By TONY GUERRERO
Hays Post
Fort Hays State University will offer two artificial intelligence-focused classes for students as faculty and staff remain on the fence about its use.
Instructional Technologist Magdalene Moy, chairwoman of the FHSU Generative AI Task Force, hopes more programs embrace AI and take advantage of its potential benefits.
“I think that other departments are going to look toward building this up 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 goes into how this is going to affect fields, so I have a lawyer coming to speak about where we are in the legal system with AI,” Moy said.
Specific topics the class will dive into include the Turing Test, a method for assessing a machine’s capability to show human-like intelligence, and the Chinese Room Experiment, a thought experiment challenging the notion that a computer program can genuinely understand language.
Moy said students will also participate in debates, complete writing assignments and work on a final project that examines AI’s relevance to their profession and future.
“It’s taking ‘What is thinking?’ ‘What is a mind?’ ‘How is AI like thinking?’ and ‘Where is the complement there?'” Moy said.
Open to all students, the online class aims to help them critically examine philosophical and practical questions about AI and its potential. Enrollment is currently open.
“This is meant to be a foundational course to understand the power of AI, where it comes from, why it’s important and its potential,” she said. “
Moy said the class could be offered in future semesters depending on interest.
Moy said opinions on AI usage among FHSU faculty and staff vary, and there is no consensus on its implementation.
Some faculty are concerned that overreliance on AI could impede students’ skill development, which Moy said is valid.
“Even with people who are pro using AI, they might feel like it’s appropriate for them to have students use AI in one class but not the other,” she said.
Potential negatives are concerns about cheating, job displacement, data and ethical use, and bias in data training.
These issues are not new to education.
Another course, “AI in Biology and Medicine,” will be offered this spring through the FHSU Biological Sciences Department by Assistant Professor Michael Grenstaeudl.
Moy said Grenstaeudl developed the course independently and the AI Task Force, as their collaboration primarily focuses 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 affect 300 million full-time jobs worldwide, and AI will take over between 25% and 50% of the workload.
Sixxty-five percent of skills in the workforce are also expected to change by 2030 because of AI, according to Linkedin.
The FHSU Generative AI Task Force launched a website offering classroom resources and the latest updates on AI.
SEE RELATED STORY: FHSU offers student resources on artificial intelligence
The task force will host an AI Institute and fair, open to the public. The fair will include workshops and sessions to support their understanding and integration of AI across various fields.
The event is set for Feb. 25 at the FHSU Memorial Union.
Moy said the FHSU College of Education department has readily taken to AI with an additional event for professional development for K-12 teachers in northwest Kansas set for April 7.
“We know our students come from the area. It makes sense to have a conversation with them about what they’re doing in the classroom and how we can support their use of AI in education,” she said.
The FHSU Generative AI Task Force also offers certificates to equip enrolled students with the knowledge and skills needed for career success.
You can visit their website here for more information.
