Saturday, 27 July 2024

A Problem Well Stated is a Problem Half-Solved: Are We Teaching Our Students Early and Enough about Problem Identification Methods in Our Education?

Dear Friends,

Today, I read a post by Nitin Aggarwal, a senior director at Microsoft who specializes in generative AI. He emphasized that some of the most successful engineers and project managers he has encountered were not necessarily the most technically advanced. Instead, they excelled because of their proactive nature and ability to identify problems and develop effective solutions quickly.

These individuals understood that merely focusing on technical details like algorithms, results, and training methods is insufficient. They realized the importance of asking, "Why is this problem important to solve?" This crucial question highlights the significance of understanding the business implications of technology, which, in turn, helps identify bottlenecks and generate valuable ideas for future innovation. Aggarwal's anecdote underscores that technology is a tool to enhance business operations, and its true value lies in solving real problems.

Thank you, Nitin, for bringing out the most critical element of education. Human Performance vs. AI Performance—The gap is narrowing and raising eyebrows. It is a big question for educators in this world. How do we trigger our students? How do we motivate our students to be proactive in problem identification, coupled with curiosity and critical thinking? Can we provide a competitive edge? Everybody understands these skills are vital for short-term success and crucial for long-term growth and innovation.

Many campus interviews still test an individual’s IQ level and problem-solving abilities. I think this process has to be tweaked a little bit. We should provide them with broad problem statements and ask them to cull out opportunities and corresponding ideas. Many hackathons attempt this approach, but recruitment through hackathon models is less than 5%. Companies are worried about the genuineness of the solutions developed by hackathon teams. The other issue is related to the weights of contributions.

Nitin says, “With many resumes now AI-generated and well-curated, I began exploring candidates who were pushing themselves to learn about AI and could connect business with technology. I started glancing at candidates’ LinkedIn posts and comments to understand their thought process and passion for learning, rather than just relying on their profiles.” Students should be extra careful about what they write and post on social media. Many companies filter these posts and use AI to scan and decide on the candidate's profile.

In my view:

·        3 years of Instagram posts determine the candidate's personality.

·        3 years of LinkedIn activity determine the candidate’s professionalism.

·        3 years of blog writing determine the candidate’s analytical ability.

·        3 years of TikTok posts determine the candidate’s creativity and linguistic skills.

·        3 years of Twitter posts determine the candidate’s social inclination.

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A couple of years ago, Dr. Abhinav Dayal and I developed a concept called GULid—Global Unique Learner ID, like an Aadhar for education (any online activity is stored as a learning record in a central server and adds some score to our overall lifetime learning records). Please go through the April 2022 blog post: https://lnkd.in/gyb4Tyg4. Unless such tracking happens, it is not practical to scout the right candidate.

Ravi Saripalle

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