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New AAC&U Institute to Explore Challenges and Opportunities of AI in Teaching and Learning

The American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) a new Institute on AI, Pedagogy, and the Curriculum designed to "help departments, programs, colleges, and universities respond effectively to the challenges and opportunities artificial intelligence (AI) presents for courses and curricula." Nearly 800 individuals from 123 higher education institutions have been selected to participate in the fully online learning opportunity, which kicked off on Sept. 12 and will run through April 2025.

Through monthly meetings and webinars, participants will interact with peers, engage in cross-team planning, and discuss the current state of AI in higher education as they develop and implement AI action plans for their classrooms, curricula, and campuses, the AAC&U explained in a news announcement. Topics of study include:

  • Pedagogical and assessment approaches within and across courses;
  • Academic integrity concerns, policies, and practices;
  • Ethical and equity implications of AI; and
  • Adopting AI competencies and literacies as course and/or programmatic learning outcomes.

Each campus team will be assigned a mentor from the institute's faculty, the AAC&U said, who will provide guidance asynchronously via the institute's online platform.

"The rapid emergence of generative AI has resulted in profound opportunities and challenges for nearly all disciplines in higher education," said C. Edward Watson, vice president for digital innovation at AAC&U, in a statement. "AI competencies and literacies are quickly emerging as necessary workforce skills. This demands that associated learning outcomes become a part of our curriculum; however, evoking AI into the classroom can create challenges regarding academic integrity and student learning. This institute is designed to help campuses navigate these complexities, engage in curricular and pedagogical reform, and address the array of related concerns associated with AI in higher education, including questions about policies, ethics, and the future of higher learning. I'm excited that AAC&U is collaborating with so many institutions to address our latest teaching and learning grand challenge."

For more information, visit the AAC&U site.

About the Author

Rhea Kelly is editor in chief for Campus Technology, THE Journal, and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

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