnan’s President Leonard Cheng shared his views on the critical role of arts, humanities and social sciences in an increasingly technological world.

Clearly, with many employers increasingly STEM-focused when it comes to hiring, it is essential to understand how the basic skills acquired in a liberal arts education need to be adapted – and to take action accordingly.

In practice, the undergraduate curriculum for a modern-day liberal arts degree could be extended to include, say, engineering courses and other applied subjects. And tailor-made units or extracurricular activities could be added to give students the tech know-how to stay up to speed in that respect.

“Success with technology-driven innovations will be crucial to the prosperity, performance, and even the survival of many firms,” Cheng said. “And they need staff who can turn breakthroughs and improvements into products and services.”

He outlined certain hopes for the emerging era, known as Industry 5.0, which is seen as taking the world into the next phase of economic growth and development. It entails a vision of unlimited technological opportunities, which has captured the imagination of many business leaders, educators and policy advocates.

They foresee a coming bonanza in fields like robotics, automation, AI, smart machines, big data, and the internet of things (IoT).

However, this broad vision is not welcomed by all. It is criticised as a continuing surrender to “the rule of robots” and the boundary-less practices of today’s digital age, which already make it hard for workers to “unplug”. Also, with its single-minded focus on enhancing productivity and profit, this view of the future fails to take due account of other essential aspects of human existence, including personal welfare and the benefits of pursuing a diversity of social, cultural and intellectual interests.

So, many now suggest, what we need instead is “automation with a soul”, with the emphasis put on human-centricity, resilience and sustainability. The best way to achieve this is through study of the arts, humanities and social sciences – alongside tech-based disciplines – in order to gain the necessary balance, direction and insights.

“In higher education, we should welcome Industry 5.0,” Cheng said. “We need to learn what ChatGPT and AI can do and what the limitations are. These tools will be used in the workplace, so our students need to be trained to use them, and we ourselves must be prepared.

“In terms of building resilience, though, we also need students to understand the nature of disruption and uncertainty. They can then help to improve macro and micro policies, creativity, planned design; production processing, rearrangement and so on. And, for that, liberal arts subjects are indispensable.”

Cheng noted that universities also have a duty to pay more attention to advancing sustainability and preventing environmental degradation - the third pillar of the future economy. It is a big subject, one that goes well beyond the issues of industrial automation and flexible manufacturing and which raises questions about the very foundation of the free-enterprise, capitalist economic system.

“That’s why university education needs to include key elements of the humanities and social sciences to instil an appreciation of the importance of protecting our environment for sustainable development,” Cheng said. “Graduates must be informed citizens who can collectively promote social good and support necessary government policies, including taxes and subsidies deployed to increase social well-being.”

The concept of inclusive business boils down to one main objective. That is to create both economic value and social impact by providing more and better opportunities for the Base of the Pyramid (BoP).

Those are the people who need to acquire skills and generate income in order to improve their standard of living. And all kinds of businesses certainly can help them, while also achieving their own growth and income targets.

More specifically, what universities can do in this respect, applying inclusive business practices to address inequality in Asia, was the subject of an interactive workshop held as part of the recent THE Digital Universities Asia 2023 event.

Not surprisingly, special attention was focused on ways to address the digital divide. There is a very real concern that large sections of society - the elderly, poor and disadvantaged - are being left behind. Therefore, it is vital to discuss strategies and practicalities, and promote collaboration and learning across the board.

To illustrate key issues also found elsewhere, the workshop used a number of current projects in the Philippines. One, for instance, centred on how to engage poor and marginalised communities in the value chain whether as suppliers, distributors or retailers. Another asked participants to consider how best to close the economic gap, and with it the digital divide, between urban and rural areas. And a third raised question about how to scale up inclusive business once the principles and methods had properly taken root.

The three facilitators for the workshop were Dr Tirso Ronquillo, President of Batangas State University and of PASUC (Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges); Reynold Manegdeg, Head of Business Enterprise Development at the University of the Philippines Institute for Small Scale Industries; and Professor Albert Ko, Director of the Entrepreneurship Initiative at Lingnan University.

In encouraging speakers from each group to share experiences and offer advice, their joint goal was to identify ways to help everyone in the world benefit from today’s advances in technology, not just those already within a certain wealth bracket and with easy access to smartphones, Wi-Fi and the internet.

That means having business models which empower, by including as many people as possible, as well as inspiring more universities in Asia to put their weight and expertise behind initiatives like this.

One ongoing project, involving 60 universities in the Philippines, is successfully introducing inclusive business as a tool for social innovation through “extension services” in the community and by incorporating these ideas into the curriculum. The aim is to develop a common understanding which can be applied for teaching and research, and bring meaningful change for all those people who face a daily struggle make ends meets or just put food on the table.

“The challenge now is how we can really narrow the gap, so lower-income families can ‘join in’ digitally and participate in business,” Ronquillo said. “We have revised our curriculum to include ‘technopreneurship’, and we go to lower-level communities to really engage with them through start-ups.”

He added that universities in the Philippines have also been developing mobile apps to facilitate businesses in low-income areas, and these new enterprises are now mushrooming.

“Faculty members and students go out to teach and support, but we are also required to do impact assessments on how many recipients and beneficiaries were able to improve their lives.”

New AI tools are already changing the world of work and, in doing so, stirring up a wide range of differing opinions. For some people, each announcement about the latest advances is a reason for excitement and optimism because they focus on the potential to boost efficiency, accelerate processes, and open up all kinds of opportunities. For others, the whole scene is fraught with danger. They fear where it is all heading and have no wish to be reconciled to living in a society where intelligent robots do ever more of the jobs and dire predictions circulate about the future of humanity.

Against this background, one panel at the recent THE Digital Universities Asia 2023 event, held in Kuala Lumpur, discussed different perspectives and, in particular, considered the evolving role of liberal arts education.in shaping the future and closing the tech skills gap.

The invited speakers for the session included Professor Joe Qin, President Designate of Lingnan University and Dr Tirso Ronquillo, President of PASUC (Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges). Also taking part were Professor Chulathida Chomchai, Dean of Mahidol University International College in Thailand and Albert Chau, Director of Education Channel Development for leading tech firm Huawei International.

The starting assumption was that the rapid adoption of AI technology in many sectors, including higher education, requires new attitudes and approaches. For instance, ways must be found to enable effective collaboration between humans and AI. That means learning new tech skills, plus understanding where gaps exist and how to bridge them.

However, it is also important to see the ongoing need for attributes traditionally acquired through liberal arts courses. These include creativity, critical thinking, empathy, and first-rate analytical and communication skills.

Good collaboration between humans - and with AI - still depends on such qualities, and the panellists were in broad agreement that this state of affairs is not going to change any time soon.

Also vital, though, is to ensure everyone around the world can benefit from tech advances, by using them to empower the 60 per cent of underprivileged people living on less than US$3 a day.

In the Philippines, Dr Ronquillo noted, in the revised senior high school curriculum, there is a course on “technology for humanity” which deals with ways modern-day tech is applied in all walks of life. In his view, liberal arts courses should now include something similar.

“I think that can be the bridge between technology and the layman,” he said. “Liberal arts graduates, with their empathy, will then be able to help other people understand [the changes] and cross the digital divide.”

Professor Qin added that ChatGPT, when asked, said one thing it could do was bridge the gap between liberal arts and AI by fostering curiosity, critical thinking, and communication skills that are essential to both domains. Qin himself sees real potential for integrating AI into various courses and projects, thus enhancing learning outcomes and engagement. But he also cautioned against “bypassing the human”, which can be costly, as various airline incidents have shown.

“Universities need to train students in AI, so they are ready for the future jobs marketplace,” Qin said. “If you avoid this, you won’t be able to be competitive.”

In turn, Professor Chomchai spoke about leveraging AI to promote the benefits of cross-disciplinary learning.

Nowadays, she said, it was necessary to break down the traditional barriers between arts and sciences. Students everywhere had to be familiar with data analysis and new ways of communicating, apply design thinking, be creative problem solvers, and develop a “sustainable mindset”.

Huawei’s Albert Chau mentioned that AI is now developing faster than anyone imagined and that the company’s co-operation with universities provides a platform for students to learn and create.

“[The future] workforce needs to master basic AI skills in order to cope with the changes that are happening,” he said.

Every tertiary-level institution with a focus on liberal arts education must address questions about the place of technology in the classroom, the curriculum, and campus life generally.

They all recoginse that developments in the wider world mean change is inevitable. But how to evolve, at what pace, and where to prioritise are matters that require close and careful consideration – and for which there are usually no easy answers.

With that in mind, the recent THE Digital Universities Asia 2023 event in Kuala Lumpur convened a roundtable discussion in hybrid format which invited academic leaders from around Asia to consider the road ahead and just what advances in technology will mean for them.

Participating in the discussion were Professor Sun Feiyu, Associate Dean of Yuanpei College at Peking University; Professor Shoichiro Iwakiri, President of International Christian University (ICU) in Japan, and Professor Stephen Yong-Seung Park from South Korea’s Kyung Hee University, who serves there as Professor of Industrial Relations and Human Resources, as well as Director of the Institute of Peace through Commerce in the School of Management.

Completing the distinguished lineup was Professor Joe Qin, president-designate of Lingnan University.

There was a general consensus among those involved that the Covid pandemic accelerated the use of technology in multiple aspects of teaching and learning. Online classes and pre-recorded lectures, remote supervision and mentoring, students using chatrooms to collaborate on group projects, and tutorials and presentations conducted via Zoom.

For a while, that was the only way to operate. It allowed flexibility and showed how further education can work in an interconnected online environment. Some might argue that is the way to go.

But for anyone in the sphere of liberal arts, where so much of the experience depends on interpersonal engagement and close faculty-student contact, there is a balance to strike between tech-based opportunities and other essentials of a cross-disciplinary whole-person education.

At ICU, for example, students are expected to think independently, critically evaluate their thoughts, pursue high academic and ethical standards, and apply them in society.

“The purpose and use of technology should fit these expectations,” Shoichiro Iwakiri said. “Only in this framework can it serve as a tool to achieve our educational goals.” He added that the experience of the pandemic had shown online teaching will remain useful when students need to overcome differences of place or time in order to participate in classes. Also, the future global work environment will certainly require widespread use of ICT tools, so liberal arts education must think about that and take action accordingly.

“In each course, we’re introducing training aimed at the effective use of new communication methods, including social media and generative AI applications to prepare students,” he said. “There are also many potentialities for technology in study abroad, virtual exchanges, and credit transfer programmes.”

Professor Park mentioned that his work looks at the transformation in management education as it becomes more stakeholder-based, using a paradigm that is all about the greater integration of liberal arts and business education.

“This can also help to ensure that AI technology is available in a way that is effective, efficient and responsible,” he said. “The role of liberal arts education will be even more crucial with the particular new technology of artificial generative intelligence. It is now providing humanity with an enormous and maybe unprecedented level of space and opportunity to interact wisely with machines and figure out creative solutions.”

For Professor Qin, within the wider debate, the emphasis should be on the human-centric part of AI and, in particular, how new technologies can improve the efficiency of work done in liberal arts and the humanities.

“I already use ChatGPT as an assistant,” he said. “It is good for communication in an interactive and creative way. Our students and educators can explore various aspects and use it as a tool. I think that will remain the way we use or interact with AI in the future.”