Artificial Intelligence “Bootcamp” for Xavier Faculty Spring 2023

Originally presented at CAT+FD on Thursday May 25th and Friday May 26th, 2023 by CAT+FD Staff

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly changing the world, and Xavier faculty need to learn about AI in order to prepare their students for success in the 21st century. In this two-day “bootcamp,” Xavier faculty explored the potential benefits and risks of AI, including the use of AI to improve their teaching and research. Our ultimate aim is to help our students develop the skills they need “to contribute to the promotion of a more just and humane society” as we prepare them “to assume roles of leadership and service” (per our mission) — in a global society which will be increasingly conditioned by the use of AI systems.

One participant described the event as "really engaging (and intermittently mind-blowing)" as well as "the best 8 hours I spent this semester." We hope that even faculty who were unable to attend may have a similar experience, and so we are providing the resources below. They may also serve as a refresher for those who were there.

Note: You will need to sign up for some AI platforms in order to complete this training. We recommend establishing an account with ChatGPT because it is considered state-of-the-art. Other possibilities include Bard (another chatbot) or StarryAI (image generator) but feel free to sign up with any platform that catches your interest, especially if it is tailored to your discipline.

TECH

• Ready for some deep background? Start with this "Brief History of AI" [video, 24 min.]
• In a hurry? Here's "5 Things to Every Educator Needs to Know About AI Right Now" [video, 5 min.]
• We invite you to learn why "This Video Will Be Obsolete by the Time You Watch It" (but watch it anyway) [video, 8 min.]
• On your own: take some time to play around with AI. Yes, that's right: play. Experiment. Fiddle. Don't rush to figure out how this affects teaching and learning just yet. See what the technology can do first.

TEACH

• As an experiment, we took an authentic, highly complex, “cheat-proof” assignment from an actual Xavier course, and we fed it to an Artificial Intelligence on a free trial subscription. You won’t believe what happened. "The Story of an Assignment" [video, 8 min.] (see also our February 2023 workshop, AI²)
• Learn how one Xavier faculty member used AI in the spring 2023 semester: "Xavier's Mission and How I Used AI in the Classroom" [video, 6 min.]
• How are faculty at other institutions using AI in their classes? "Sample Assignments" [video, 5 min.]
• There's been a lot of hype around tools that purport to detect writing generated by AI. But do these tools deliver? "AI Writing Detection" [video, 5 min.]
• You probably need to address AI in your syllabus. Take a look at some actual examples: "Sample Syllabi" [video, 10 min.]
• On your own: take some time to design an assignment that incorporates AI. It doesn't have to be perfect; it's just a first attempt.
• On your own: take some time to reflect, then draft an AI policy for your syllabus.
• Food for thought: "Will AI Replace Teachers?" [video, 7 min.]

Resources

• AI in Education Resource Directory — This is a meta-resource and a living document which is being updated and maintained by the "AI in Ed" group of educational developers. We highly recommend this as good starting point. Be sure to check out the section on "Resources for Instructors."
• Learning with AI — This initiative from the University of Maine takes a "toolkit" approach, compiling many possible approaches for instructors.
• There's an AI for That — Almost certainly the largest aggregator of AI resources.
• Adapting Your Teaching to Generative AI Tools — Overwhelmed? Try this two-page handout.
• Classroom Policies for AI Generative Tools — This resource is created by Lance Eaton for the purposes of sharing and helping other instructors see the range of policies available by other educators to help in the development of their own for navigating AI-Generative Tools (such as ChatGPT, MidJourney, Dall-E, etc). You're invited to share your own policies as well.
• AI Writing Educator Resources — another meta-resource; this one is from Turnitin, the similarity detection service integrated into Xavier's Brightspace LMS.