This month our HE Community meet-up focused on AI skills. We started with a discussion on current uses of GenAI:
Learning, Teaching, and Assessment:
- To plan and adapt lectures to specific modules.
- Help with transcribing, reimagining lectures, and creating AI-driven assessments.
- Managing course-related tasks, such as setting up projects and handling student enquiries.
Accessibility and Special Educational Needs (SEN):
- To write alternative texts and summarise complex texts, improving accessibility.
- Supporting neurodivergent students with tailored tools that aid in different learning environments.
Analysis:
- Summarising text-heavy documents, enhancing coding skills, and generating concept imagery.
- Data analysis and creating scenarios.
General Administration:
- Drafting session outlines, developing simulation scenarios, and redesigning curriculums.
- Creating rotas, brainstorming training ideas, and summarising detailed documents.
The discussion then shifted to the challenges, skills, and support needed:
Challenges:
- Accuracy Issues: Quality issues with AI-generated outputs were noted, underscoring the need for thorough review of AI outputs.
- Integration Needs: The need for better integration of AI tools within institutional frameworks was discussed, especially concerning data protection and ethical considerations. Emphasis was placed on adhering to institutional policies and the necessity for clear guidelines and strong institutional support.
Skills Needed in AI-Driven Environments:
- Essential Skills: Critical thinking, prompt engineering, and information literacy were highlighted as crucial.
- Understanding AI Limitations: A strong focus was put on the importance of understanding AI’s limitations and the potential for bias to be present in AI systems.
- Continuous Learning: The necessity for ongoing learning and the need to experiment with AI tools to keep up with technological progress were emphasised.
It was generally felt that staff and students needed broadly the same set of skills, however the focus needs to be on supporting staff so that they can support students. We then moved on to discuss the support and resources that would be useful for the sector:
Sector Leadership and Collaboration:
- The need for sector leadership and effective governance was emphasised, including the provision of overarching guidance and principles. The importance of collaboration was highlighted.
Shared Resources:
- Gathering and sharing resources was highlighted to spread knowledge more widely. Please do share any examples for our Generative AI in Practice hub to AI@Jisc.ac.uk
Targeted Training:
- The importance of tailoring training to specific audiences was noted, especially as tools become more specialised. The challenge is to ensure that the training is accessible and not overwhelming, bridging the gap between expert knowledge and foundational understanding.
Intermediate and Advanced Training:
- There was a call for intermediate and advanced training resources for those who have surpassed the foundational level. This includes showcasing more complex and innovative uses of AI to inspire further.
- The provision of technical resources for customising models, such as using tools like GPT4All to run models locally, was suggested.
Pedagogical Integration:
- Guidance on effectively integrating AI into pedagogy is seen as crucial. This involves using AI to support teaching and learning in responsible ways that also aim to reduce the workload for educational staff.
Legal and Ethical Training:
- Incorporating legal training that covers copyright, data protection, and ethical considerations is crucial. This would help inform users, about the implications and responsibilities of using AI.
Your input
We’re always looking to expand and improve our understanding of AI skills and what we can do to support the sector. If you think something is missing from our discussion, or if you have ideas or insights you’d like to share, please contribute to our community AI Skills padlet
Links shared during the call:
- Editorial from Liz Jackson in Educational Philosophy & Theory
- Digital Education Council
- University of Sheffield Open Resources
Find out more by visiting our Artificial Intelligence page to view publications and resources, join us for events and discover what AI has to offer through our range of interactive online demos.
For regular updates from the team sign up to our mailing list.
Get in touch with the team directly at AI@jisc.ac.uk