By TONY GUERRERO
Hays Post
Fort Hays State University will offer two artificial intelligence-focused classes for students as faculty and staff remain unsure about their use.
Instructional technologist Magdalene Moy, chair of the FHSU Genative AI Task Force, hopes to see more programs embrace AI and take advantage of its potential benefits.
“I think other departments are going to build this for their students,” Moy said.
This spring, Moy will teach ‘Philosophy of AI: Foundations and Frontiers’, an online course for students with various guest speakers.
The course delves into AI from philosophical and interdisciplinary perspectives. The class features lectures by philosophers, computer engineers, machine learning specialists, and legal experts.
“The class will address how this will impact the fields, so I have an attorney coming to speak about where we are in the legal system with AI,” Moy said.
Specific topics the class will explore include the Turing Test, a method to assess a machine’s ability to demonstrate human-like intelligence, and the Chinese Room Experiment, a thought experiment that challenges the idea that a computer program can understand language can really understand.
Moy said students will also participate in debates, complete writing assignments and work on a final project that explores the relevance of AI to their profession and future.
“It takes ‘What is thinking?’ ‘What is a ghost?’ ‘How is AI like thinking?’ and ‘Where’s the complement there?'” Moy said.
The online class is open to all students and aims to help them critically examine philosophical and practical questions about AI and its potential. Registration is currently open.
“This is intended as a basic course to understand the power of AI, where it comes from, why it is important and what its potential is,” she said. “
Moy said the course may be offered in future semesters depending on interest.
Moy said opinions on AI use vary among FHSU faculty and staff, and there is no consensus on its implementation.
Some educators are concerned that an over-reliance on AI could hinder students’ skill development, which Moy says is justified.
“Even if people are pro at using AI, they may feel that it is appropriate to have students use AI in one class and not in another,” she says.
Potential negatives include concerns about cheating, job losses, data and ethical use, and bias in data training.
These problems are not new to education.
Another course, “AI in Biology and Medicine,” will be offered this spring through FHSU’s Department of Biological Sciences by Assistant Professor Michael Grenstaeudl.
Moy said Grenstaeudl developed the course independently of each other and the AI Task Force because their collaboration focuses primarily on sharing resources and promoting initiatives.
Moy said she hopes other departments, such as English, Agriculture and Computer Science, will introduce their own AI courses in the future.
According to Goldman Sachs, generative AI will impact 300 million full-time jobs worldwide, and AI will take over between 25% and 50% of the workload.
According to Linkedin, 65 percent of the workforce’s skills are also expected to change by 2030 due to AI.
The FHSU Genative AI Task Force has launched a website with educational materials and the latest updates on AI.
SEE RELATED STORY: FHSU provides students with information about artificial intelligence
The task force will host an AI institute and a trade fair, open to the public. The fair includes workshops and sessions to support their understanding and integration of AI in various areas.
The event will take place on February 25 at the FHSU Memorial Union.
Moy said the FHSU College of Education department is pleased to focus on AI with an additional professional development event for K-12 teachers in northwest Kansas on April 7.
“We know that our students come from the region. It makes sense to have a conversation with them about what they do in the classroom and how we can support their use of AI in education,” she said.
The FHSU Genative AI Task Force also offers certificates to equip enrolled students with the knowledge and skills necessary for career success.
For more information, you can visit their website here.
