Keynote Address

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Edward Watson, Ph.D., is the Vice President for Digital Innovation at the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U). He is also the founding director of AAC&U’s Institute on AI, Pedagogy, and the Curriculum. Prior to joining AAC&U, Dr. Watson was the Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at the University of Georgia (UGA) where he led university efforts associated with faculty development, TA development, learning technologies, and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. He continues to serve as a Fellow in the Louise McBee Institute of Higher Education at UGA and recently stepped down after more than a decade as the Executive Editor of the International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. His most recent book is Teaching with AI: A Practical Guide to a New Era of Human Learning (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2024). Dr. Watson been quoted in the New York Times, Chronicle of Higher Education, Inside Higher Ed, Campus Technology, EdSurge, EdTech, Consumer Reports, UK Financial Times, and University Business Magazine and by the AP, CNN and NPR regarding current teaching and learning issues and trends in higher education.

 

Keynote Address

AI’s Implications for Higher Education:  Preparing Students for Success Beyond College

Friday, August 16, 2024
9-10 a.m.
Bennett Auditorium

Generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and others, have had an astonishingly quick impact on the ways we learn, work, think, and create, and this evolution is clearly apparent on college campuses.  As early as January 2023, approximately 9 out of 10 college students reported using ChatGPT, and that number, as well as student competency with AI, has only grown since then. AI is present in our college classrooms, and there is also growing demand for graduates who possess AI competencies and literacies.  A core question for higher education is how will we respond given these new realities.  Drawing from the presenter’s new book, Teaching with AI: A Practical Guide to a New Era of Human Learning (Johns Hopkins University Press), this keynote will begin by exploring the evolving AI landscape through hands-on opportunities for participants to explore key AI tools.  Key challenges and opportunities that are emerging for higher education will then be explored.  While academic integrity and AI detection will be discussed, the core focus of this keynote will be on concrete approaches and strategies faculty can adopt, both within the classroom and across larger curricular structures, to best prepare students for the life that awaits them after graduation.

 

Workshop

Exploring AI for Teaching and Learning: A Hands-on Workshop with C. Edward Watson

Friday, August 16, 2024
1:15–2:45 p.m.
Elizabeth Harkins Hall 120

Register for Workshop

Designed for those who are interested in employing AI within the context of their curriculum and/or courses, this hands-on workshop will begin by providing participants with a guided, hands-on exploration of key generative AI tools currently being used today.  The world of generative AI is not monolithic, as there are a variety of systems and each has different strengths and weaknesses.  After exploring this landscape, the workshop will shift to specific applications of AI within teaching and learning settings.  A key theme will be how faculty can ensure their students achieve the learning outcomes of their course while also engendering AI competencies and literacies that are of increasing demand in the world of work.  Assignment design, feedback, and grading will be key topics.  A hallmark of this session will be opportunities for attendees to explore AI within the specific context of their own course.  Relatedly, participants are encouraged to bring at least one assignment they plan to use in the fall semester or have recently used and would like to reconsider within the context of opportunities presented by AI.  

The first 150 people to register and attend the workshop will receive a copy of Dr. Watson's Teaching with AI: A Practical Guide to a New Era of Human Learning.

Teaching with AI

"Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing the way we learn, work, and think. Its integration into classrooms and workplaces is already underway, impacting and challenging ideas about creativity, authorship, and education. In this groundbreaking and practical guide, teachers will discover how to harness and manage AI as a powerful teaching tool. José Antonio Bowen and C. Edward Watson present emerging and powerful research on the seismic changes AI is already creating in schools and the workplace, providing invaluable insights into what AI can accomplish in the classroom and beyond." - Amazon