Our first meetup of the year took place yesterday (10th September) and we had 80 attendees, including some new faces, which was great to see.
We used our standard Lean Coffee format and unsurprisingly for the start of term Staff training and Student use were top of the list to discuss.
Staff training
Many institutions are actively working to build AI literacy through training programs. Many mentioned the issue of how to get staff to participate. A few others mentioned the use of faculty and department level AI champions who can help with course specific queries. Awareness of the need for training for professional services staff is emerging.
Critical thinking
Lots of discussion around the need to always review AI outputs, to teach students to use AI critically and to ensure that students developed critical thinking skills.
Policy development
There was a plenty of discussion around developing and updating AI policies to ensure responsible usage. Several universities have rolled out second iterations of their generative AI policies, addressing the need for clear protocols for both staff and student interactions with AI tools. Some are still mired in ongoing debates around effective policy.
The practical challenges of formally documenting students’ use of AI in their work arose with the suggestion that a brief paragraph instead of a detailed pro forma might be a more realistic approach.
Tools and equity.
Participants discussed specific AI tools like Grammarly and Quillbot, which have become integral in supporting students’ writing processes. However, concerns were voiced about equity of access and the potential to widen the digital divide. Institutions are struggling with the practicalities and the financial implications of providing students with equitable access to AI tools. Concerns were raised around the potential for copyright infringement if students upload teaching resources into AI tools.
Uses in teaching
AI’s role in overcoming academic challenges such as “blank page syndrome” was also showcased. For example, one university is using GenAI to provide writing frameworks for students, helping them initiate assignments more effectively. Another described using AI to assist computing students with literature reviews by providing overviews that facilitate the creation of mind maps and the structuring of reports.
Sharing
We discussed the helpfulness of sharing info across the sector and Jisc is happy to act as a collector and sharer of this kind of information. We’re already collecting and sharing:
Policies & Guidance: Navigating the Future: Higher Education policies and guidance on generative AI blog
Examples of GenAI teaching use in colleges and universities: Generative AI in Practice
Sharing examples of AI use across colleges and universities: Case studies – AI Map (We’re in the process of updating this to support more detailed case studies).
If you have anything to share email AI@Jisc.ac.uk
Our next meet-up will be on 10th October at 3.30pm. Sign up to get the invites here
Links shared on the call:
- JISC AI literacy webinars
- Jisc AI Embracing AI in assessments – a guided approach
- University of York’s AI teaching and learning guide
- University of York’s AI in PGR programmes
- Toolkit of activities for exploring Generative AI
- Chatbot Bingo for professional services staff
- UL’s AI Essentials: Student Guide to GenAI
- YouTube chat between two chat bots on SQE:
- Grammarly’s AI ‘detection’ market webinar
- Jisc AI and assistive technology Grammarly blog
- Ted Chiang on AI and Art
- Ethical reasons to avoid using AI apps for student assessment
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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.
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Get in touch with the team directly at AI@jisc.ac.uk