A Competing (Collegiate) Intelligence: Embracing AI in Higher Education

In contemporary circles, the topic of Artificial Intelligence is a hot one that can often come with negative connotations. As such, the potential for this technology to overtake systems, displace jobs, and surpass human intelligence is the source of fear for many—which is why the issue was addressed head on at the 2024 Annual Faculty Retreat. Jason Osher, PhD, Director, Office of Faculty Affairs and Kattarina Marinaccio, M.Ed., Director of Education Technology joined forces to present Understanding AI in Higher Ed to their colleagues during a ½-day workshop in late August—the outcome of which was anything but scary.

“I am most often met with a mixture of curiosity and uncertainty around the subject of Artificial Intelligence,” says Marinaccio, pointing to a pair of prevailing questions: How the direction of education will change as a result of AI becoming more prevalent and how to keep up with technology that is constantly evolving. For Osher, whose 13-year tenure has been spent overseeing faculty development, a similar refrain has been audible.

“Each of us has varying levels of comfort with new technology to begin with, and—as AI continues to permeate everything we do—I see a wide range of responses [to its prevalence in the classroom],” says Osher of a gamut that includes folks who are “super-excited and diving in” to those who have “high anxiety” and myriad others in the middle. 

“It made sense to [once again] collaborate with Jason [for this presentation],” says Marinaccio, who used to be part of the Office of Educational Development and Innovation (one of whose key responsibilities is to plan the annual retreat). Amidst ongoing questions from surrounding AI, the pair began from the place of how to engage a wide range of faculty on a common topic.

“Increasing faculty members’ tech literacy has always been a goal of ours,” says Osher who, keen on ensuring a minimum level of comfort with AI for all, worked with Marinaccio to create what she calls, “a baseline understanding, so everybody feels like they're on a more even playing field before moving further” into what remains an incredibly dynamic domain. The half-day, in-person retreat aimed at faculty development with a focus on instruction (a mainstay of the campus calendar for more than a dozen years) included knowledge sharing, facilitated demonstrations, and time for questions and conversation throughout. “We wanted to get people thinking about what the technology is, where it might show up for them in their teaching, and what the variables are,” says Osher.

“AI use [in the classroom] is entirely nuanced’,” says Osher, pointing to an implicit understanding that while composing a paper via ChatGPT is not okay, utilizing Grammarly to help them might be (and likely less probabilistic in some situations), given the goal of the assignment and who is completing it. In a writing class, Grammarly might be frowned upon; among students for whom English is not their first language but are being asked to write in English, Grammarly can be a powerful tool for conveying specific content clearly.

In short, it really boils down to building AI in or out of assignments and being purposeful when doing so—something Kerri Augusto, PhD, Director of Undergraduate Studies, is doing in earnest. 

“Embracing AI in education requires intentional collaboration with AI-output and a shift from assessing end-products to assessing processes involved in learning,” she says of a shift that is necessary to mirror the transformation occurring across professional sectors. 

“In the near future, we will be asked to do more in less time because AI literacy will be assumed. By teaching students to work alongside [this evolving technology], we're not only fostering adaptability and innovation, but also preparing them to leverage AI effectively in their careers while maintaining human creativity and judgement,” says Augusto who, as Fall 2024 came to a close, was hard at work revising her Writing for Psychology course to include AI use in most, if not all, assignments—a move that stands to increase equity and accessibility for all.

“For students getting used to academic writing for the first time or after a prolonged break, these tools help them perform at a level commensurate with their peers,” says Marinaccio of a group spanning individuals for whom English is not their first language to bachelor’s completion program participants to doctoral students returning to the classroom after 20 years in the field.

According to recent feedback, the tools being utilized most frequently by faculty and students are Grammarly, ChatGPT, and Google Gemini (formerly Bard)—all of which boast free versions and paid upgrades. Given the role research plays in most students’ trajectories, Elicit is another popular AI tool for gathering and synthesizing large amounts of information; Microsoft Copilot and Copilot Pro are other good options.

Folks across campus are stepping up to engage in and continue the conversation.  A recent training for students, presented by the Academic Resource Center, focused on how various AI tools can help them improve as writers. Last spring, an AI Committee was formed—comprised of representatives from every department and program plus relevant staff members—including subgroups for Student Training and Academic Honesty; Faculty Training; and Data Security and Research.

“Naturally, many faculty members who joined this effort are the ones using AI in their classrooms,” says Marinaccio, pointing to Matthew Carper, PhD, Associate Director, Center for Psychological Science. He and colleague Brian D. Ott, PhD, Director, Center for Psychological Science, regularly task students with selecting an article and securing an AI summary before summarizing it themselves and comparing the two with an eye toward identifying the strengths of human-centered work.

“They are leaning into the benefits and limitations of AI, which exist side-by-side,” says Marinaccio, in a nod to a level of critical thinking that AI can’t perform. 

Osher, who recently attended an off-campus conference on Artificial Intelligence, left with an impactful takeaway: “When turning to AI, think of it as a super-eager and motivated intern who is good at gathering information, not all of which is going to be accurate; in the end, it’s your job to look it over and discern what is useful and what isn’t.” 

Given the super-dynamic nature of AI, it’s hard to know what the landscape will look like—insofar as relevance and expansion—even a year from now. To remedy this, Osher is embracing the current moment. 

“I really like the idea of assigning a role to the AI, making it a course designer or a student in my class, and bouncing ideas off of it,” he says, of a good way to get creative juices flowing.

And, while the idea of AI replacing humans is a valid concern, Marinaccio likes to remind faculty and students alike of a powerful truth: “Technology is a support to the process, but it’s not always the answer; you are still an expert in your field.”

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