LTC Salon | AI Literacies

Dear colleagues,

AI (more precisely, “generative artificial intelligence”) burst into the mainstream over the past several years and immediately became a pressing topic in higher education. Chatbots that can produce text to order using “large language models” raised both concerns and excitement about their use, particularly by students. Other AI tools can generate images, video, audio, molecules, and carry out other specialized applications.

While I’m far from an expert, I’m interested in co-learning with you by hosting an informal conversation I’ve titled AI Literacies . Join me this Wednesday, 2/14 from 1-3pm at the Learning and Teaching Commons (Sem II E3120) . This is an open house – drop in when you can and stay as you are able.

As the header suggests, my agenda is to support faculty in understanding more about AI in order to foster that understanding in students. Generative AI is here to stay, and developing a nuanced and critical perspective on it will become essential to “participating responsibly in our diverse society” (paraphrased from the Six Expectations). Possible topics of discussion include:

• What is AI good vs. not so good at?
• What are appropriate vs. inappropriate applications of AI in higher education?
• What are the ethical considerations around using AI?
• What are the ethical considerations around producing AI? (e.g. copyright and fair use, expropriation of creative labor, job loss in the artistic or global workforce, cultural bias, deepfakes/authenticity)

My idea for a “hands-on” activity, given the date, is to experiment with using chatbots to write valentines or love letters and evaluate the results.

I want to shout out faculty Paul McMillin, Paul Pham, and Wenhong Wang who are an informal team working on these issues. They are interested in how Evergreen faculty are already engaging with AI, among other things – syllabus statements or assignment descriptions, for example. Stay tuned for future inquiries and learning opportunities from them!

Julia Metzker kindly recommended to me the magisterial document AI Prompts for Teaching from Cynthia Alby of Learning that Matters. These, along with  Cynthia’s “best of” links, offer a wealth of practical information and resources.

In addition, here are a few articles and media via Faculty Focus:

• AI-Oh My! A Closer Look at AI Tools for Educators
• Embracing Artificial Intelligence in the Classroom
• Guide, Don’t Hide: Maximizing Course Assignments with ChatGPT Integration
• Faculty Focus Podcast episode 76 – Teaching Tomorrow: Unleashing the Synergy Between Humans and Robots
• ChatGPT Unleashed: What to Expect This Fall and How to Prepare

Looking forward to talking with you!
Julie