University of Baltimore Joins Group of 20 Institutions for Global 'Making AI Generative for Higher Education' Research Project
June 26, 2023
Contact: Office of Advancement and External Relations
Phone: 410.837.5739
The University of Baltimore will be part of an international group of 20 colleges and universities convened by Ithaka S+R for a two-year research project called Making AI Generative for Higher Education. The group, which will convene this fall, is intended to ensure that artificial intelligence (AI) becomes a useful tool for students and educators across all of higher education. Based in New York City, Ithaka S+R "helps academic and cultural communities serve the public good and navigate economic, technological, and demographic change," according to its website. "Our work also aims to broaden access to higher education by reducing costs and improving student outcomes." Its non-profit parent organization, ITHAKA, supports the academic community in using digital technology to advance research and teaching, and preserve the scholarly record.
Since the recent arrival of ChatGPT and other platforms that rely on artificial intelligence to produce writing, design, analysis, and more, UBalt has hosted a number of community conversations, teach-ins and technology showcases to investigate and analyze the potential of AI to improve education and support learning outcomes. As a worldwide conversation unfolds about this technology, and governments, including the United States and the European Union, consider ways to understand and control AI before it becomes truly ubiquitous in modern life, the University is seeking a "middle ground" approach to the technology, e.g., discover where it is useful as a tool, and how it can be managed from that perspective.
In announcing the institutions that are participating in the national group, Ithaka S+R noted: "The ability of computers to create content is advancing rapidly, spurring an investment arms race within the technology sector. As new products like ChatGPT and Midjourney turn AI into a part of daily life, universities are facing decisions about how students, instructors, and researchers can best engage with these new tools."
In an op-ed in The Baltimore Sun from last May, Dr. Jessica Stansbury, UBalt's director of teaching and learning excellence in the BOA Center for Excellence in Learning, Teaching, and Technology (CELTT), encouraged educators to consider AI's potential for supporting their work.
"[If] we shift our mindset about the ways people learn, by only a click or two, we can see how AI—as a way to prompt ideas, assist in simple tasks and fill in gaps in our knowledge—may complement and enhance human capabilities," Stansbury wrote. She noted that platforms like ChatGPT are only growing in sophistication, but at present can't solve the everyday problems that even young children encounter in school.
Regardless, working groups at UBalt are "taking a proactive approach instead of a reactive approach to this technology, and we are embracing the Making AI Generative opportunity together," Dr. Stansbury notes. "Our partners will assess the immediate and emerging AI applications most likely to impact teaching, learning, and research, and explore the long-term needs of institutions, instructors, and scholars as they navigate this environment."
UBalt, under the leadership of CELTT, will field a cross-discipline team for the project, including staff and faculty in its RLB Library and the College of Public Affairs. The members will be announced early this coming September. CELTT, Dr. Stansbury says, is grateful and excited to be among the many top-tier universities to join the conversation and make an impact in the field of teaching and learning.
"This is an incredible opportunity for CELTT and really showcases UBalt's commitment to students by preparing them for the quickly advancing future of technology in the workplace," she says.
The Making AI Generative group will publish the findings of its research in a series of publicly available reports, to be produced later this year, as well as in 2024 and 2025.