The role of IT in nurturing a collaborative learning environment in higher education

AI is advancing rapidly in colleges and universities, making it critical for leaders in higher education to adapt and prepare students and staff for this emerging technology, two technology professors wrote in a recent essay.

Charles Hodges and Ceren Ocak, professors at Georgia Southern University, wrote an essay for EDUCAUSE about the importance of integrating AI on college campuses. The authors note some higher education institutions have adopted AI tools such as Chat GPT while others view it as a type of cheating. As colleges and universities scramble to find ways to set policy on their campuses for how AI tools are used, Hodges and Ocak recommend utilizing existing resources before creating rules.

Among the recommendations are: Conducting a "technoethical audit of the technologies under consideration" using guiding questions such as how the technology impacts learning or how is the environment affected by the technology.

"The considerations highlighted in this article are intended to help higher education leaders develop academic policies and practices that enhance the quality of education, improve student outcomes, and foster innovation," the authors write. "...Acknowledging AI and its uses in higher education is a crucial, pragmatic step toward equipping students with the skills they need to thrive once they leave our campuses."

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