Can you pass the Turing Test?

I recently found this online course introductory post on the internet. I have blanked out the instructor and course names to maintain anonymity. Read this and imagine being a student in this class.

WELCOME STUDENTS: I AM XXXXXXXXXXXX, YOUR ONLINE PROFESSOR. SHOULD YOU WISH TO KNOW MORE ABOUT ME, JUST CLICK ON MY BIO WHICH IS LOCATED IN THE CLASS SYLALLUS. THANKS FOR TAKING XXXXXXXXXXXXX ONLINE WITH ME DURING THIS SEMESTER. I AM HAPPY THAT YOU ELECTED TO STUDY WITH ME. THE SCHEDULE IS OUTLINED IN SYLLABUS ANS SCHEDULE--SO--READ IT. PLEASE PURCHASE AND SECURE ALL OF YOUR COURSE MATERIAL AND LETS GET STARTED. PLEASE ADHERE TO ASSIGNMENT SCHEDULE DUE DATES--DO NOT FALL BEHIND...THERE WILL BE NO MAKE UP ASSIGNMENTS. PLEASE READ THROUGH THE CLASS SYLLABUS AND OTHER RELATED INFORMATIONAL MATERIAL AND EMAIL ME--AT ONCE--IF YOU HAVE PROBLEMS OR CONCERNS.

What do you think? Was this produced by a human or a computer? How would you feel about approaching this instructor with a question or issue?

The Turing Test

In the 1950’s, the great mathematician and cryptologist, Alan Turing, proposed an interesting thought experiment, which you’ve all probably heard of at one time or another. He proposed that for a machine (in those days, a “computer” was an actual human who worked with an adding machine) to give the illusion of human thought, it would have to pass the following test:

- The machine would be placed in a room separate from a human interrogator.

- The interrogator would ask questions of the machine (not knowing whether it was a machine or a human) and another human would pass the questions to the machine.

- The machine’s responses would be passed back to the interrogator.

- The appropriateness and validity of the responses would be used to judge whether or not the machine was “human” in its cognitive ability.

In this day an age, this may seem to be a quaint idea. Computers have advanced significantly since Turing’s time, and they are becoming more and more capable in human/computer interactions. However, the thought I’d like you to consider is this: how do your students know you aren’t a machine? My online students never see or talk with me in person. Do they have enough information to know that I’m a human being? Here are some things to consider:

Humor:

When you’re posting to a discussion, or answering email, keep in mind that your students are probably very intimidated by you – they don’t know you personally and they can’t judge your mood and tone by the sound of your voice or your body language. Since they are predisposed to be intimidated, you need to try and swing their impression over toward respectful friendliness. I use a lot of smileys and light humor in my messages to try to keep the mood light.

Personality:

This is related to humor, but think carefully about how your word choices portray your personality to your class. I try to write colloquially, as I would talk with them if they were in a traditional classroom setting. The manner in which you word your introduction, discussion prompts, instructions, etc. will have a big impact on how your students perceive you. Above all, you should be consistent and sincere, because they will see through duplicity very quickly (just like kids always do :-).

Empathy:

We all will have students who develop issues and problems as they go through our courses. I have had students ask me for leniency because they:

- had a family member die

- are going through a divorce

- are extremely ill

- can’t get their lab kit delivered because they are in a foreign country

- are travelling out of the country on business

- were wounded in combat and airlifted out and couldn’t get to their lab kit (really!)

In these cases, and others, I have sometimes suspected the students of lying to gain an advantage, but I’ve decided that I would give them the benefit of the doubt and treat them the way I would want to be treated – with sincere empathy. I might also keep a closer eye on them and make sure they didn’t lose a grandmother each time a lab or exam was due, but I personally see no advantage to making their situation more difficult by demanding a note from their doctor or a death certificate.

There are other ways to affect this, of course, but these elements will go a long way toward convincing your students that you are, indeed, human.