<p>Born in Canada to Italian and Slovakian immigrants, Dino Sossi is an adjunct assistant professor at the NYU SPS Division of Applied Undergraduate Studies. Before joining NYU, he was a research fellow at Harvard's Berkman Klein Center, creating media for the Digital Public Library of America, i-Lab, Digital Problem-Solving Initiative, MIT Media Lab, Harvard Initiative for Learning & Teaching, Zeega storytelling platform, and UNICEF–Youth & Media Lab's conference.</p>
A Teaching Philosophy Well-suited to SPS
<p>As a learning experience designer, Sossi has produced curricula on pandemic public policy for Toronto Metropolitan University and social media-driven human rights mobilization for OCAD University. He teaches Artificial Intelligence, Data Visualization, Design & Programming for the Web, Designing Data–Infographics, and Social Media at NYU SPS. According to Sossi, teaching combines his passion for media as well as sharing ideas in dynamic forms.</p>
<p>"These experiences help me engage incredibly smart students with complex ideas during a chaotic and censorious time when some look at education with suspicion," explained Sossi. "We must address the post-COVID world's challenges, but temper the mood to maintain perspective and avoid pessimism. Learning should be about hope, possibility, and transcendence."</p>
<p>Sossi believes that SPS's curriculum and faculty are well-positioned to address issues across the digital landscape, regardless of the technologies in question or platforms in use. "We have a unique blend of scholars and practitioners who inhabit the fertile space between academia and industry," shared Sossi. </p>
Our broad interests and diverse skills give us a vibrancy of thought that can be missing in traditional academic environments. If anyone can nimbly guide us through the dislocating impacts of technology and the perils it has wrought, it is the fine people at SPS."
Applying Formative Training to Today's Technology
<p>Sossi studied at a wonderfully nurturing K–12 teacher training program at York University, which helped him think about the interplay of social, economic, and political factors contextualizing learning. "As a research assistant with the Harlem Schools Partnership for STEM Education, I worked with unbelievably welcoming faculty," he shared. "I later taught K–12 in Toronto, New York, and across England and Wales."</p>
<p>"I am shifting my pedagogy to personal assignments that reflect student values. The more personal the assignment, the more they should be motivated to create work based on experiences that resonate with them deeply," continued Sossi. "ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence (AI)-driven technology will ideally complement learning rather than being the focus."</p>
<p>Sossi believes we must be proactive in how ChatGPT and analogous technologies impact teaching, learning, and civil society. Confronting these challenges seems inevitable, after all, as AI becomes increasingly pervasive, sophisticated, and imperceptible. "Talking about AI's ethical dilemmas honestly is key," he surmised. "We can hopefully learn to use AI in ways that meet NYU's ethical standards and help students responsibly experiment with these tools at university and beyond."</p>
Some Further Thoughts on ChatGPT
<p>In Sossi's opinion, ChatGPT is an incredibly powerful chatbot that provides detailed responses across subjects. It is the latest technology threatening to disrupt education. "ChatGPT should free us from some of academia's mundane text-based tasks," mused Sossi. "I worry about it amplifying disinformation and harming our information ecosystem. Potential remedies include improved digital literacy and instilling pride in complex thought."</p>
<p>Studying at NYU SPS can open doors that you may have never imagined were possible. See where you can start the next chapter of your career with a degree from the <a href="/content/sps-nyu/about/academic-divisions-and-departments/division-of-applied-undergraduate-studies.html" title="Division of Applied Undergraduate Studies (DAUS)">Division of Applied Undergraduate Studies (DAUS)</a>.</p>