Always on hand to provide assistance in integrating a wide variety of technologies in the teaching and learning process
This is a terrific resource courtesy of the Johnson Center for Creative Teaching and Learning at Gettysburg College:
Forbes, M. & Brandauer J. What’s my stance on genAI in this class? Gettysburg College Johnson Center for Teaching and Learning. Retrieved February 7, 2024 from https://genai.sites.gettysburg.edu/positions-and-policies/
“We can’t just design around AI because it’s futile: it keeps evolving. Assessment needs to be about the whole relationship you have with students: be transparent, explore variety and encourage reflection.”
Dr. James Lang
Author of Cheating Lessons: Learning from Academic Dishonesty
Missed last week’s webinar about how to curb academic dishonesty in your course? No worries … watch below!
Don’t have time to watch either? That’s okay, here’s a summary!
With regards to academic integrity in the age of artificial intelligence, Dr. Lang emphasizes the importance of maintaining a focus on teaching and creating learning, even while being aware of and attending to academic integrity. He believes that teaching strategies and course design strategies should promote learning while maintaining the standards of academic integrity. He also mentions that these principles were the approach he took in his book “Cheating Lessons”.
Dr. Lang presents his approach to prioritizing learning in the current moment of higher education. He discusses the importance of varying teaching methods, being transparent about course design and expectations, and promoting reflection among students. He believes that these principles are even more important in the age of AI, as AI can perform tasks quickly, but humans have the opportunity to pause, analyze, and reflect on the process
Dr. Lang also discusses a 2023 study where instructors tested six low-effort strategies to reduce academic dishonesty in an introductory programming course (PDF). These strategies included talking about academic integrity at the beginning of the semester, giving a quiz on the topic, allowing students to retract work they had concerns about, reminding students about academic integrity policies throughout the semester, showing tools for success, and reminding students about available help. The study found a significant reduction in similarity scores for assignments after these interventions were implemented.
Dr. Lang advocates for a balanced approach to teaching in the age of AI, where the focus remains on learning and academic integrity. He suggests that educators should not shy away from traditional assignments or teaching strategies due to the capabilities of AI, but rather enhance these assignments with reflection and analysis to promote deeper learning.
Are the robot judges coming?!
How are recent advances in artificial intelligence tools having an impact in the work of courts in the US and abroad?
These developments promise improved efficiency and the potential to enhance access to justice, both at individual and systemic levels, but with that potential comes a measure of risk and uncertainty.
Sarah Cravens, Visiting Professor of Law, and Joshua Fairfield, William D. Bain Family Professor of Law, will explore the upsides and ask whether existing ethics rules are sufficient to cover the issues raised by current use of generative AI by judges (and lawyers) in U.S. courts. They will also discuss what lawyers should know about how judges incorporate AI themselves, what they expect from lawyers, and what is on the horizon.
Thursday, February 15, 2024
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Lewis Hall, Moot Court Room
Join us in person or watch via the livestream link.
Qualtrics
Many thanks for your patience as ITS implemented a fix to the Qualtrics emailer yesterday afternoon.
ITS initially set up a Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) relay to route emails through our own server. However, the SMTP relay was overwhelmed due to multiple departments sending Fall Term course evaluations simultaneously, causing send failures.
To resolve this, we’ve adopted a more robust approach: we’ve transitioned to using a custom “From” domain within Qualtrics’ own email infrastructure. This change will significantly enhance email deliverability for large-scale survey distributions by utilizing Qualtrics’ superior email handling capabilities.
However, it’s important to recognize the limitations of this new setup. Since the email process is now fully managed by Qualtrics, any issues with email delivery will be outside the scope of ITS. In such cases, direct contact with Qualtrics Support will be necessary for troubleshooting and resolution.
Also, please note that when using the Qualtrics emailer, the default “From” email is survey@wlu.edu. For those who wish to personalize their survey emails, you can change survey@wlu.edu to your own W&L email address. This will NOT impact email deliverability.
If you have any questions or need assistance, contact the ITS Information Desk at help@wlu.edu, 540,458,4357 (HELP), or stop by the Main Level of Leyburn Library.
James M. Lang, PhD, is the author of six books, including Distracted: Why Students Can’t Focus and What You Can Do About It and Small Teaching: Everyday Lessons from the Science of Learning. He also writes a monthly column on teaching and learning for The Chronicle of Higher Education. A dynamic and highly sought-after public speaker, Lang has delivered conference keynotes and workshops on teaching at more than a hundred colleges, universities, and high schools in the United States and abroad.
Register Now to learn strategies to motivate students and improve learning in the age of AI!
We will be conducting a scheduled maintenance on Qualtrics on Thursday, January 11th, from 1-5 pm EST.
To avoid any loss of work, please ensure you have saved all your work and logged out of Qualtrics before 1 pm.
Rest assured, active surveys will remain unaffected.
For assistance, please reach out to the ITS Information Desk at help@wlu.edu, call 540.458.4357 (HELP), or stop by the Main Level of Leyburn Library.
Artificial Intelligence is quickly becoming the cornerstone of innovations. Improve your skills in machine learning; stay current with generative AI; broaden your knowledge in natural language processing, responsible AI, and neural networks.
Check out these new LinkedIn Learning courses:
Dive even deeper and gain skills with curated LinkedIn Learning paths, compiled playlists of related video courses on specific topics. Learning paths include multiple courses by different expert instructors to teach a variety of skills and information.
Wednesday, January 10, 2024
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Few innovations have impacted higher education as deeply and swiftly as artificial intelligence has. Initially viewed simply as a threat to academic integrity, it’s now clear that AI presents far greater challenges—and opportunities. Goldman Sachs has estimated that AI may replace 300 million full-time jobs. This rapid workforce evolution is creating demand for an accompanying evolution of higher education to meet new expectations. During this AAC&U webinar, panelists will discuss the many ways higher education will be affected by artificial intelligence, including how AI will influence instruction, curricula, and institutions. They’ll also suggest paths forward that can help you and your institution succeed in this new era.
Bryan Alexander
Senior Scholar, Georgetown University
Gilda A. Barabino
President and Professor, Olin College of Engineering
William J. McKinney
Senior Director of Higher Education Initiatives, Council for Adult and Experiential Learning
Lynn Pasquerella
President, AAC&U
Michael S. Roth
President, Wesleyan University
C. Edward Watson
Associate Vice President for Curricular and Pedagogical Innovation and Executive Director for Open Educational Resources and Digital Innovation, AAC&U
Pausing to express our heartfelt gratitude to our wonderful Washington and Lee University community …. this season of thanksgiving reminds us of the countless blessings we share as part of this vibrant academic family. Your dedication, creativity, and spirit of collaboration make our campus a place of endless possibilities and profound learning.
We are immensely grateful for the privilege of working alongside such a talented and passionate group of faculty, staff, and students. Your commitment to excellence and your unwavering pursuit of knowledge are the driving forces behind our university’s success.
We sincerely hope you’ll take some time during the break to rest, reflect, and reconnect with loved ones, near or far. May your gatherings be filled with laughter and your tables with abundance.
With thankful hearts,
The ITS Academic Technologies Team
