Teaching

Personal Knowledge Management: Building Your AI-Supported Second Brain.

I am offering a course on building an AI-Supported Second Brain in Spring 2025. Here is the current working syllabus.

Rodney Dyer

• 3 min read
A digital second brain
Photo by Milad Fakurian / Unsplash

2025 Spring Semester Course Overview

In today's fast-paced digital world, managing personal knowledge effectively is more crucial than ever for undergraduate and graduate university students. "Personal Knowledge Management: Building Your AI-Supported Second Brain" offers a transformative approach to learning, equipping students with the skills to harness the power of AI tools in organizing, synthesizing, and applying information. 

This course empowers students to create personalized knowledge systems that enhance their academic performance, foster innovative thinking, and prepare them for the complexities of the modern professional landscape. By mastering the art of personal knowledge management, students will improve their ability to retain and utilize information—gaining a competitive edge in their future careers—where the ability to adapt and manage information is paramount.

Course Learning Outcomes

By the end of this collaborative experience, participants will be able to:

  1. Understand the Concept of Personal Knowledge Management (PKM): Students should be able to describe the importance and benefits of managing personal knowledge effectively.
  2. Create a Personalized Knowledge System: Participants will have developed their own "second brain" PKM that effortlessly accretes knowledge across several learning domains.
  3. Develop Skills in Using AI Tools: Individuals will leverage new AI tools to assist in developing and processing knowledge within their own PKM system.
  4. Apply PKM in Real-World Scenarios: Enable students to apply their knowledge management skills in academic, professional, and personal contexts.

Key Course Components

This will be a once-a-week course with readings and interactive discussions. We will cover the following broad components:

  1. Introduction to Personal Knowledge Management
    1. Definition and history of PKM
    2. Importance of PKM in the digital age
    3. Overview of AI in PKM
  2. Tools and Technologies
    1. The taxonomy of PKM archetypes: the Architect, the Gardner, the Librarian, & the Students.
    2. Overview of AI-supported tools used in PKM.
    3. Evaluating and selecting the right tools for your needs.
  3. Theoretical Foundations
    1. Cognitive science principles related to memory and learning.
    2. Information overload and strategies to manage it.
    3. The role of reflection in learning ( Habits of Highly Effective Note Takers )
  4. Building Your Second Brain
    1. Structuring and organizing digital information.
    2. Techniques for effective note-taking and information retrieval.
    3. Creating a personal knowledge database.
    4. Deploying tools that minimize barriers to information consumption across diverse media types.
  5. Information Synthesis and Application
    1. Techniques for synthesizing information from various sources.
    2. Applying knowledge to solve problems and make decisions.
    3. Case studies and real-world applications.
  6. Ethical and Privacy Considerations
    1. Understanding data privacy and security.
    2. Ethical use of AI in personal knowledge management.
  7. Assessment and Reflection
    1. Regular reflection exercises to assess personal growth
    2. Peer reviews and collaborative projects
    3. Final project: Building and presenting a personal knowledge management system

Assessment Methods

This course will be assessed as Pass/Fail. Performance in the following components (each category weighed equally) will determine a passing score.

  • Weekly Reflections: Encourage students to reflect on their learning and progress.
  • Practical Assignments: Hands-on tasks using AI tools to manage knowledge.
  • Group Projects: Collaborative projects to foster teamwork and diverse perspectives.
  • Final Project: A comprehensive presentation of their personal knowledge management system.

Provocative Questions

  • How can personal knowledge management systems be tailored to individual learning styles and needs?
  • How can AI transform the way we manage and utilize personal knowledge?
  • What are the potential risks and ethical considerations of relying on AI for knowledge management?

Logistics

Professor: Dr. Rodney J. Dyer

Contact Information: rjdyer@vcu.edu

Office Location: LFSC 105c

Course Location: This course will be offered online in an asynchronous format.

This course is built on the foundation described in the following books. These texts offer a comprehensive view of the principles and practices that underpin personal knowledge management, providing valuable insights for anyone looking to enhance their ability to manage and utilize information effectively. 

  1. Building a Second Brain by Tiago Forte:  This book introduces the concept of a "second brain," a system for organizing and storing information digitally to enhance creativity and productivity and one method for categorizing information for later retrieval.
  2. The Organized Mind: Thinking Straight in the Age of Information Overload by Daniel J. Levitin.  Levitin explores how to manage the vast amounts of information we encounter daily, offering strategies to improve focus and efficiency.
  3. How to Take Smart Notes by Sönke Ahrens.  This book delves into the Zettelkasten method, a note-taking system that promotes deep thinking and creativity, which are crucial for effective knowledge management.
  4. Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen.  Allen's GTD methodology is a cornerstone in personal productivity and knowledge management. It emphasizes the importance of organizing tasks and information.
  5. Atomic Habits by James Clear.  While not solely focused on knowledge management, this book provides insights into building habits supporting effective information management and personal growth.