Julie Nash was listening to a talk on campus about the possibilities of artificial intelligence when she had an aha moment.
“That was the lightbulb moment for me,” says the vice provost for academic affairs. “AI is so much more than ChatGPT and plagiarism software.”
At a time when concerns are heightened around AI and education, Nash sees the benefits of the technology. She left the talk impressed by the professors who use different forms of AI in their work, from learning how genetics impact neuro-degenerative diseases with AI models to examining how AI could help make difficult decisions during a life-threatening event.
But she knows about the downside, too. Like most universities and colleges, UML gets the occasional academic dishonesty case in which a student used AI in an unethical way, whether for cheating on a test or writing an essay.
“It would be so simple if the university could say that students may not use AI in any of their work on campus, but what is that going to do to the faculty who actively use AI in their classes?” she asks. “That’s not a policy that works for them.”
Nash is looking for solutions to combat cheating with AI. She is a member of UMass Lowell’s AI task force, which is working to provide AI resources to faculty and staff. (On the academic side, UML has been ahead of the game; five years ago, faculty were given access to Gradescope, an AI-based software that streamlines the grading and feedback process.) She is also looking to create recommendations for policies on AI as a member of Complete College America’s Council for Equitable AI.
“AI is evolving fast,” Nash says. “We need to proceed with a cautious urgency.”
A first step, she says, is building AI literacy among students as the technology becomes more prevalent in our daily lives. The university is committed to providing students with the necessary tools to help them understand how to use AI, as well as the implications and ethics behind the technology.
“We will be doing our students a disservice if we don’t ensure they become responsibly AI-literate,” she says. “It’s crucial that we equip our students for a future where basic fluency in AI will be as common as the ability to edit a Word document or create a PowerPoint.”—BC