By Menziwa Msibi
The North-West University (NWU) Library and Information Service and the School of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering recently hosted the 3rd IFLA Symposium on Artificial Intelligence in Potchefstroom.
They did this in collaboration with the International Federation of Libraries Association Information Technology (IFLA IT) Section.
The symposium's primary objective was to convene thought leaders from various industries to engage in discussions about digital transformation strategies. The emphasis was on encouraging institutions to adopt strategies that would invigorate their service operations, making them more dynamic, collaborative, and seamlessly integrated.
The overarching goal was to foster partnerships, networking, and collaboration among organisations – particularly in the development of e-services to support teaching, learning, and research.
The central theme was “Artificial Intelligence in teaching, learning and research: Promoting digital access to information through automation”. The symposium explored new methods and techniques for future research avenues in the various fields of artificial intelligence, infrastructure and computation, and machine learning. During the three-day event various subthemes were discussed, including artificial intelligence, robots in industry and education, e-learning, machine visualisation, infrastructure and computation, technology and trends, and AI literacy and governance.
Various guest speakers from the NWU graced the event, including Prof Daryl Balia, deputy vice-chancellor for information technology and Potchefstroom Campus operations, Andile Swartbooi, digital strategy officer, and Dr Janelize Morelli from the School of Music.
Experienced external guest speakers included Dr Edmund Balnaves, divisional chair of the IFLA, Prof Arthur Mutambara, director of the Institute for Future Knowledge at the University of Johannesburg, and Iman Magdy Khamis, library director of the Northwestern University in Quatar.
Dr Janelize Morelli, who spoke about "Adventures in navigating the rhizome: Interactive creative non-fiction in undergraduate modules", emphasised the challenges faced by educators in predicting the future for their students, particularly in the ever-evolving landscape of higher music education.
"I believe that the most effective learning occurs through interactions with peers and one's environment. Therefore, I place humans, human interactions, and society at the heart of my teaching and learning practices. My explorations into new animism have led me to question the centrality of humans in pedagogical thought and philosophy," she said.
The symposium organisers are grateful for the generous sponsorships that made this successful event possible, and thanks Worldwide Information Services, ExLibris, EBSCO, and Booktalk.
