By Jessica Christensen
Due to the strong usage of AI across campus, a new AI Steering Committee was organized to combat grey areas within the classroom. According to Dr. Carl Faust, an associate professor of physics, and Dr. Dave Ramsaran, the provost and dean of faculty and a professor of sociology, “The Steering Committee’s goal is to have faculty provide early, clear, and thorough expectations for when AI use will be acceptable or not, so there will be no ambiguity.”
Faust and Ramsaran further elaborated that the committee will “encourage faculty to be upfront and clear about whether or not the use of generative AI will be permitted, prohibited or something in between.” This way students are not confused about the policy on using this resource, as it will be up to individual faculty members to make that decision.
Another one of the committee’s goals is to also motivate students to evaluate AI and make it more of a tool rather than something that completes assignments for them. The AI Steering Committee wants to provide students with the opportunity to reflect on how certain aspects of artificial intelligence could integrate into their future employers.
As of right now, the Committee consists of six groups designed to focus their efforts on various initiatives. According to a post published through MyNest, the Academic Integration team, lead by Dr. Faust, will provide faculty with information regarding AI usage and how to incorporate it within the classroom. This team will also educate faculty and students about how to appropriately use AI in various settings.
The Administrative Efficiencies team, lead by Chris Bailey, will evaluate and determine ways to enhance administrative processes through AI technology. The Data Governance team, lead by Danielle Brown, will “describe potential benefits and risks of AI to data quality, organization, and intellectual property.
Jennifer Bucher and Dave Ramsaran will lead the Ethics and Policy team that will develop and oversee the ethical guidelines implemented to ensure appropriate and fair usage as well as address privacy concerns. Jennifer Servedio will oversee the Security and Data Privacy team that will work to protect the University’s data, address and prevent possible security threats, and protect sensitive information.
Lastly, the Student Experience team, headed by James Pomykalski, will “integrate AI (and other forms of AI) into the university ecosystem to create an innovative and highly personalized student experience.” The team will develop ways for students, faculty and alumni to utilize AI programs to foster academic success.
More information on these groups and the AI Committee can be found on MyNest.
If you have any questions or are looking to join the committee, reach out to Rob Sieczkiewicz, sieczhiewicz@susqu.edu, or Kelly Kurtz, kurtzk@susqu.edu.
