Dr. habil. Gyula Szabó
Associate Professor
Óbuda University – Bánki Donát Faculty of Mechanical and Safety Engineering
Program Director for Occupational Safety Specialist, Occupational Safety Engineer, Specialist in the Investigation of Workplace Accidents and Occupational Diseases, and the Ergonomics and Human Factors Specialist programs. He is also responsible for the Ergonomics, Case Studies, and Thesis courses. He teaches in the mechanical engineering, mechatronics engineering, environmental engineering, and safety engineering bachelor’s and master’s programs. He is a topic supervisor and instructor in the Doctoral School of Safety and Security Sciences. Dr. Szabó is actively involved in several professional organizations and conference committees.
Tell us about yourself. What do you do?
I’m involved in quite a few things, perhaps even too many. I try to keep up with the changes and innovations that come my way, leveraging their advantages, applying new opportunities and situations to my profession, or examining how my profession can contribute to them. What is my profession? One of my main areas is ergonomics. I focus on how to take human characteristics into account when designing environments so that the entire system—comprising humans, technology, and the environment—operates as efficiently as possible. My goal is to ensure that the participants in the system are as satisfied as possible, and that both individual and system safety are achieved at the highest possible level. This is my primary research area and interest.
Here at the university, my main focus is on maintaining workplace health and safety, particularly through technological, organizational, and other solutions that help achieve health and safety, especially in the workplace. And how does this relate to K-MOOC? I’ve always tried to incorporate innovative solutions in my teaching. By introducing various e-learning systems, studying and using AI applications, and examining their impact on humans, I’ve tried to stay updated and make use of these tools. I saw that there were many opportunities to motivate and activate students, as well as simplify and accelerate work processes in the learning process through the Moodle system.
I uploaded a lot of materials from my Introduction to Ergonomics course, which was once a mandatory subject in the technical management program, and when K-MOOC was launched, it seemed natural to create e-learning content from it. Since then, several more materials have been developed, and now we have reached the point where we are developing course materials through international cooperation as part of the Erasmus KA 220 project. I enjoy taking on the e-learning development aspect of these courses. Although the topics of courses like The Social Impact of Artificial Intelligence (HEDY) or 3D Printing of Implants (Ergodesign) are far from my original field of expertise, ergonomics, it was an interesting challenge to be responsible for the educational part. I teach, try to see things from the students’ perspective, and strive to create enjoyable course materials. These activities fill my days at K-MOOC.
What are the most important aspects to consider when designing e-learning materials?
Creating e-learning materials is a significant undertaking, not something that can be done by one person alone. It’s best done in a team where there’s someone who understands the subject matter, someone skilled in educational methodology, and someone who knows the technology. At least these three roles need to be involved in developing educational content.
Anyone can enroll in a K-MOOC course, whether from home or abroad. How much harder is it to create a course on a platform that caters to a large, diverse audience?
When designing a course, it’s crucial to define the target audience and consider their specific characteristics. From an educational perspective, this is interesting because the educational goals change depending on the students’ prior knowledge, the pace at which they can progress, or how deeply one needs to delve into the details. Essentially, everything changes based on who the target group is. There are many variables, and with such a wide course offering, these variables need to be managed somehow. A precise course description is essential, helping students choose wisely. However, since K-MOOC is free, students can try out several courses in a semester without negative consequences. The development of different styles and solutions in course materials and the existence of various educational platforms with distinct styles assist both course developers and students in choosing materials. To help a broader audience complete the course, different learning paths can be created, reflecting different learning styles and taking into account varying levels of prior knowledge.
What are the basic requirements? What makes educational content effective?
The content must be professionally credible and flawless. From a basic user experience perspective, it’s important that students always know where they are in the course, what tasks they need to complete, and how to do so. They should feel secure that they can’t make irreversible mistakes, can go back, and can repeat activities. Feedback, clear guidance, and the ability to seek help from the instructor are crucial. The requirements must be clear.
The course structure requires careful consideration. What units does it consist of? How deep does it go in each part? How much specific information does it provide, and how much does it serve as a starting point for independent work? The question of guidance, or control, also arises: how much of a predetermined path must the student or participant follow to complete the course? Some concepts allow for a broad “menu” from which students can pick and choose based on their interests, while others might just tick the box and get by with a minimal effort. In such cases, the goal is for everyone to gain some insight according to their interests, acquire a bit of expertise, and then move on. However, some courses are mandatory, and in these, such choice isn’t allowed. The required skills must be acquired, and what’s outlined in the educational requirements must be strictly enforced.
In university education, even if it’s e-learning, students must go through a specific learning process and adopt the learning style that suits it, regardless of their generation. As teachers, we tend to think in broader terms, but for a shorter course, whether it’s an hour and a half or a semester, the focus in our consumer society is on immediate solutions. People expect quick, concrete results, especially on a paid e-learning platform. It’s crucial that the course provides usable, immediately applicable knowledge. Feedback from students is indispensable for this, as their input is vital for the success of the content. Feedback is not only helpful but necessary to create truly effective educational materials.
How do you see the role of artificial intelligence in the development and use of e-learning materials from both the educator’s and the student’s perspective?
I believe that artificial intelligence (AI) is present in our lives and will be used by both educators and students. We need to be prepared for this. It’s important to learn how to use the most modern technologies in the best possible way. However, we must not abuse it. Mutual respect is essential. For example, we should not taint the content by generating it artificially, as it lacks the human touch and coherence. As an educator, I cannot rely on AI to generate text that I then assess. AI is quite useful for generating quiz questions or identifying incorrect answers. However, if AI generates a question, I still need to check it for content and linguistic accuracy. I can use AI to create a transcript, which I then refine and correct. This way, it provides an alternative to summarize video content and review it multiple times.
Students also need to learn how to work with these tools. Various courses should offer opportunities to experiment with such tasks. It’s crucial to find space for this because it’s an important skill that students will certainly use. If a task requires using AI, then use it, but if it doesn’t, then don’t. This brings us back to mutual respect. For instance, there was a case where a student did not notice that a source summary was in French and submitted a summary in that language. The problem was that neither of us knew French. This is not a pleasant situation. If you generate a text instead of putting your own knowledge, opinions, and effort into a task when explicitly asked to do so, we won’t be friends. It’s important to include the most modern knowledge in a course; banning it is not an option, as the world doesn’t work that way. If our students are going to use AI – and it’s good if they do – we must show them where AI fits within the course content and how to use it in a contemporary, practical, and ethical manner. We must teach and expect the best from our students.
Are there any MOOC courses that you consider very successful or that you are particularly proud of because you participated in their creation?
I am definitely proud of the ones we have created under the Erasmus projects. The HEDY course was very successful in its own right. Naturally, I am a perfectionist. Being the coordinator of the entire project, I had to maintain high standards. I always set the bar higher than what we can currently jump over; I always expect more. On one hand, this course utilized many technologies that hadn’t been used at the university before, and on the other hand, the approach of showing the content through films and allowing significant student autonomy in completing the course was unique. The HEDY project was a professionally successful endeavor, not just because it received good recognition on the Erasmus platform and was marked as a good practice, but also because we executed it very well both methodologically and in terms of approach. We did not expect to hit the mark so accurately when we started. At the midpoint of the project, ChatGPT emerged, and we had a situation based on our needs assessment regarding the social acceptance of AI. This was quite a remarkable development. Of course, the course might have been even more successful had ChatGPT not appeared in the middle. The space for alternatives expanded dramatically with the pandemic, but who else managed to hit the mark so precisely? Another course currently in development, 3D Printing of Implants (Ergodesign), directly addresses a real need. It targets a fantastic gap or knowledge deficit that is not covered elsewhere. The course emphasizes problem-based learning, is well-structured, and I believe we add the finishing touch by inviting the top three performing students each semester to come and have their designs printed and handed to them. This approach maximally enhances the student experience. I am extremely proud of these achievements. I have developed and am currently managing many courses, each with different solutions. I essentially like all of them. I highlighted the flagship courses, but the first ones also had their charm and place, as do the others. I also browse various materials on platforms like YouTube, Udemy, and others. For instance, OpenAI’s first course released for free on Coursera was brilliant. There were also some excellent free courses on LinkedIn when our educational platform was introduced. I really enjoy various “How it’s made” videos and TED Talks. These are freely accessible and very useful. I like to incorporate authentic primary sources into the educational materials. It’s fantastic to use these authentic sources.
What will be the role of teachers in the future? Will they still have a role at all?
I am not afraid of becoming obsolete or that AI will replace teaching. Because I need to be there with the students, to guide them, support them, and together we will find the best resources and solutions. Human connections cannot be replaced by anything.
