In early March, SJMC associate professor of instruction Kevin Ripka along and six SJMC students attended the annual IRE and NICAR data journalism conference.
According to Ripka, the purpose of NICAR is to give attendees of all levels of expertise—from beginners to industry professionals—a deep dive into effective data visualization strategies. Participants have the opportunity to listen to lectures and apply their new skills in hands-on workshops of their choosing.
In today’s digital landscape, Ripka emphasized the importance of consistently updating teaching practices to keep up with technological advancements. During this year’s conference, he attended sessions specifically for data visualization educators.
“Of course, in the days of AI, everyone’s at a scramble for new ways of teaching data journalism,” he said. “All of this, everything, just teaching what I teach changes every year anyhow.”
Ripka said the biggest insight he took away from NICAR was that AI serves as the basis for educators’ most pressing modern concerns. He described AI as being a “double-edged sword” in that although it helps professionals to complete “grunt work,” those who have not yet mastered the ability to do this work themselves are relying on AI too heavily.
“It’s such a double-edged sword,” he said. “I personally love AI because I already know the basics. I have all the foundations, and it’s great for productivity if you already know how to call it out and how to not let it take over.”
In the future, Ripka plans to encourage students in his courses to experiment with AI. However, he emphasized that he will ensure they have the proper skill set to verify the things AI produced; that is, “to make sure the A is not lying to you.” Although AI is a helpful tool, it must not be used as a crutch.
Building on the idea that AI is becoming more prominent in the academic sphere, Ripka said that AI has changed not only his approach to teaching, but also his method of assessing student work.
“AI has really, indelibly changed the way I even approach assessment in education, because I think now it’s such a different ballgame,” he said. “You can’t play the same game anymore, so now you’ve got to change it, and I think it’s made my teaching better.”
Professor Ripka encourages students of all interests and specialties to be open to serendipity; that is, to give opportunities like this a chance, even if they are unsure about it.
“You should take every opportunity you have, because the SJMC really does give a lot,” he said. “Even if you aren’t into data visualization or data journalism, it’s an opportunity to find out, ‘hey, is this a path forward?’”
For more information about the annual NICAR data visualization conference and how to get involved, feel free to check out their website.