Jerbić: Skills are outdated. It is necessary to know sociology and psychology, not just mathematics and physics

For the future world in which new technologies are developing faster than ever, we need education, of course, but the question is what kind. Are we educating enough quality professionals today who will lead us into that future was the topic of the panel discussion at yesterday’s G.R.I.D. forum organized by Lider.

For many things today, I do not have enough people, so the answer from Lea Mršić, director of Algebralab, to that question is – no. He believes that we should prioritize productivity and think about how artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT can help us in that.

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Leo Mršić

photo Ratko Mavar

—– The development of artificial intelligence has brought a lot of good. After the coronavirus pandemic and online classes, teachers and students have somewhat ‘dozed off’. ChatGPT has awakened us and prompted us to change – said Mršić.

Many fear how to educate people for the future when we do not know what it brings, but Mršić pointed out that we did not know how it would be now even ten years ago.

Connecting industry and academia

As a positive example of a study program that prepares students for the challenges of the future, during the conference, the study of applied cognitive science was highlighted, created in collaboration between the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Zagreb and the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing.

Renata Geld, associate professor at FFZG, explained that they started working on the program three and a half years ago, and the first 30 students will start this study already this fall. It is designed so that people learn to communicate.

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Renata Geld

photo Ratko Mavar

—– Today, much is said about understanding, and everywhere in the world, the problem is that very little communication occurs between disciplines. We must start communicating seriously between disciplines, and this program brings that. It connects experts in AI, mathematics, linguistics, philosophy, anthropology, and we started from the needs of employers – explained Geld, with an interesting note that the program was accredited just at the moment when ChatGPT was released.

– I see the connection between industry and academia as the only solution for what we have now, which is artificial intelligence. Tomorrow it will be something else – concluded Geld.

Interdisciplinarity and culture

Academician Bojan Jerbić, full professor at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture in Zagreb and head of the Regional Center of Excellence for Robotic Technologies (CRTA), agreed with Geld, adding that modern education, especially in the STEM field, is not a matter of skills, but of interdisciplinarity and culture.

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Bojan Jerbić

photo Ratko Mavar

—– STEM skills are important, but they are transient. Skills are outdated; it is necessary to know both sociology and psychology, not just mathematics and physics, and even theology. Science must have a social context; it must have its origin in society and its goal in society – explained Jerbić.

Likewise, the time of ‘ex cathedra’ education is over and is no longer effective, believes Jerbić, and classical exam taking is a thing of the past.

– Students must participate in acquiring knowledge. We must create conditions for students to actively discover knowledge. Employers no longer have the time or money for additional learning of graduates and raising them to a certain level when they come into the real sector from university – emphasized Jerbić.

That culture lies at the center of humanity’s development was emphasized at the end of the meeting by academician Leo Budin, from the Department of Electronics, Microelectronics, Computer and Intelligent Systems at FER, highlighting the importance of lifelong learning. Children from an early age must be aware that they will learn and acquire knowledge throughout their lives, not just while they are in school, believes Budin, also a member of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts.

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Leo Budin

photo Ratko Mavar

—– We constantly write curricula, but nothing happens. Strategies are written, but the question is how those strategies are implemented. We need to devise tactical maneuvers that will realize the strategy. Therefore, we need to talk not about strategies, but about tactics on how something will be done – concluded Budin.