Using generative AI to summarise the key messages of your book

Our book on the post-pandemic university was recently published after three years of work. It’s a large volume (360 pages) which brings together an international network who coalesced around the Post-Pandemic University network. It’s great to see it out but so much happened in the 9 months since we actually submitted it to the publisher that I must confess I’d largely forgotten what was in it. Obviously I intend to read it but as a stop gap experiment I asked ChatGPT 4 to summarise the project using the AskYourPDF plug in. The results were underwhelming giving a partial version of what could be identified in two minutes by flicking through the book:

1. Emotional Impact of Personal Beliefs on Policy Enactment: The book discusses how the varied beliefs that academic staff hold about the role of assessment in higher education shape their emotional response to, and their enactment of, the No Detriment Policy (Page 238).
2. Translating Policy into Compassionate Praxis: The book also talks about the process of translating policy into compassionate praxis and the institutional barriers to compassionate enactment (Page 238).
3. Theme-based Categorization of COVID-related Tweets: The book presents a theme-based categorization of COVID-related tweets from universities, focusing on prevention measures, student management, research and science, and society in the pandemic (Page 211).
4. Designing Curricula That Are Both Effective and Fit for Purpose Post-pandemic: The book discusses the potential of the podcast in designing curricula that are both effective and fit for purpose post-pandemic (Page 148).

Given how crap the search for ‘key themes’ was I instead asked it to ‘Please identify 10 key arguments, findings or insights from the book’. This was a little more substantive but there’s no sense of ranking or relevance, in part reflecting a weak prompt but also highlighting a deterioration in responsiveness when the plug in is involved:

1. Page 9: The author argues that the future of work is not something that happens to us, but something we create. Every organization and every leader has a choice to shape this future.
2. Page 15: The book suggests that the future of work is about flexibility and adaptability. It’s about being prepared for constant change and being able to adjust quickly.
3. Page 22: The author posits that the future of work will be driven by a combination of technology, people, and processes. It’s not just about technology, but also about how people use that technology and how processes are designed to support it.
4. Page 35: The book argues that the future of work will require new skills and capabilities. This includes not just technical skills, but also soft skills like communication, collaboration, and creativity.
5. Page 42: The author suggests that the future of work will be more about collaboration and less about competition. This means that organizations will need to foster a culture of collaboration and teamwork.
6. Page 50: The book posits that the future of work will be more human-centric. This means that organizations will need to focus more on their employees’ needs and well-being.
7. Page 57: The author argues that the future of work will require a new kind of leadership. Leaders will need to be more empathetic, inclusive, and forward-thinking.
8. Page 65: The book suggests that the future of work will be more about purpose and less about profit. This means that organizations will need to align their business strategies with their social and environmental responsibilities.
9. Page 72: The author posits that the future of work will be more about innovation and less about efficiency. This means that organizations will need to foster a culture of innovation and creativity.
10. Page 79: The book argues that the future of work will require a new approach to education and learning. This includes lifelong learning and continuous upskilling.

If in doubt give ChattieG, as Inger Mewburn calls our “talented, but easily misled, intern/research assistant”, more context:

I am an editor of this book and it was recently released. I am preparing to undertake promotional work to raise awareness of the book and the arguments made within it. Please help me identify key messages of the book which will stand out and attract the attention of potential readers. Suggest how these could be fitted together to provide coherent messaging which could be applied across promotional activities such as interviews, blog posts and social media posts.

This was much more interesting but came out at a level of abstraction which wasn’t particularly useful. It got preoccupied by “The Future of Work” which it initially insisted was the book but then retreated to suggesting it was the key theme of a book about the post-pandemic university:

1. Creating the Future: The future of work is not something that happens to us, but something we create. This message can be used to empower readers and potential readers, making them feel that they have a role to play in shaping the future. This could be a great topic for a blog post or an interview, discussing how individuals and organizations can actively shape the future of work.
2. Adaptability and Flexibility: The future of work is about being prepared for constant change and being able to adjust quickly. This message can be used to highlight the importance of adaptability and flexibility in the workplace. This could be a great topic for a social media post, perhaps with a catchy hashtag like #AdaptableFuture.
3. Human-Centric Approach: The future of work will be more human-centric, focusing more on employees’ needs and well-being. This message can be used to emphasize the importance of a human-centric approach in the workplace. This could be a great topic for a blog post or an interview, discussing how organizations can prioritize their employees’ needs and well-being.
4. Collaboration over Competition: The future of work will be more about collaboration and less about competition. This message can be used to promote a culture of collaboration and teamwork. This could be a great topic for a social media post, perhaps with a catchy hashtag like #CollaborativeFuture.
5. Innovation and Creativity: The future of work will be more about innovation and less about efficiency. This message can be used to highlight the importance of fostering a culture of innovation and creativity. This could be a great topic for a blog post or an interview, discussing how organizations can foster innovation and creativity.
6. Purpose over Profit: The future of work will be more about purpose and less about profit. This message can be used to emphasize the importance of aligning business strategies with social and environmental responsibilities. This could be a great topic for a social media post, perhaps with a catchy hashtag like #PurposefulFuture.
7. New Leadership: The future of work will require a new kind of leadership. Leaders will need to be more empathetic, inclusive, and forward-thinking. This message can be used to highlight the importance of leadership in shaping the future of work. This could be a great topic for a blog post or an interview, discussing the qualities of a future-ready leader.
8. Lifelong Learning: The future of work will require a new approach to education and learning. This includes lifelong learning and continuous upskilling. This message can be used to emphasize the importance of continuous learning in the future of work. This could be a great topic for a social media post, perhaps with a catchy hashtag like #LearningFuture.

I’ve found AskMyPDF great for interacting with single authored pieces but it seems to struggle with edited collections, leading to a remarkably stupid and easily confused instantiation of ChatGPT 4’s capacities. In contrast AiPDF did a lot better with the latter prompt, even though it was similarly underwhelming with my initial lazy prompts:

1. The Future of Education is Digital: The book explores how the pandemic has accelerated the shift towards digital learning and the implications of this for the future of education. This includes a critical look at the role of digital infrastructure in facilitating this transition and the challenges posed by the shift to online learning.
2. The Role of Feedback in Learning: The book highlights the importance of detailed, personalized feedback in reducing student anxiety and supporting feedback literacy, despite the increased workload for staff.
3. The Intersection of Education and Democracy: The book argues that higher education is a critical realm where democracy must be fought for, and academics have a fundamental obligation towards the preservation of ideals and ideas.
4. The Impact of the Pandemic on the Higher Education Sector: The book provides a detailed analysis of the severe job losses in the higher education sector due to the pandemic, with a focus on the disproportionate impact on women.
5. The Power of Data in Education: The book discusses the role of data in education, from the use of personal data for surveillance and control to the potential of data to assess the effectiveness of mitigating strategies during a crisis.

To create a coherent messaging strategy for promotional activities, you could consider the following approach:Interviews: Use these to delve deeper into the book’s key arguments. Discuss the future of digital education, the role of feedback in learning, and the intersection of education and democracy. Highlight the book’s unique insights, such as the impact of the pandemic on the higher education sector and the power of data in education.Blog Posts: Write in-depth articles on each of the key messages. For example, a blog post could explore the role of digital infrastructure in the transition to online learning, or discuss the importance of personalized feedback in student learning.Social Media Posts: Use these to share snippets of the key messages, quotes from the book, or key findings. For example, a post could highlight a statistic from the book about job losses in the higher education sector, or share a quote about the role of academics in preserving ideals and ideas.Remember to tailor each message to the platform and audience. For example, a LinkedIn post might focus on the book’s insights into the impact of the pandemic on the higher education sector, while a Twitter post might share a powerful quote about the future of digital education.

The themes it identified are clearly in the right domain but the level of generality is a bit useless for my purposes. I remembered enough about the book to have been able to generate these myself. So I asked AiPDF for more help:

This is the level of response I was hoping for. However the themes you’ve located are too abstract. Could you please flesh them out in more conceptual and empirical detail in order to support me in preparing for upcoming interviews about the book?

This provided a slightly more helpful answer but still not producing anything I couldn’t have derived by flicking through the book to jog my memory:

1. The Future of Digital Education: The book discusses the future of digital education, emphasizing the importance of creative, critical, and design thinking in learning. It suggests that learners should be at the center of the process and trusted as knowledge producers (p.133). This could be framed as: “Explore the future of digital education where learners are not just consumers but producers of knowledge.”
2. Role of Feedback in Learning: The book highlights the role of feedback in learning, with a focus on formative assessments and the use of learning analytics. It argues for the end of the distinction between summative and formative assessment, with feedback provided during the learning process (p.133, p.137, p.138). This could be presented as: “Discover how feedback transforms learning, with insights into the power of formative assessments and learning analytics.”
3. Intersection of Education and Democracy: The book explores the intersection of education and democracy, arguing that higher education is a critical realm where democracy must be fought for. It discusses the role of academics in preserving ideals and ideas (p.213). This could be communicated as: “Uncover the crucial intersection of education and democracy, and the role of academics in preserving ideals.”
4. Equitable Participation in Education: The book discusses the importance of equitable participation in higher education, arguing for more representative institutions and inclusive pedagogy (p.202, p.203). This could be framed as: “Delve into the importance of equitable participation in higher education and the call for more inclusive pedagogy.”
5. The Impact of Technology on Learning: The book examines the impact of technology on learning, discussing the potential for information overload and the need for careful integration of technology into education (p.332, p.333). This could be presented as: “Learn about the impact of technology on learning, the potential for information overload, and the need for careful integration.”
6. The Role of Higher Education in Social Justice: The book discusses the role of higher education in social justice, arguing for the need to resist ideologies of surveillance and invasions of personal privacy (p.211). This could be framed as: “Explore the role of higher education in social justice, and the need to resist surveillance and invasions of privacy.”
7. The Importance of Diverse Voices in Education: The book highlights the importance of diverse voices in education, arguing that universities should deliberately seek ways to welcome and engage with diverse perspectives (p.347). This could be presented as: “Discover the importance of diverse voices in education and the call for universities to welcome and engage with diverse perspectives.”
8. The Role of Teachers in Education: The book emphasizes the role of teachers in education, arguing that they are our last line of defense in a war between old paradigms and outdated processes (p.213). This could be framed as: “Understand the vital role of teachers in education, as our last line of defense in a war between old paradigms and outdated processes.”
9. The Impact of High-Quality Collaborative Videos on Learning: The book discusses the impact of high-quality collaborative videos on learning, suggesting that students’ perceived learning and satisfaction were higher with these videos (p.325). This could be presented as: “Learn about the impact of high-quality collaborative videos on learning and student satisfaction.”
10. The Role of Data in Education: The book discusses the role of data in education, arguing that data became the basis that motivated governmental choices and influenced public opinion (p.223). This could be framed as: “Explore the role of data in education, and how it influences governmental choices and public opinion.”

This still isn’t working very well. When using ChatGPT 4 to talk about work in progress I’ve relied on it accumulating a rich sense of context and intentions, exactly what I’m struggling to establish in this PDF centric conversation. Instead I thought I’d try asking it to draft a blog post to promote the book:

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the higher education landscape has undergone seismic shifts. The crisis has accelerated the transition to digital learning, challenged traditional pedagogies, and raised critical questions about the role of universities in our society. A new book, “Building the Post-Pandemic University,” edited by Mark A. Carrigan, Hannah Moscovitz, Michele Martini, and Susan L. Robertson, offers an insightful exploration of these transformations and the future of higher education.The book is a comprehensive examination of the post-pandemic university, divided into three main sections: Imagining, Contesting, and Materializing the Post-Pandemic University. Each section delves into a different aspect of the university’s evolution, providing a multi-faceted perspective on the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.The first section, “Imagining the Post-Pandemic University,” explores the potential scenarios for the future of universities. It delves into the role of digital technologies in higher education and the potential for online learning in a post-pandemic world. The authors argue that the future of education is digital, with learners at the center of the process, trusted as knowledge producers. This shift towards digital learning is not without its challenges, including the potential for information overload and the need for careful integration of technology into education.The second section, “Contesting the Post-Pandemic University,” focuses on the debates surrounding the transition to hybrid pedagogies and digital learning. The authors highlight the importance of feedback in learning, with a focus on formative assessments and the use of learning analytics. They argue for the end of the distinction between summative and formative assessment, with feedback provided during the learning process, thus transforming the learning experience.The third section, “Materializing the Post-Pandemic University,” explores the practical implications of the pandemic on university policies and practices. The authors discuss the importance of equitable participation in higher education, arguing for more representative institutions and inclusive pedagogy. They also highlight the role of higher education in social justice, arguing for the need to resist ideologies of surveillance and invasions of personal privacy.One of the book’s key arguments is the intersection of education and democracy. The authors argue that higher education is a critical realm where democracy must be fought for. Academics, they suggest, have a fundamental obligation towards the preservation of ideals and ideas. This argument is particularly relevant in the current socio-political climate, where the role of education in fostering democratic values is increasingly under scrutiny.The book also discusses the role of data in education, arguing that data became the basis that motivated governmental choices and influenced public opinion during the pandemic. This raises critical questions about the role of data in shaping educational policies and practices in the future.”Building the Post-Pandemic University” is a must-read for academics, policymakers, and anyone interested in the future of higher education. It offers a comprehensive, insightful, and thought-provoking exploration of the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for universities in a post-pandemic world. The book serves as a beacon, guiding us towards a future where higher education is more inclusive, democratic, and responsive to the needs of our rapidly changing world.In conclusion, “Building the Post-Pandemic University” is not just a book about the future of higher education; it is a call to action. It challenges us to reimagine the role of universities in our society, to embrace the potential of digital learning, and to strive for a more equitable and inclusive higher education system. It is a book that will undoubtedly shape the discourse on the future of higher education in the years to come.

So with the dawning realisation that my usually reliable research assistant had a crippling hangover and couldn’t help me today, I left ChattieG in the office and went off to talk to Claude instead. The problem is that Claude objected to the size of the original PDF (over 300 pages even though it was nominally within the 10mb upload) so I split the book up into 5 PDFs. But it kept rejecting these on the basis of size until I eventually settled on the first two parts of the book. It did a slightly better job than ChattieG on producing bland marketing copy, but again failed to provide the intellectual notes I was hoping for when I originally asked the question:

Based on the introduction to Building the Post-Pandemic University, here are some key messages and themes that could be highlighted to promote the book:Overarching Message: The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly disrupted higher education, raising urgent questions about how universities will need to adapt and transform in the “post-pandemic” era. This book explores how the future of higher education is being imagined, contested, and materialized.Key Themes:

• Imagining the Post-Pandemic University: The pandemic has accelerated interest in online and digital learning. But what pedagogical models and technologies should guide the future of higher education? How are different visions of the “cloud campus” being imagined?
• Contesting the Post-Pandemic University: The pandemic has exacerbated existing tensions and inequalities in higher education. How are various groups contesting issues of precarity, inclusion, leadership, and epistemic authority during this crisis period?
• Materializing the Post-Pandemic University: Infrastructure, policies, and artifacts are shaping how universities operate post-pandemic. What role do digital platforms, compassionate policies, and new modes of public engagement play in materializing higher education futures?

Promotional Messaging:

• Thought-provoking analyses of how COVID-19 is transforming higher education, raising profound questions about its future.
• Multi-disciplinary perspectives on imagining, contesting, and materializing the post-pandemic university.
• Timely contributions on digital learning, infrastructure, leadership, policy, engagement, and more from leading scholars.
• An essential book for anyone interested in how universities are adapting and what future pathways are possible.

Let me know if you need any clarification or have additional suggestions for key messaging based on the book’s introduction and contents!

In the time it has taken me to do this I could have easily just jogged my memory by browsing the book. But it was an interesting exercise nonetheless. In my ongoing conversations with ChatGPT about works in progress (one ongoing conversation for each project, now spanning. a few months) I regularly ask for summaries of the project or particular aspects of it. These are routinely useful and have completely changed how I develop ideas. But I’m still struggling to produce the same effect with regards to past projects uploaded as files.