Bb course shells for WT2015 and SP2015 were created on December 2, 2014 on the new Blackboard managed hosting site.
Bb shells are available for all courses (designated as lecture, lab, field or discussion) listed in the UMBC Schedule of Classes (SOC), provided that there is an instructor of record listed. As new course sections and/or instructors are added to the SOC, corresponding Bb shells are automatically generated overnight. If you need a shell for a research or independent study course, please submit a new course request.
Instructors who teach multiple sections of the same course will find those enrollments merged into one Bb course shell. These sections can be split upon request an RT ticket. Student enrollment in Bb mirrors the official registration in SA and updates hourly. However, courses are not accessible to students by default until the instructor makes them available.
If you are an instructor, and your name is not associated with the course you are teaching in the SOC, please see your departmental scheduling coordinator to resolve the issue. Once you are listed in the SOC, your Bb course shell will be created automatically.
Meet your new co-worker, Aiko. She speaks fluent Japanese and is made entirely of silicone.
Every year Japan hosts a Consumer Electronics convention, allowing companies to demonstrate their latest breakthroughs in technology. This year, Toshiba showcased their latest hire.
Her name is Aiko Chihara, and she is an Android Robot. With human-like features, Chihara speaks fluent Japanese and is pre-programmed to perform a multitude of tasks for Toshiba.
Chihara moves in a lifelike fashion, but since her actions are pre-programmed, there are no signs of Artificial Intelligence. However, companies have proved Artificial Intelligence is not necessarily a priority when deciding to replace employees with robots.
David Autor, from the MIT Department of Economics, hosted a discussion at UMBC on Thursday titled, “Will the workplace of the future have any workers?” With this highly debated topic, the discussion explored the ways in which artificial intelligence stimulates employment and productivity through advances in technology.
However, while the labor market still experiences the after effects of the 2008 recession, many experts have expressed concern surrounding the usage of androids in business. With the technology at their disposal, companies now have eminently computerized warehouses containing robots programmed to perform monotonous tasks to keep business operations flowing smoothly.
McAfee, a security software company, has about 69 robots for every 100 employees in their warehouses. Using algorithms, McAfee was able to pre-program robots to accept orders via wifi.
The robots receive customer orders through antennas and are programmed to maneuver their way throughout the warehouse to find the proper merchandise to fulfill the order. After completing one task, the robot instantaneously receives another order, making these ‘workers’ highly efficient.
“There are lots of examples of routine, middle-skilled jobs that involve relatively structured tasks … that are being eliminated the fastest,” stated Eric Brynjolfsson, MIT Professor for the Sloan School of Management.
Unfortunately for recent and future college graduates, these robots are extremely cost effective and never fail to complete a task when programmed with the correct algorithm. Working without a lunch break, sick days or holidays, these robots are provide a high level of efficiency for companies.
Robots are also used in hospitals to assist surgeons through surgeries and pharmacies to sort through customer prescriptions. Even though robots are another added layer of competition for college students applying for entry level jobs, some experts argue androids actually create jobs.
Andrew McAffe, from the MIT Sloan School of Management, claims technology is always creating jobs. In Silicon Valley, “the scale and pace of creation is astonishing. What these companies are not doing, though, is hiring a ton of people to help them with their work. Because they can’t find everyone they need.”
In response to the increased usage of robots in the workplace, Amanda Song, a sophomore biology major stated, “I believe technology is inevitably the future, and, as graduates, we will be forced to adjust.”
Even though these robots are being used in place of certain jobs, Song adopts an optimistic outlook on the labor market stating, “the innovations in technology will ultimately lead to new jobs and higher productivity for everyone.”
Before becoming discouraged of the increased competition, remember ground-breaking ideas are only achieved through human collaboration. Up until this point, robots are unable to replicate this type of human interaction. With innovation as a main component of success for businesses, creativity as a form of human capital is still in high demand.
With the ability to use robots in entry level jobs, companies are now in need of graduates with more specialized rather than a broad skill-set. Rather than harming the labor market, this technology has the ability to drive everyone to a higher level of productivity and efficiency, helping the economy further progress forward through innovation.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/are-robots-hurting-job-growth-13-01-2013/3/
http://www.robots.com/articles/viewing/benefits-of-robots
http://www.engadget.com/2014/10/07/toshiba-android-sign-language/
Egypt
On Saturday, an Egyptian court dropped charges against former President Hosni Mubarak and seven other senior ex-officials over the killing of over 230 protesters during the 2011 Egyptian Revolution.
Mubarak, his former Interior Minister Habib al-Adly and six others were convicted of conspiracy to kill protesters and were all handed life sentences in June 2012. A year later, a retrial was ordered on a technicality.
Shortly after the court’s decision, the former president said, “I did nothing wrong at all,” in a private phone interview to Sada al-Balad TV.
Hundreds of people gathered in Tahrir Square, the epicenter of the 2011 uprising, to protest the court’s verdict. Security forces quickly moved to disperse the demonstrators using tear gas, water cannons and birdshot.
Mubarak, age 86, is currently serving a three-year sentence for embezzlement of public funds in a military hospital and is expected to serve his remaining months there.
Britain
British Prime Minister David Cameron introduced a proposal on Friday aimed at curbing immigration from European nations that would ultimately impact over 400,000 European Union (EU) immigrants in Britain.
Under Cameron’s plan, EU immigrants would have to wait for four years before being eligible for benefits, including tax credits and government-subsidized housing. The bill also stipulated that immigrants could be deported after six months if they are unable to find a job.
Cameron is up for re-election next May and his plan is largely seen as a concession to Britain’s anti-immigrant wing. Recent opinion polls show that immigration is the top concern for British voters, with many seeing the increase in immigration as an undue burden on education, health and welfare funding.
Cameron has promised to renegotiate Britain’s relationship with the EU in the run-up to Britain’s 2017 referendum on whether or not to remain in the union.
“I will negotiate a cut to EU migration and make welfare reform an absolute requirement in renegotiation,” said Cameron in a speech on Friday. “If our concerns fall on deaf ears and we cannot put our relationship with the EU on a better footing, then of course I rule nothing out.”
Turkey
Pope Francis arrived in Turkey on Friday for his three-day trip aimed at promoting religious dialogue, marking the fourth visit by a pope to the Muslim-majority country.
Vatican officials have said that religious tolerance would be high on the agenda when the Pope meets with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, despite his political party being rooted in Islam.
Alongside President Erdogan, Pope Francis expressed his concern for the persecution of Christians in the region and said that such a dialogue could “deepen the understanding and appreciation of the many things which we hold in common.”
Against the backdrop of the advance of Islamic State insurgents in Iraq and Syria and along the Turkish border, Pope Francis also spoke about the Middle East, saying that “for too long [it has] been a theatre of fratricidal wars.”
Compiled by the Retriever Weekly News Staff
November 25 – Rioters across the country took to the streets to express their discontent after Officer Darren Wilson was not indicted in the fatal shooting of unarmed Michael Brown.
November 26 – In Nigeria, a double suicide bombing has killed more than 40 people in the northeastern city of Maiduguri. The bombers were two teenage girls who entered a busy marketplace before carrying out the attack.
November 27 – The Taliban bombed a British embassy vehicle in the Afghan capital of Kabul, killing five people, and attacked a foreign compound in the city center in the evening, officials and witnesses said.
November 28 – Oil prices dropped by 7 percent to $69 per barrel on Thursday, the lowest level since May 2010. The dive came after OPEC announced that it was leaving production levels unchanged.
November 29 – The FBI is advising current and former members of the military to review their social media accounts to avoid posts that might attract attention from the group calling itself the Islamic State and its supporters. The Islamic State has publicly encouraged attacks on law enforcement and military personnel.
November 30 – Representatives for police in St. Louis, MI say that they are furious after several players for the St. Louis Rams raised their hands in solidarity with protesters who are speaking out against the death of Michael Brown.
December 1 – The United Nations’ food agency has announced that it is suspending its food programme serving more than 1.7 million Syrian refugees because it has run out of money.
The World Food Programme (WFP) said on Monday that it “immediately needs” at least $64m in December alone to support the displaced Syrians.