Emerging research reveals the blurred lines between humans and technology
Using cutting-edge data and analysis, this new book shares the impact of our rapidly growing digitized society.
- Jazz musicians have slower heart-rates when they are “in the flow.”
- In social channels, climate change deniers tend to focus on negative communication, whereas believers skew towards more positive language.
- Entrepreneurial success is significantly reduced when we excessively employ the term “not” in our online discourse.
These new insights into human behavior are just some of the examples coming out of a recently published book detailing the impact of our digitized society. In the increasingly blurred lines between our engagement via technology versus in person, surprising insights are starting to emerge about the power of both language and medium to predict behavior and outcomes.
Northeastern University’s College of Professional Studies Associate Dean of Research, Francesca Grippa, is the co-editor of a recently published book on social computing. The Handbook of Social Computing reveals the intricate patterns of interaction between individuals, machines, and organizations.
Grippa, an expert in digital collaboration tools, human computer interaction and social network analysis, is on the frontlines of research that seeks to explore the shifting landscape of our relationship with technology.
In this most recently published book, she collaborated with a global network of peers from MIT, University of Perugia (Italy) and Kozminski University (Poland).
“The impact of our digitized society on social behavior is accelerating as we adopt new technologies across all areas of our lives,” Grippa said. “We must study the effects of human-machine interaction as they happen in order to comprehend the gains, losses, biases introduced, and the influence on decision-making processes.”
Francesca Grippa
The book covers computer science, AI, sociology, and psychology, exploring social computing from all angles. Delving into social networks, algorithmic decision-making, ethical implications of AI, data privacy, and more, The Handbook showcases how digital technologies can analyze social behavior, interaction patterns, and enhance daily life, making it essential for students, scholars, and professionals in the field of human dynamics and social network analysis.
Protected: Academic Leadership
Harmonize 101: Using Harmonize Increase Engagement in Online Classes
Please join the EDCI team for two upcoming training opportunities available to all CPS instructors.
Harmonize is a Canvas-integrated tool that modernizes and enhances the traditional online discussion platform via interactive, engaging, and visually appealing discussion boards.
Watch this short (just 3 minutes!) demo to see what it can do. Please join the EDCI team for two upcoming training opportunities available to all CPS instructors.
Contact Jennifer Turrentine for additional information.
Harmonize 101: Using Harmonize Increase Engagement in Online Classes
Please join the EDCI team for two upcoming training opportunities available to all CPS instructors.
Harmonize is a Canvas-integrated tool that modernizes and enhances the traditional online discussion platform via interactive, engaging, and visually appealing discussion boards.
Watch this short (just 3 minutes!) demo to see what it can do. Please join the EDCI team for two upcoming training opportunities available to all CPS instructors.
Contact Jennifer Turrentine for additional information.
Student-powered research helps small businesses access opportunity
The Northeastern Lab for Inclusive Entrepreneurship just launched a dynamic, online, on-demand module for small companies interested in how to do business with colleges and universities. This interactive module was designed as part of a capstone project by Egle Slezas, who graduated from the instructional design master’s program in December 2023.
This module aims to solve the frustration many businesses face, especially small businesses, when trying to become an approved vendor for complex, multifaceted organizations such as higher ed. Businesses led and owned by historically marginalized communities face particularly daunting challenges, and this module aims to demystify the process and create more opportunity for small businesses.
The mission of lab for inclusive entrepreneurship is to contribute to economic development and community resilience by promoting inclusive, equitable innovation and entrepreneurship and assisting small businesses address their technical and managerial challenges.
As a University Center designated by the U.S. Economic Development Administration, this lab helps small businesses, particularly ones in the Portland-Boston-Providence Corridor, through two major initiatives:
- The Inclusive Entrepreneur Fellowship program
- Business assistance in the form of project-based collaboration with teams of Northeastern students
In addition, a major multi-year grant from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation supports the lab’s research and educational programs promoting supplier diversity in higher education.
The work we do is vital for removing barriers to opportunity for diverse businesses, it’s especially inspiring to witness the impact of our students as they engage in transforming the future of both academic research and business.
Francesca Grippa, Professor of Business Innovation, Associate Dean of Research, and Executive Director of the Lab
Because the lab’s work is grounded in applied research in such areas as economic development, digital technologies, and supply chain management combined with hands-on learning and community-based partnerships, it can provide diverse small business owners with the practical skills and supportive networks that drive growth while also serving innovation and opportunity for learners.
Call for Proposals: “AI for All” Week, April 1-5
The What.
The Offices of the Provost and Chancellor are organizing a weeklong series of lectures, interactive sessions, and trainings designed for our undergraduate and graduate students across the network to introduce and enhance their knowledge of AI and its many application areas.
“AI for All” week will begin Monday, April 1st with a plenary session. From Tuesday, April 2nd through Thursday, April 4, we want to provide a rich menu of offerings that students will select from across multiple domain areas during 60-80-minute timeslots. While we anticipate most of these will be in 2 sessions from 6:00-9:00 pm Eastern US time, we also encourage events at campuses in other time zones that may be at more appropriate local times. The week will end Friday, April 5 with a closing event to reflect on the sessions and discuss future activities around AI for the university system.
Call for Proposals
We invite faculty and student groups to submit a short proposal to deliver one of the sessions held during the Tuesday through Thursday evening time slots (or at other times, if appropriate). Proposals should describe experiential sessions that will help our students learn about different aspects and applications of AI, showcase faculty expertise and research directions, and student groups engaged in AI-related activities, particularly emphasizing AI in practice. Session content should be 60-80 minutes and can include multiple formats such as collaborations with industry partners and external experts, panel discussions, and hands-on activities.
We will select proposals for sessions that:
- Emphasize experiential learning with interactive experiences for students.
- Include topics at particular skill levels and/or application areas, ensuring an inclusive and enriching set of opportunities for all students, no matter their skill, experience, and/or interests. Topics could range from Generative AI in Arts and Media, AI & Humanics, and Leveraging Neural Networks for Speech Recognition to a Generative AI Tool Overview.
- Are ideally accessible across the university campus network via livecast. We also welcome locally delivered modules, particularly for locations with time zone differences.
Proposals are due by Friday, Feb. 16th using the proposal link. We will route all submissions to the appropriate academic dean, and if the proposer is located at a regional campus, we will also route them to the respective regional dean for review.
Proposers will be notified by Monday, Feb. 26th whether their proposal has been accepted. For those sessions selected, we’ll work closely with the proposer, the academic dean, and the campus dean to ensure scheduling and modality preferences are coordinated.
Please feel free to contact Becky Collet ([email protected]) if you have any questions.
GSE faculty publish a two-volume book sharing the national impact of “action research”
When students graduate with their EdD at Northeastern’s College of Professional Studies, they have already made an impact. That’s because the EdD program is centered on principles of “action research” and the dissertations involve comprehensive research, as well as thoughtful implementation.
Sara Ewell, Joe McNabb, and Joan Giblin collaborated on a comprehensive overview of national research led by EdD students around the country. This two-volume book highlights the work of graduate students whose EdD programs share Northeastern’s partnership with the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate (CPED) – an international organization dedicated to transforming the Education Doctorate into the Professional Practice Doctorate in Education.
According to its website:
“Members are committed to rethinking advanced educational preparation through improved EdD program designs that offer academic rigor, practical impact, applied research, and value. CPED, the first action-oriented effort working to distinguish the EdD from the PhD, defines the EdD as one that prepares educators to become Scholarly Practitioners who can apply appropriate and specific practices, generate new knowledge, and steward the profession.”
The books are available at Information Age Publishing: https://www.infoagepub.com/authors/joe-mcnabb
We sat down with one of the collaborators, professor of practice and full-time faculty member, Joe McNabb, to learn more about the importance of this work and the value of Northeastern’s EdD program.
Q: What is “action research”
Action research is really at the heart of how we establish the EdD as an advanced professional degree — such as a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) or Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) — versus a PhD which is more of an academic research degree. It moves away from traditional research by taking the step beyond just making recommendations, to actually implementing change based on rigorous research findings. For EdD students, when they graduate with their doctorate, they are armed not only with a degree but with a story of how their research resulted in meaningful change with significant impact.
Q: Why is this approach to “action research” so important?
Action research can empower all administrators in higher education to engage more effectively in resolving challenges in colleges and universities.
The first volume of the work we published, Faculty Development: Achieving Change Through Action Research, presents a compelling collection of chapters that explore faculty development through the lens of action research, tackling a diverse array of challenges with innovative solutions. Chapters include Cragg’s investigation into the barriers preventing faculty from implementing digital formative assessments in a top-tier business school highlights crucial issues of self-efficacy and time. Brewer’s examination of developmental English courses offers insightful structural and pedagogical strategies to enhance student success.
The second volume, Taking Action: Creating Sustainable Change in Student Affairs is an insightful compilation that utilizes action research to tackle complex issues in student development and support. Through a series of chapters, the volume delves into various facets of student life and administration, offering valuable findings and recommendations such as Tresselor-Gelok’s exploration of leadership styles in student affairs and Bevins’ work that highlights the benefits of peer-mentoring for first-generation students’ financial resource access.
Q: How did you decide what students to include in the book?
We did an open call for book chapters and reviewed all the proposals. Those that we kept were those that really demonstrated the impact of action research. We looked for highly rigorous research as well as measurable impact. The call was answered by universities across the country who are part of the CPED network, and the results were truly moving.
Q: Why did CPS decide to join the CPED network?
Sara Ewell was the vision for moving in this direction. We wanted our students to do something with their degree instead of just getting a piece of paper. She really created this vision in 2017 and 2018. We introduced the program in Fall 2018 — pivoting away from the traditional model so our students can take away high-impact skills.
This is even more meaningful when you consider the mean age of our students is 43. Most are mid-career professionals who are looking for ways to not only advance their careers, in higher ed, K-12, or non-profit spheres but make an impact. We have students from all over the country, representing community colleges, private liberal arts colleges, specialized colleges in fashion and design, prestigious global research universities, and Ivy League and public research universities. It really is a broad and diverse network of seasoned professionals generating remarkable work.
Transforming the future of education through a social justice lens.
Faculty in CPS’s EdD program prioritized compassion and connection in advancing curriculum development and research in a variety of education settings. As a result, 92% of graduating EdD students actively participated in change initiatives focused on social justice.
Learn more in this recently published paper “Developing and Sustaining Northeastern’s EdD Program During and Post Pandemic” in Impacting Education.
Journal on Transforming Professional Practice:
https://impactinged.pitt.edu/ojs/ImpactingEd/article/view/409/421
Writing your Problem of Practice & Application Support
This session is designed to help you choose your own problem of practice and write about it in your application to Northeastern. Every student in our program chooses a problem of practice and uses cycles of investigation to find innovative and systematic solutions to create change in their workplace and/or community.
Find more online events: Here
Writing your Problem of Practice & Application Support
This session is designed to help you choose your own problem of practice and write about it in your application to Northeastern. Every student in our program chooses a problem of practice and uses cycles of investigation to find innovative and systematic solutions to create change in their workplace and/or community.
Find more online events: Here