Word of the Year 2025

This week the Cambridge Dictionary announced its word of the year: parasocial. It is a relatively new addition to the dictionary whose lookups have spiked. Having spread in academic contexts, it was registered in the dictionary in 2023 as an adjective meaning “involving or relating to a connection that someone feels between themselves and a famous person they do not know, a character in a book, film, TV series, etc., or an artificial intelligence.” Apparently, it was coined in 1956 when Chicago sociologists drew a comparison between TV viewers’ relationships with screen characters and those with family and friends. Studies have emerged since then on parasocial relationships (PSRs) and parasocial interactions (PSIs), demonstrating their impact in a multitude of domains, including education, as they permeate various platforms in different manifestations. For example, they could be embodied in the form of video, voice only, or text; and they could involve real celebrities or fake AI figures or friends. The distinguishing feature of a parasocial relationship is that it is, in a sense, one-sided.

A scientific report by Lotun et.al. (2024) indicates that people frequently form parasocial relationships with “targets that cannot return the sentiment”. Entitled “People Perceive Parasocial Relationships to be Effective at Fulfilling Emotional Needs”, the report concludes that rather than being a resort for the socially isolated, PSRs are a valuable part of people’s normal social lives; in addition, “These PSRs may never be able to physically reach out and offer people care and support, but that does not prevent them from cheering people up when they are sad, or amplifying people’s moments of happiness.”

My own students have started using bots as tutors for difficult subjects such as mathematics, illustrating how AI is now capable of some types of “support”, including academic guidance. However, despite the speed and efficiency of the bots, my students have found their explanations rather superficial compared with those of human tutors. It is good to see that university students are critical of the bots rather than revering them as if they were a new god taking over their lives. While they continue to use them, they see the optimal tutorial support as being hybrid, including both human and AI contributions. In any case, Colin McIntosh of the Cambridge Dictionary points out that “Parasocial captures the 2025 zeitgeist. It's a great example of how language changes.” 

Copilot also lists parasocial as one of the top three terms reflecting the essence of the year, the other two being eco-minimalism and Gen AI. Eco-minimalism refers to a lifestyle combining simplicity with environmental awareness. It promotes “quiet luxury” and sustainability. On the other hand, Generative Artificial Intelligence refers to advanced AI systems that produce text, images, audio and video. They are empowering education and transforming the way people interact with technology.

All in all, sophistication is increasingly judged by processes rather than possessions (or outcomes in some cases). While luxury items and designer goods still exist, their cultural significance is fading in a digital era where owning things can be less important than managing systems. Examples of processes as markers of sophistication include knowing how to use AI and collaboration tools and implementing sustainable living practices. Ironically though, AI itself consumes tremendous amounts of energy, but that is beyond the scope of this blog post.

Talkaholism and the Drone in the Classroom

I recently exclaimed to my students that the seemingly compulsive background noise that some of them frequently made in class sounded like a military drone, distracting for the teacher, if not for the whole class. When small groups of students drift off in side-conversations, one wonders whether they are unable to control their talkativeness while the teacher is lecturing. It is well known that students with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and DLD (developmental language disorder) are easily distracted as illustrated in this article from Queensland University of Technology: “My Mind Drifts Off: What Happens When Teachers Talk Too Much”. Ironically in this scenario, it is the teacher that is perceived as talking too much!

Insightful research has been conducted on excessive talkativeness in general. The term "talkaholic" was coined in 1993 by researchers James McCroskey and Virginia Richmond, who rightly distinguished high-quality talk from trivial chatter. On the other hand, most of the early research on talkativeness in educational settings revolved around student behavior that disrupted learning for others. More recently, however, research has turned towards talkative teachers as they may also be viewed as misbehaving, as demonstrated in this article by Bolen and Sidelinger: “Compulsive Communication in the Classroom: Is the Talkaholic Teacher a Misbehaving Instructor?”.

While we teachers are in a sense hired to talk, we must try not to over-do it if we wish to avoid labels such as “conversational narcissist”. The students are probably as bothered by us droning on as we often are with them. In fact, Dan Lyons wrote a book about the importance and power of silence entitled The Power of Keeping Your Mouth Shut in an Endlessly Noisy World. Here is a video of him on CBS urging his audience to “Talk Less, Listen More”.

The lessons learnt from the research on talkativeness reflect the importance of balancing silence with meaningful communication, and keeping conversations democratic to the extent possible, whether in the classroom or elsewhere.

What University Students Want

What university students apparently want just after graduation is a good job or further study as a foundation for a solid career. Few seem to want a break. Yet during their study years these students vary in what they seek and in their learning preferences. My students tend to prefer classroom discussions over lectures; they favour ungraded assessment (formative assessment) over graded work (summative assessment); and they value days away from the classroom when they can work remotely on their assignments, whether individually or in teams. What others have written on this subject has caught my attention lately.

“What Do Students Want from a Higher Education” is an IE article by a fourth-year student – Francia Morales - providing useful insights. Just after the pandemic, in February 2022, the results of a student survey led by IE’s student newspaper The Stork showed interesting results, especially since it included input from the American University of Beirut’s student newspaper Outlook as well as the student newspapers Roar News of King’s College and Ubyssey of the University of British Columbia. At that point in the evolution of education, the results reflected three main areas of concern for students: teaching styles, the flexibility of learning, and on-campus living. Although some students seemed uncomfortable with remote learning at the time, it was the lack of engagement rather than the fact that teaching was online that disturbed them. Blended learning was clearly emerging as the future trend.

A 2024 Times Higher Education article by the same title as the IE one reflects student concerns in the UK such as high costs: “A rethink is needed on the dilemma of working while studying. Students wanted to see more paid opportunities available within their universities.” The article stresses the need to engage students in shaping their education rather than merely surveying them. Accessible, user-friendly technology tools are also considered a top priority, especially tools that do not require different logins that would waste time.

In 2025, both university students and faculty members recognize the potential of artificial intelligence, yet there is a need for AI literacy. Surveys of both students and faculty have indicated concerns about the reliability, accuracy, and ethical implications of content generated by AI (AI in Higher Education: A Meta Summary of Recent Surveys of Students and Faculty). Clear policies and guidelines for AI use are needed, alongside training and support for both students and faculty.

 

Autism, ADHD, and Giftedness among Students

Another brilliant diagram that caught my attention today is a Venn diagram created by Katy Higgins Lee, a psychotherapist and counselor. Depicting the characteristics of three overlapping conditions, autism, giftedness, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, the diagram should be relevant to anyone interested in general psychology, not merely that of students. Still, I would like to discuss it in relation to my students, most of whom are Engineering and Architecture majors, and a substantial portion of whom show signs of giftedness. While few of these students appear autistic or hyperactive, some do require special accommodations for ADHD, such as a quiet environment for writing, along with extra time on exams; we regularly receive communications from the university administration regarding these special cases.

To begin with autistic traits, yes some students indicate that they prefer to work alone, not in teams as required for the Technical English project, but that does not necessarily mean they are autistic! Additionally, some show a need for very explicit instructions (“order… and clear expectations”); if something is not written on the course website, they think it does not matter although I may repeat it verbally in class. For a more inclusive course, it is better if the teacher spells out all expectations in writing. Additionally, many students show preference for interconnection through interests, so I encourage the entire class to socialize on a special forum early in the semester. That way, individuals may choose their team members, rather than feeling forced into a team for the sake of the course project. One other common trait is hypersensitivity at one extreme or lowered sensory awareness, as in not picking up on nonverbal cues from the teacher, for example to be quiet or to stop a side-conversation.

Concerning ADHD, many students are easily bored, but that does not necessarily mean they suffer from a disorder. Those that fidget, cannot stop moving or talking, and show little impulse control are more likely to be afflicted. Their memories are affected due to inattention, requiring repetition and clearly written detailed instructions and feedback. On the other hand, these same pupils display heightened enthusiasm regarding topics of interest; with obvious surges of energy, they can occasionally be more productive than the calmer students. Fortunately, a substantial proportion of my Engineering and Architecture students show signs of giftedness. They understand new concepts and processes quickly, are fast to notice details, and value precision. They can think outside the box, as in creative problem-solving, and while fascinated with theory, they learn to appreciate the need for practical, down-to-earth ideas (“existential issues”). They expect constant intellectual stimulation though some simultaneously complain that the course is too busy.

As Higgins Lee rightly warns, the overlapping areas are NOT listing traits that are restricted to multiply neurodivergent individuals. Matters are more complicated, yet the diagram is simple and educational. I hope you find it useful!

Privilege vs Marginalization

As part of a lesson on integrating visuals in technical communication, I recently shared with my students a brilliant diagram I had come across online: The “Academic Wheel of Privilege” attributed by the UKRIO (UK Research Integrity Office) to El Sherif et. al. (2022) . The idea for this wheel had apparently been popularized by Sylvia Duckworth, an award-winning Canadian teacher, after originating in a 2008 book by Sisnero et. al. entitled Critical Multicultural Social Work, as explained in this video by FORRT (Framework for Open and Reproducible Research Training).

What intrigues me about this chart is how organized and information-rich it is, with its concentric circles. It raises awareness about marginalized people, those at the periphery of the circle, and rather than merely showing binary opposition (privileged vs underprivileged), it shows a spectrum of three levels in each case. Here are a few examples:

•         Mental health: vulnerable, mostly stable, and robust
•         Disability: multiply disabled, some disability, able-bodied
•         Neuro-diversity; multiply neuro-divergent, some neuro-divergence, and neuro-typical
•         Funding sources: None/ very low, medium, and high

The wheel has been adapted by various authors. Sylvia Duckworth’s “Wheel of Power/ Privilege” appears to have been based on that of the Canadian Council for Refugees who used it as a “Power Wheel” on their website, under “Anti-oppression”. Theirs includes age, language, indigenous status and level of education among other criteria. The further away you are from the centre of the wheel, the less privileged you are, in the sense that you suffer in society when you should not. Interestingly in Canada, while the elderly are the least privileged in terms of age, the most privileged are the middle-aged rather than the youth. Differences by first language are also interesting; those whose main language is neither English nor French are marginalized while English speakers are the most privileged.

By referring my students to the “Academic Wheel of Privilege”, I killed two birds with one stone: raising awareness regarding citing sources while tracing ideas further back where applicable; and, of course, showing that a picture can be worth a thousand words. The wheel is clearly relevant not only to students and academics but to members of society at large: immigrants, as in Canada, and employees in the workplace would be clear examples.  

Reflections on Greek in the English Language

In the past year, I published a few blog posts on Noam Chomsky, the father of modern linguistics, whose ingenious theory of Universal Grammar resonates decades later despite opposition. He had postulated that all human languages follow similar grammatical rules, no matter how superficially different the languages may appear; that word formation and sentence structure abide by analogous logical patterns. On the other hand, one may wonder about vocabulary across languages, seeing so much in common.

The Greek language, once ranked by the Guiness Book of World Records as the richest language, with five million words, comes to mind. It is well known that many English words are of modern Greek origin; and even more English words that were incorporated indirectly through other languages, such as Latin, originated from Ancient Greek. Although English is considered a Germanic language, the list of English words of Greek origin is long, as can be seen from this Oakton College resource: List of Greek and Latin Roots in English. Here are some examples:

·       The root “acr” means height/ summit/ tip, which explains, for example, English acrophobia, fear of heights, acrobatics, acromegaly, and so on.

·       The root “aesthe” relates to feelings or perceptions, hence English aesthetics.

·       The root “agr” means field or country, hence agronomy and agriculture.

·       “Auto”, meaning self, generates English autonomy and autism.

·       “Bell”, relating to war, explains English belligerent and bellicose.

·       “Cac”, meaning bad, generates English cacophony.

·       “Eu”, meaning well or good, explains euphoria and euthanasia.

·       “Hom”, referring to same, produces homophone.

Most English words that begin with “ph”, such as photo, phrase, and philosophy, are of Greek origin, as suggested by Martha Peraki of the Women Writers’ Committee of Greece in a British Council article entitled “How Has Greek Influenced the English Language?” Peraki adds that English idioms of Greek origin include “crocodile tears” referring to faked sorrow and “the Midas touch”, a surprising ability to succeed whatever one undertakes.

To end my blog post, I’d like to emphasize that the word blog (from web log) is linked to Greek logos, meaning word or message. I hope my message is clear.