The future of AI at Lee

Artificial Intelligence is ubiquitous. The technology is impacting many industries, including higher education. With the rising popularity of AI, Lee has two committees with two separate purposes and functions to deal with the technology. The committees have representation across campus from colleges, schools and the Squires Library.

Vice President of Information Technology Nate Tucker is chairing the oversight committee for AI. Tucker says that a policy is being developed for the administration side.

Tucker believes AI will serve as protection for running the institution.

“On the administrative side … I envision that we will embrace AI to some degree, and it will have guardrails around our data,” Tucker said.

Tucker anticipates that the policy will go into effect in the near future.

“I would say sometime this academic year. That's what I envision, but it's a team effort. We want to make sure that whatever we deliver is going to meet the needs of the whole instead of just individuals,” Tucker said.

Rather than developing a specific policy for dealing with AI, the committee for teaching and learning with AI is working to develop resources. The committee also works in conjunction with the Center for Teaching Excellence. 

Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Shane Griffith is the co-chair of the Committee for Teaching and Learning with AI. According to Griffith, the committee works together to:

“Pull together resources and create resources where they don't already exist for faculty to understand the implications of AI in their teaching and as it relates to the classroom and students' learning and assignments,” Griffith said.

Griffith says that the committee wants to ensure that students are well prepared for the world after graduation, and part of that is understanding the rising impact of AI.

“My hope would be that at the end of the process … We would all be better equipped to effectively teach and assess student learning, given the changes that generative AI technologies have brought,” Griffith said.

Griffith also says that critical thinking is important for students, and they do not want AI to replace that.

“It's important to us that we are teaching well and that our students are learning well … When appropriate, we want students to learn technology. But when not appropriate, we want to ensure that students aren't replacing their creative and critical thinking with a computer,” Griffith said.
No matter how the AI is incorporated into administration or education at Lee in the future, both committees hope that the technology will be a positive tool for the university.  

Photo by Emme Lowder.