A.I. Scholars
We are so fortunate to have an abundance of scholars and professionals right here at A&M-Victoria! Several of our faculty members have presented workshops on the utility and challenges of Artificial Intelligence. Long before ChatGPT and Grammarly, there was HAL 9000 in 2001: A Space Odyssey. Even though HAL was an independent thinking AI who could refuse to open the pod bay doors, current AI models require prompting from humans” Ultimately, HAL became afraid because it could not function without human prompting. In an era where artificial intelligence is transforming how we work and create, understanding prompt engineering has become a crucial skill – think of it as learning to speak the language of AI effectively. More than just asking AI systems questions, it's an emerging discipline that combines elements of computer science, linguistics, and psychology to effectively communicate with and harness the capabilities of large language models.
“Open the Pod Bay Doors HAL: AI Literacy”
Scott Harkey, Lecturer of English
During this session, Scott Harkey will discuss the growing importance of artificial intelligence literacy in higher education. He will share practical uses of AI in the classroom including facilitating curriculum and assignment design as well as leveraging AI tutors and writing assistants. Also, he will discuss avenues for using AI for peer review and collaboration as we consider the critical thinking and ethical implications of various AI outputs. Ultimately, this discussion will help us better prepare our students for an AI integrated future. Let’s just keep the pod bay doors open, shall we?
“I'm Afraid Dave: AI Prompt Engineering”
Dr. Yun Wan, Professor of Computer Science
In this presentation, we'll explore the evolution of prompts, core engineering principles, practical techniques, common pitfalls, and advanced strategies that will help you achieve better results when working with AI systems. Whether you're a developer, content creator, researcher, or business professional, you'll walk away with practical knowledge you can immediately apply in your work.
"Dr. Chandra, Will I Dream: Creating an AI Classroom Policy"
Dr. Shengsheng “Charlie” Huang, Professor of Business
While generative AI immediately raises concerns about academic integrity and effective student learning, a pragmatic perspective encourages higher education to adapt to the existence of AI and even embrace it for personalized learning experience and enhancing students' career readiness. Furthermore, pedagogical shifts in the classroom may be necessary, moving from a focus on information acquisition and comprehension to developing critical, creative thinking, and other skills that AI cannot teach or replace. As educators are gradually shifting from blocking to embracing the use of AI in teaching and learning, the College of Business at A&M-Victoria has proposed different course policies on AI use for faculty to choose, following a comprehensive search and evaluation process. After discussing these policy options, practical considerations and guidance on policy enforcement will also be explored. This presentation aims to share some practices for assurance of student learning while encouraging a more in-depth review and rethinking of how we can transform higher education to highlight its unique merits—those that generative AI cannot replace.