Technological Advances That Can Be Applied to Learning

Emma Weber

It is surprising, to say the least, that a brilliant understanding of knowledge came from a former U.S. Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld.
“There are known knowns, things we know we know,’’ Rumsfeld said in 2002. “We also know there are known unknowns, we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns, the things we don’t know we don’t know.”
It is unlikely Rumsfeld knew the genius of his statement. But it precisely describes where we stand in the field of learning.
There is much we don’t know we don’t know. And the only way that we will know the existence of such material, whether we understand it or not, is to expand our field of research to areas that may not seem intuitively involved in the field of learning.
In this case, for this purpose, we suggest there is much we can learn from the field of mental health technology as it applies to coaching and learning. We just need to open our minds to new sources of innovation.

Chatbots deliver mental health guidance

Is there any field more in need of the human touch than mental health care? The answer is “no”. When a person experiences psychological issues, their best approach for relieving the stress attached to mental concerns is to talk to someone.
Yet, chatbots have increased in popularity in mental health care. Intuitively they shouldn’t work in this space, then why do they?
As reported in the American Psychiatric Association’s Psychiatric News, a 2021 national survey commissioned by Woebot Health found that 22% of adults had used a mental health chatbot and 47% expressed interest in having a chatbot available if needed. The survey noted that this practice increased dramatically through the rise of Covid.
“The most common reason people cited as to why they used and/or might be interested in using a chatbot included the tool was cheap, easy to use, and accessible anytime,” according to Psychiatric News.
The same reasoning can be applied to chatbots in learning, coaching, and mentoring. If mental health patients can be supported by a chatbot, a coachee can probably derive some degree of assistance from a similar AI tool.

We are still learning how to use technology to learn

The advancements in chatbot sophistication have been rapid. In many instances, consumers and students access chatbots to acquire information as part of the training program. And of course, my interest is in how chatbots can be used in the behavioural change part of learning.

It’s exciting that chatbots can also be a jumping-off point for coaching and behavioural change. We are not yet at the point where chatbots can offer transformational coaching. They can not yet respond to the myriad of situations that a human coach comes up or against, or respond with deep questions. They simply aren’t as good as a human yet!
But, they know a great deal and can go a long way in creating a scalable alternative to consistently good, basic coaching. The use of chatbots, especially those designed for reflection and accountability, can provide significant value. These conversations provide a level of psychological safety for those who want to reflect internally rather than externalise the conversation. Properly employed, they can advance the learning curve for the application of learning and in some cases, move beyond that level to deeper conversations.
But, there is a need for caution. Chatbots cannot replace human coaches. There is still a level of flexibility and intricacy that technology cannot reach. Chatbots cannot yet sense, in the way a person can (and they may never be able to!) which enables a more attuned, challenging conversation.

As explained in the academic paper Augmenting Coaching Practice through digital methods, written by Kevin Ellis-Brush and published by the International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring, “the issue of a human-like relationship between an artificial, mathematically created, actor and a coachee appears to be an oxymoron and worthy of further inquiry.”

A matter of degree

The Ellis-Brush paper maintains that the relationship between a coach and coachee must include a human element to be successful. I’d challenge whether this is always true and whether the context matters.
“There appear to be no proponents that suggest that the relationship between coach and coachee should be one that is on an algorithmic transactional basis or deemed as remote.” He then argues against that statement slightly by noting “The degree of personal engagement demanded varies according to the coaching assignment.”
This, then, is the crux. Coaches who hope to use technology such as chatbots or apps to provide initial coaching instruction must examine the context to determine how far an artificial intelligence chatbot can propel a learning outcome.
Those limits, however, change on a regular basis. New software is designed daily that deepens the understanding and skill of chatbots and digital instructors. And as mental health shows us they are being used increasingly in this field and with a high level of efficacy. Any coach who wants to see how technology can be used to provide the base for a learning program must consistently and frequently challenge their own thinking and experiment with the practical application.

The lesson to learn

Whether you do it yourself or assign it to someone else, you must be on the alert for advances in technology that can be transferred to your area of expertise. You must consider outside sources for such technological advances. It is possible that advancements in chatbot technology used to deliver mental health support can be altered to provide coaching assistance.
And for it to be of benefit you just have to admit you don’t know what you don’t know.