Abstract:

Since late fall 2022, ChatGPT and other generative or predictive AI tools have wrought significant changes – and even broader uncertainty – in higher education. As AI technologies become increasingly integrated into educational systems, ethical issues, privacy concerns, and potential biases embedded in AI algorithms demand careful examination. So do academic integrity concerns, and questions about how pedagogy and assessment practices need to shift in the face of an onslaught of accessible automation.

The session will overview the discussions, insights, and preliminary outcomes emerging from the establishment of an interdisciplinary faculty drop-in focused on AI. Based in the premise that it is imperative that educators have opportunities to critically analyze AI’s potential, pitfalls, and implications for their classrooms and institutions, this drop-in was founded by Office of Open Learning professional at a Canadian institution in spring 2023. It focused on bringing together faculty and other interested parties for critical and collaborative exploration, rather than for any specific ‘training’ objectives: emergent priorities were identified in the first session. Weekly and then monthly sessions were held, and faculty showed up when they could, from disciplines as diverse as social work, engineering, and business.

The session will overview contemporary issues of algorithmic transparency and accountability, calling for sector-wide data and AI literacies and ethics, while also acknowledging the big-picture risks that AI poses for the future of higher education and society itself. These include the potential for increasing inequality and the devaluing of disciplines that may not align with AI-driven algorithmic priorities.

Jointly led by the Open Learning professional who founded the drop in and by a member of the group, an educator with expertise in digital pedagogy, the presentation will showcase our small-scale model for building critical capacity in data and AI literacies. It will outline insights and possibilities still emerging from the project, and encourage iCERi attendees to engage with questions surrounding AI's impact on the changing role of educators. Centered on the importance of human-centric and humility-focused practices for navigating uncertainty, the session will offer a model for supporting faculty to adapt to an AI-integrated educational landscape with agency and professionalism. By fostering critical thinking and collective knowledge sharing, this session aims to equip attendees with the necessary knowledge and strategies to navigate AI and ensure that its integration in higher education aligns with core educational values, ethics, and human-centered principles.

Keywords:

AI, ChatGPT, data literacies, digital practice, higher education.