PI: Michael Hoffmann
Goal
Our goal is to support the development of the Reflect! platform and further software tools that facilitate deliberation in educational, professional, and public settings.
Completed Work
Since August 2016, the VIP Digital Deliberation contributes to the development of the Reflect! platform which provides user guidance for reflective consensus building on wicked problems in teams of 4 or 5 students (http://reflect.gatech.edu). At Georgia Tech, a first version of the platform is currently used in PHIL 3127 Science, Technology, and Human Values. 42 teams of undergraduate students from across campus work on a semester-long projects on ethical and societal challenges of a wicked problem. Some teams work on facial recognition technologies in public spaces, others on robotic caregivers for the elderly. The Reflect! platform allows highly engaged problem-based learning (PBL) without the need of facilitators.
Future Plans
The VIP Digital Deliberation is a long-term project. After work on the current version of the Reflect! platform is completed, the next goal is to develop options for instructors to tailor “workplans” for student projects for specific purposes and teaching environments.