Photo by Joshua Ng on Unsplash

Teaching and Learning with AI

9/24/23

https://sites.google.com/view/orlando-gen-ai/

Welcome! 

First a word about power-pointless.  I have been presenting without ppt for the past 15 or more years.  My rationale is to best serve you.  The presentation is intended to be informative, timely, updatable, and accessible anytime/anyplace.  So, I use this format of brief summaries of articles, charts, etc. with publication dates that are linked to the sources because the field is changing day-by-day.  In this way, you can easily extract them and use them for your own presentations or correspondence with colleagues.  You can browse ahead while I present, or linger on a topic and links where your interest is piqued.  Enjoy! -ray

Preparing for GenAI in the Higher Education Mainstream

As we approach the one year anniversary of the announcement of ChatGPT on November 30, 2022, we are now on the verge of major new developments to integrate generative AI into the development and delivery of higher education. 

OpenAI has announced plans to establish OpenAI Academy by the end of the year running GPT-5 and including enhancements developed jointly with Khan Academy. We have already seen the first GenAI instructors, digital clones, tutors, coders, Web developers, and more.  

Let me add that my half-century career in higher education has spanned the transition from analog to digital media, the advent of the personal computer, the World Wide Web, wireless technologies, online learning, VR, AR, XR, and many more technologies. Collectively, all are dwarfed by the advent of Generative AI. Our field, and much of the rest of society, is about to be totally reformed in the next three years. 

What does this mean for those of us already in this field? Where and how soon will we see turnkey AI taught courses and programs? How about AI administered universities? How do we prepare for, and implement, these changes? 

You hate AI for all the right reasons. Now reconsider. - Josh Tyrangiel, Washington Post  9/10/2023

Imagine if your brain got 10 times smarter every year over the past decade, and you were on pace for more 10x compounding increases in intelligence over at least the next five. Throw in precise recall of everything you’ve ever learned and the ability to synthesize all those materials instantly in any language. You wouldn’t be just the smartest person to have ever lived — you’d be all the smartest people to have ever lived. (Though not the wisest.) That’s a plausible trajectory of the largest AI models. This explains how, since roughly the middle of the Obama administration, AI has gone from a precocious toddler to blowing through many of the supposed barriers between human and machine capabilities. The winners and losers might be in flux, but AI is likely to insinuate itself into most aspects of our lives.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/09/10/ai-future-power-imperfection-technology/

Bill Gates in March 21, 2023 Time Magazine

“The development of AI is as fundamental as the creation of the microprocessor, the personal computer, the Internet, and the mobile phone,” he wrote. “It will change the way people work, learn, travel, get health care, and communicate with each other.” https://time.com/6264801/bill-gates-ai/  

Don't wait -- create, with generative AI  - McKinsey Podcast  8/24/2023

Generative AI could add enormous value across the global economy, from banking to life sciences. The companies that use the technology quickly and effectively will have the edge. Good things will come to those companies that don’t wait. On this edition of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey AI experts Michael Chui and Alex Singla discuss McKinsey’s new report about the Generative AI (GenAI) opportunity with global editorial director Lucia Rahilly. Hear how companies should immediately seize the GenAI opportunity to gain competitive advantage.  

https://www.mckinsey.com/mgi/our-research/dont-wait-create-with-generative-ai

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/24/upshot/artificial-intelligence-jobs.html  8/24/23

40% of workers will have to reskill in the next three years due to AI, says IBM study - Sabrina Ortiz, ZDNet   8/18/2023

Generative AI models like ChatGPT can do many technical tasks, such as writing and coding, well -- so well that many people fear that the technology will replace their jobs. A new IBM study shows that people shouldn't fear the technology, but rather leverage it for their own gain. The IBM report analyzes how the emergence of AI is affecting company business models, especially in how they leverage AI to carry out their operations and how it affects job roles. To find answers to these questions, IBM pulled data from two prior studies, one survey of 3,000 C-level executives across 28 countries and another of 21,000 workers in 22 nations. The results showed that AI will undoubtedly cause change in the workforce and businesses, but not necessarily for the worse. 

https://www.zdnet.com/article/40-of-workers-will-have-to-reskill-in-the-next-three-years-due-to-ai-says-ibm-study/

What Jobs Will AI Replace? Not Those Requiring a Human Touch - Angie Basiouny, Dan Loney and Stefano Puntoni - Knowledge at Wharton 8/14/2023

Automation is efficient, but it can’t replicate the human touch. Consumers prefer the unique qualities that human labor gives to certain products and services, according to a recent paper co-authored by Wharton marketing professor Stefano Puntoni. The findings suggest companies automating for supply-side reasons may want to keep their employees because of the value they bring to the demand side. “Companies should shift the conversation from what can be automated to what should be automated,” Puntoni and his colleagues wrote in an opinion piece for The Wall Street Journal about the study.

https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/podcast/wharton-business-daily-podcast/what-jobs-will-ai-replace-not-those-requiring-a-human-touch/

ChatGPT and generative AI: 25 applications in teaching and assessment - Seb Dianati, Suman Laudari, Times Higher Education  8/15/2023

Everyone knows generative artificial intelligence (AI) such as ChatGPT has extensive and varied potential uses in higher education. But how does this apply to your own academic and instructional work? Following on from our previous guide “An introduction to prompting generative AI like ChatGPT for teaching and learning”, here are 25 examples of prompts to show how generative AI could be used within curriculum development, teaching and assessment.

https://www.timeshighereducation.com/campus/chatgpt-and-generative-ai-25-applications-teaching-and-assessment

ChatGPT: University Teaching Applications - OpenAI  6/29/2023

Give me 100 applications of Chatgpt for university teaching

https://chat.openai.com/share/f25e384c-ebef-4221-bca7-459a091eaa19

Teaching with AI - OpenAI  8/31/2023

We’re releasing a guide for teachers using ChatGPT in their classroom—including suggested prompts, an explanation of how ChatGPT works and its limitations, the efficacy of AI detectors, and bias. We’re sharing a few stories of how educators are using ChatGPT to accelerate student learning and some prompts to help educators get started with the tool. In addition to the examples below, our new FAQ contains additional resources from leading education organizations on how to teach with and about AI, examples of new AI-powered education tools, and answers to frequently asked questions from educators about things like how ChatGPT works, its limitations, the efficacy of AI detectors, and bias.  Read examples linked below.

https://openai.com/blog/teaching-with-ai

The case for ChatGPT as the ultimate educator’s toolkit - Julia Lang and Dustin Liu, eCampus News 9/20/2023

In both higher education and K-12 education, AI offers numerous potential benefits, including early interventions via identifying students at risk and its ability to provide real-time feedback to both students and teachers, helping identify areas where students may be struggling and allowing for immediate intervention. AI tools can create content quickly, such as quizzes and worksheets and complete administrative tasks, such as grading assignments and generating progress reports, freeing up more time for instructional activities. ChatGPT also has the potential to revolutionize learning for students with disabilities by making information more accessible: it can summarize information, convert text into alternative formats, and be programmed to follow any provided accessibility guidelines.

https://www.ecampusnews.com/teaching-learning/2023/09/20/chatgpt-educators-toolkit-generative-ai/

What Students Said About the Spring of ChatGPT - Ross Aikins and Albert Kuo, Inside Higher Ed  9/7/2023

If interviews with students tell us anything, it’s that an ever-growing number of students are turning to AI as a first resort for almost everything following OpenAI’s public release of ChatGPT in November 2022. All of this points to an “AI inevitability” in academia in terms of students assuming its fair use. The way students see it, many jobs and industries don’t care as much about the process—as opposed to the product—as we do in academia. Whether they are correct or not, students who believe this are likely to value AI-aware class environments that provide them opportunities to better learn how to responsibly use tools that could enable their promotion and professional advancement in postgraduate careers. Anything that makes college easier in the meantime is a bonus.

https://www.insidehighered.com/opinion/views/2023/09/07/what-students-said-about-spring-chatgpt-opinion

Setting HE Coursework in the ChatGPT Era: Assessing the Process, Not the Product - Adam Finkel-Gates, Medium  9/8/2023

Rather than focusing on the final essay, I’m going to assess my students based on their interaction with ChatGPT. The prompts they use, the questions they ask, all become a direct reflection of their understanding of the subject. This approach can be universal, applicable across courses, highlighting the students’ critical thinking and understanding rather than their ability to construct an essay. In this evolving ChatGPT era, my assessment strategy for students pivots from traditional methods to a more interactive, process-centric approach. Rather than solely evaluating the final essay or content generated by AI tools like ChatGPT, I will focus on the students’ interaction with the platform. Each prompt, query, and directive they give the AI becomes a testament to their grasp of the subject matter. 

https://medium.com/@adam.finkel-gates/setting-he-coursework-in-the-chatgpt-era-assessing-the-process-not-the-product-4ea454835b6f

AI Literacy is a Fundamental Pillar in Higher Education - Susan Fourtané, Fierce Education  8/11/2023

Artificial Intelligence literacy skills must be incorporated in university curriculums to prepare students for in-demand graduate-level jobs.   AI-based technologies have now become an integral part of every industry as well as our daily life. New graduates who are not AI literate will find it hard to find graduate-level jobs. AI is influencing and transforming the workplace. Graduates need to be prepared to face the world in the AI era. For this reason, universities must be ready to adapt and provide AI literacy training to their students in all disciplines.    

 https://www.fierceeducation.com/student-engagement/ai-literacy-fundamental-pillar-higher-education

AI-generated art cannot receive copyrights, US court says - Blake Brittain, Reuters 8/25/2023

A work of art created by artificial intelligence without any human input cannot be copyrighted under U.S. law, a U.S. court in Washington, D.C., has ruled. Only works with human authors can receive copyrights, U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell said on Friday, affirming the Copyright Office's rejection of an application filed by computer scientist Stephen Thaler on behalf of his DABUS system. The Friday decision follows losses for Thaler on bids for U.S. patents covering inventions he said were created by DABUS, short for Device for the Autonomous Bootstrapping of Unified Sentience.

https://www.reuters.com/legal/ai-generated-art-cannot-receive-copyrights-us-court-says-2023-08-21/

4 things Claude AI can do that ChatGPT can't - Maria Diaz, ZD Net 8/21/2023

The success of ChatGPT upon launch swiftly inspired other companies to publicly launch their own AI chatbots, as evidenced by Microsoft's Bing AI, Google's Bard, and Anthropic's Claude, to name a few. Anthropic, a safety and research company focused on AI, recently launched the latest version of its AI chatbot, Claude 2. Since then, it's become clear that this generative AI tool has advantages over OpenAI's free version of ChatGPT. ChatGPT and Claude have strengths in different areas. But even though Claude isn't better at everything compared to its main competitor, it has some features that give it an edge over ChatGPT. Which works better for you is all about determining which AI to use for different circumstances.

https://www.zdnet.com/article/4-things-claude-ai-can-do-that-chatgpt-cant/

Ray's current favorite GenAI apps

• • • • • • • • ChatGPT https://chat.openai.com/

How to: https://zapier.com/blog/how-to-use-chatgpt/

• • • • • • • • Google Bard https://bard.google.com/
                How to: https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/how-to-use-google-bard/

              • Bing AI Chat https://www.bing.com/new
                How to: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/bing

              • Perplexity https://www.perplexity.ai/

How to: medium.com/@entrustech/perplexity-ai-what-you-need-to-know-and-how-to-use-it-82ee6ce1fbd 

• • • • • • • • Claude 2 https://claude.ai/chat/

Note Anthropic paid plans for Claude 2? https://www.searchenginejournal.com/anthropic-to-launch-paid-plans-for-access-to-claude/494867/
How to:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClrLJPsBJ9E

• Pi chat https://heypi.com/talk

How to: https://digitalpilgrim.io/it/ai/inflection-ai-chatbot-pi/

• ChatPDF https://www.chatpdf.com/

How to: https://plainenglish.io/blog/chatpdf-com-chat-with-any-pdf-using-the-new-chatgpt-api#ideal-use-cases-for-chatpdfcom

The state of AI in 2023: Generative AI’s breakout year - McKinsey Report 9/1/2023

The latest annual McKinsey Global Survey on the current state of AI confirms the explosive growth of generative AI (gen AI) tools. Less than a year after many of these tools debuted, one-third of our survey respondents say their organizations are using gen AI regularly in at least one business function. Amid recent advances, AI has risen from a topic relegated to tech employees to a focus of company leaders: nearly one-quarter of surveyed C-suite executives say they are personally using gen AI tools for work, and more than one-quarter of respondents from companies using AI say gen AI is already on their boards’ agendas. What’s more, 40 percent of respondents say their organizations will increase their investment in AI overall because of advances in gen AI. The findings show that these are still early days for managing gen AI–related risks, with less than half of respondents saying their organizations are mitigating even the risk they consider most relevant: inaccuracy.

https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/quantumblack/our-insights/the-state-of-ai-in-2023-generative-ais-breakout-year

Prompts - the key to GenAI success

How to Write AI Prompts: The Key to Better Outputs from Generative AI - Laura Starita, the Content Strategist

Consider these elements of an effective prompt:

• Describe your goal output. Tell the AI what output you’re hoping to see. If you want an email subject line and body copy, say that. If you want it to be less than 100 words, say that, too. A blog post of 1,000 words or less? Specify it.

• Describe the audience and style. Tell the AI who you’re talking to and what tone you want to take with them. Are they nature enthusiasts? Practicing physicians? Newly certified accountants? Do you want conversational prose, technical writing, or sector-specific terminology? Provide those details.

• Include keywords or phrases you want the AI to incorporate. This is clearly helpful for SEO purposes but also to communicate preferences about the terms you’d like it to use.

• Ask for special formatting. The AI can format your output as paragraphs, a numbered list, a table with content you can input to Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets, and so on.

• Provide source material or examples. A prompt that includes a content source can help the AI understand what facts or details you want it to use and what tone or key message you’d like it to focus on.

• Revise. If you don’t get what you expect from the AI, try again. If it is totally wrong, try a new prompt. If you find some of what it produced useful, tell it what you liked and provide instructions for revising the rest of it.

https://contently.com/2023/04/13/how-to-write-ai-prompts-for-generative-ai/

Prompt and Process with Ethan Mollick [AI miniseries] - POSSIBLE 7/5/2023

So, let’s take that from the very high level to the very specific. What kind of prompt or sequence of prompts would you suggest for – and I’m going to give all three, but let’s answer each three separately – a completely new user of ChatGPT (or, you know, pick your favorite AI system) moderate user of ChatGPT, and then a power user. And by the way, I’ve done variations of this when I was looking at showing how these things can work in education, I said, “explain quantum mechanics to a six-year-old, 12-year-old college student, college professor.” And it was interesting how you got the different answers in doing this. So what would be a new user, a moderate user and a power user?

https://www.possible.fm/podcast/ethanmollick/

GenAI Chatbot Prompt Library for Educators - AI for Education  9/22/2023

We have a variety of prompts to help you lesson plan and do adminstrative tasks with GenAI chatbots like ChatGPT, Claude, Bard, and Perplexity.

https://www.aiforeducation.io/prompt-library

Coming Soon! - What's New & What WILL BE New Soon

Coming Soon! Sam Altman’s Plans for OpenAI Academy and More on AI Education - Dr. Ron Strand, Medium  6/19/2023

Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, has plans for the future of ChatGPT-5 and the OpenAI Academy, both of which are expected to launch in late 2023. The OpenAI Academy is set to launch in late 2023. Although there is limited information available about the academy, it is expected to align with OpenAI’s mission of ensuring the benefits of AI are accessible to all. OpenAI has previously collaborated with organizations like the Khan Academy. GPT-4 is used to power Khanmigo, an AI-powered assistant that functions as both a virtual tutor for students and a classroom assistant for teachers, launched in March 2023. This collaboration could provide some insight into the potential educational applications of the OpenAI Academy.

https://generativeai.pub/sam-altmans-plans-for-openai-academy-and-more-on-ai-education-ca01cdf75a39

Google Bard also pointed to the following for more information:

• The Future of AI: Unveiling the Potential of GPT-5 and OpenAI Academy 6/5/2023: https://levelup.gitconnected.com/the-future-of-ai-unveiling-the-potential-of-gpt-5-and-openai-academy-531f652bfdcb

• OpenAI CEO Finally Reveals Insane New GPT-5 & OpenAI Academy! 7/1/2023: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6c8ssb7agko

NEW! A version of OpenAI’s GPT-4 will be ‘teaching’ thousands of kids this fall: Khanmigo's AI beta "test" program is meant to assist teachers with individualized student help - ANDREW PAUL, Popular Science 8/21/2023

As CNN noted today, the education nonprofit service Khan Academy, is expanding its Khanmigo AI access to over 8,000 educators and K-12 students as part of its ongoing pilot program for the new technology. According to Khan Academy’s project description, Khanmigo is underpinned by a version of OpenAI’s GPT-4 large language model (LLM) trained on Khan Academy’s own educational content. Additional parameters are encoded into the product to tailor Khanmigo’s encouraging response tone, while also preventing it from too easily divulging answers for students.

https://www.popsci.com/technology/khan-academy-ai-tutor/

Coming Soon!  Meet Khan Academy’s chatbot tutor - Nadia Bidarian, CNN 8/21/2023

The chatbot, Khanmigo, offers individualized guidance to students on math, science and humanities problems; a debate tool with suggested topics like student debt cancellation and AI’s impact on the job market; and a writing tutor that helps the student craft a story, among other features. First launched in March to an even smaller pilot program of around 800 educators and students, Khanmigo also allows students to chat with a growing list of AI-powered historical figures, from George Washington to Cleopatra and Martin Luther King Jr., as well as literary characters like Winnie the Pooh and Hamlet.

https://edition.cnn.com/2023/08/21/tech/khan-academy-ai-tutor/index.html

Coming Soon! AI's multi-view wave is coming, and it will be powerful - Tiernan Ray, ZD Net  8/25/2023

In very short order, neural networks are about to expand dramatically with a fusion of data forms that will look at life from many sides. It's an important development, for it may give neural networks greater grounding in the ways that the world coheres, the ways that things hold together, which could be an important stage in the movement toward programs that can one day perform what you would call "reasoning" and "planning" about the world. The coming wave of multi-sided data has its roots in years of study by machine learning scientists, and generally goes by the name of "multi-view," or, alternately, data fusion. There's even an academic journal dedicated to the topic, called Information Fusion, published by scholarly publishing giant Elsevier.

https://www.zdnet.com/article/ais-multi-view-wave-is-coming-and-it-will-be-powerful

Coming Soon! Google DeepMind testing ‘personal life coach’ AI tool - Hibaq Farah, the Guardian 8/17/2023

AI experts cite ethical concerns over relationships humans may develop with such chatbots. The next time you lie in bed and absent-mindedly ask your old friend Google for a piece of life advice, don’t be surprised if it speaks back to you. DeepMind, the tech firm’s artificial intelligence arm, has announced it is testing a new tool that could soon become a “personal life coach”. The project will use generative AI to perform at least 21 different types of personal and professional tasks, including life advice, ideas, planning instructions and tutoring tips, according to documents seen by the New York Times.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/aug/17/google-deepmind-testing-personal-life-coach-ai-tool

Coming Soon! Apple has quietly invested billions in generative AI - Cecily Mauran, Mashable   8/4/2023

We haven't heard much from Apple about generative AI, but it's almost certainly coming.  In an interview with Reuters, the Apple CEO said its $22.6 billion spending on research and development is driven by investment AI technologies, including generative AI. This was in response to the Thursday earnings call, when Cook addressed questions about Apple's consumer approach to AI. "We're going to continue investing and innovating and responsibly advancing our products with these technologies to help enrich people's lives," said Cook explaining the increase in spending, which has gone up by $3 billion this year. "Obviously, we're investing a lot, and it is showing up in the R&D spending that you're looking at." 

https://mashable.com/article/apple-quietly-invested-billions-generative-ai

Coming Soon! We’re talking about AI a lot right now – and it’s not a moment too soon - Northumbria University  8/24/2023

But quantum computing, which has experienced major breakthroughs in recent years, may far surpass the performance of conventional computers on particular tasks. Batley believes this would “allow the development of much more capable AI systems to probe multiple aspects of our lives”. The situation for “big tech” and the countries that are leading in AI can be likened to what game theorists call the “prisoner’s dilemma”. This is a condition where two parties must either decide to work together to solve a problem, or betray each other. They face a tough choice between an event where one party gains – keeping in mind betraying often yields a higher reward – or one with the potential for mutual benefit.  [Ray's note: just imagine GenAI powered by Quantum computers!]

https://newsroom.northumbria.ac.uk/pressreleases/expert-comment-were-talking-about-ai-a-lot-right-now-and-its-not-a-moment-too-soon-3268765

SNEAK PREVIEW! A BLUEPRINT FOR AN AI BILL OF RIGHTS FOR EDUCATION - Kathryn Conrad, Critical AI

As this special issue elaborates at some length, today’s AI entails a host of ethical problems, including the nonconsensual “scraping” of human creative work for private gain, amplification of stereotypes and bias, perpetuation of surveillance, exploitation of human crowdworkers, exacerbation of environmental harms, and unprecedented concentration of power in the hands of a few corporations that have already proven themselves poor stewards of the public interest.5 The reality of increasing harm in the deployment of these systems has led the EU to place “AI systems intended to be used for the purposes of assessing students” and “participants in tests commonly required for admission to educational institutions” in their highest category of risk, alongside those used for law enforcement and administration of justice (EU AI 2023, n.p.).  Teaching critical AI literacy (Bali 2023) includes making this larger context visible to students. Advancing such literacy does not preclude the possibility of envisioning AI tools that work. 

https://criticalai.org/2023/07/17/a-blueprint-for-an-ai-bill-of-rights-for-education-kathryn-conrad/

Consider this! Personalized Learning For All: Meeting The Scalability Challenge In Online Education - Emma Jones, eLearning Industry  9/3/2023

The potential of personalized learning has revolutionized education by catering to individual learners' needs and preferences. However, the scalability challenge poses a formidable obstacle. We can overcome this obstacle and ensure that tailored learning is available to everyone by utilizing technology, cutting-edge pedagogies, and collaborative collaborations. This will open up a world of educational opportunities for students all around the world. Let's work to create a future where every learner, regardless of geography or background, can experience the transforming potential of individualized learning as we navigate the changing terrain of online education.

https://elearningindustry.com/personalized-learning-for-all-meeting-the-scalability-challenge-in-online-education

Consider This!  How AI Will DISRUPT The Entire World In 3 Years (Prepare Now While Others Panic) | Emad Mostaque with Tom Bilyeau  7/2023

Founder and CEO of Stability, AI  Emad, cuts through the hype addressing the need for perspective, regulation, and the challenge of tackling bias in artificial intelligence. As he states very clearly in today’s episode, “AI is not going to replace humans, humans with AI will replace humans that don’t use AI.” This isn’t just another chat about AI, it's a hard look at a future that's a lot closer than you think. What side of the playing field do you want to be on? Job automation and accelerating changes are just a fraction of the complexities, the future is fast and furious for those not taking part in these conversations. The complexities of programming AI and potential threats of misinformation and deep fake technology is enough to make anyone paranoid, but as Emad said "The Future of AI isn't just about technology, it's about asking hard questions, seeking answers, and ensuring benefits are maximized while mitigating potential threats.” Get ready for insights that will make your brain melt and make sure you’re equipped to thrive in the future. [Ray notes: he cites that 80% of inflation can be linked to two fields, medicine and education - they are the fields that will see the greatest changes in the shortest time.]

https://youtu.be/Se91Pn3xxSs?feature=shared

Consider This! In an age of AI, understanding the value of a human is key - Keith Nuthall, University World News  8/26/2023

Educators will need more than ever to understand the unique value of a human and to perceive large language models as legitimate and useful sources of ideas rather than shortcuts and avenues for cheating, according to tech-focused educational entrepreneur and author Priten Shah. Shah told University World News that the rapid development of artificial intelligence should prompt a re-evaluation of education’s ‘three Rs’ – away from reading, writing and arithmetic and towards “rhetoric, relationships and reasoning”. In a forthcoming book, AI and the Future of Education: Teaching in the age of artificial intelligence, Shah defines that unique value as the capacity for emotional connection with other humans.

https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=2023082609034598

Three Top Action Items for All Higher Ed  Institutions 

PRIORITY!  AI ADVISORY BOARDS: Giving Students and Teachers a Voice - Barbara Anna Zielonka

In the effort to centre students in the use of AI, it is crucial to recognize that they are the ones who will be most affected by this transformative technology. As AI has the potential to revolutionize education, it is extremely important to involve students in the conversation about how it is implemented and utilized. There are many ways to empower students in this dialogue, and one promising avenue is through the establishment of AI advisory boards at schools. AI advisory boards can serve as a platform for students to have a genuine voice in their education. By bringing together students, administrators, and AI experts, these boards can become a forum for brainstorming innovative ideas and solutions to enhance the educational experience. Through such collaborations, students’ perspectives and needs can be considered, leading to increased student engagement and a more effective learning environment.  [To this I would add that it is essential to include top leaders and HR administrators from employers in business, industry, governement and non-government organizations. - ray]

https://aiadvisoryboards.wordpress.com/

PRIORITY! Preparing Students for the GenAI Enhanced Workforce - Ray Schroeder, Inside Higher Ed  9/15/2023

So, how do we implement practices that will best enable our students to compete for entry level and advanced jobs that require GenAI knowledge and skills? And, how do we assure that we are providing them with the latest information that is relevant in the positions that they are most likely to seek? 

 We need a coordinated and streamlined process to implement as soon as possible.  Some steps that will be important to include are: 

1. First, we need to identify baseline information and skills that are relevant in most every field. We should test the list of these skills with our own university HR department as well as HR offices at local and regional employers of our graduates and certificate completers. These will include familiarity with how GenAI works and basic experience in formulating effective prompts for a range of bots and apps that are most common at the time. These topics could be integrated into a self-paced, non-credit series of modules that comprise a basic Introduction to Generative AI. Ideally, these would begin to be offered this fall semester so that upcoming completers would be able to finish the modules before they apply for jobs. The program should include a portfolio of the learner’s work that would be associated with a badge or certification. The portfolio will enable prospective employers samples to examine in order to make informed hiring decisions. It is important that annual or semi-annual module updates are provided, and that learners be permitted to complete the updates in order to keep their certificate relevant and up-to-date. They could be provided as stand-alone electives or integrated into relevant courses. 

2. Each college and in many cases, each academic department, should invite HR personnel from local and regional employers of their graduates and certificate completers to campus meetings. Relevant national employers could be invited to Zoom sessions. In these meetings, the university personnel can establish common practices and expectations for GenAI knowledge and skills tied to specified ranges of positions. These can then be used to create customized modules for learners seeking employment in those positions. A validated portfolio of the learners’ work can be associated with the activities. 

3. In some cases, it may make sense to integrate such GenAI learning modules into existing senior capstone classes that will assure that the material is as relevant and timely as possible to be taken immediately before students pursue employment interviews.

4. The modules that comprise a certificate in this area should be reviewed and updated at least annually to ensure they are tied to the latest practices and software. 

5. Review committee meetings should be held with the local, regional and national employers every semester or year to ensure that the practices, skills and knowledge that are captured in the learning outcomes are still relevant and to-the-point. Such an approach may be adapted to meet evolving departmental and institutional needs.  

What is your institution doing to ensure that learners are qualified to optimally use GenAI in the workplace?  This is a top priority for students and employers; is it a top priority for your university? What can you do to help to advance this initiative?  

https://www.insidehighered.com/opinion/blogs/online-trending-now/2023/09/15/preparing-students-ai-enhanced-workforce

PRIORITY! Supporting the Faculty Member Fearing GenAI - Ray Schroeder Inside Higher Ed  8/30/2023

These concerns and the resulting anxiety have affected senior, mid-career, and new faculty members alike. The anxieties are shared by many staff and administrators. As we open the university doors this fall, we need to address the anxiety and help resolve the very real and the imagined fears.  We must not understate the importance, scope and relevance of the advent of GenAI. Among the concerns today are:  

Will this be the end of my career?  Will I be able to learn enough about this technology to use it effectively? Will my students know more about this than I do? Does this mean that I must now trash decades of developing syllabi and lesson plans? Where will I find the time to learn about GenAI? Who will help me? 

So, what should we do?  

1. We should implement a university-wide study this semester to determine how genAI will impact faculty and staff positions in every college and department. Will fewer faculty and staff be needed? Will fewer or different staffing and curricula be required? This must be done in an open and transparent process.  

2. We should provide training to deans, directors, chairs, and staff in our health services units to prepare them to discuss these issues with our employees. Services should be cultivated for a range of responses from panic and depression to even more serious reactions. 

3. Our Human Resources department should prepare workshops and associated materials for examining career futures as well as opportunities for upskilling and reskilling for employees who will likely be impacted.  

The clock is ticking. What is your institution doing to prepare to address employee anxieties and impending shifts in staffing? 

https://www.insidehighered.com/opinion/blogs/online-trending-now/2023/08/30/supporting-faculty-member-fearing-generative-ai

PONDER THIS CLOSING THOUGHT: 

What OpenAI Really Wants - Steven Levy, Wired

For Altman and his company, ChatGPT and GPT-4 are merely stepping stones along the way to achieving a simple and seismic mission, one these technologists may as well have branded on their flesh. That mission is to build artificial general intelligence—a concept that’s so far been grounded more in science fiction than science—and to make it safe for humanity. The people who work at OpenAI are fanatical in their pursuit of that goal. (Though, as any number of conversations in the office café will confirm, the “build AGI” bit of the mission seems to offer up more raw excitement to its researchers than the “make it safe” bit.) These are people who do not shy from casually using the term “super-intelligence.” They assume that AI’s trajectory will surpass whatever peak biology can attain. The company’s financial documents even stipulate a kind of exit contingency for when AI wipes away our whole economic system.

https://www.wired.com/story/what-openai-really-wants/

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Contact Ray

rschr1@uis.edu ~ rayschroeder@gmail.com
ray@upcea.edu

Senior Fellow, UPCEA

Professor Emeritus, University of Illinois Springfield

https://rayschroeder.com