CETLI’s Executive Director, Bruce Lenthall, delivered a conference presentation and a public talk at the Geneva Graduate Institute’s Conference, Artificial Intelligence and the University: Knowledge, Production, Pedagogy, and Infrastructure. To meet AI’s challenge to our teaching, he said in his presentations, we need to uncover and be guided by the values we see in the education we provide our students.
The conference, which took place on December 4 – 5, included sessions on topics such as AI in teaching, learning, assessment, and research, and a public panel discussion, “The University in the Age of AI: A Global Perspective.”
As one of the six panelists in the public discussion, Lenthall addressed the university’s role as a critical hub for interpersonal engagement. This has always been the case, he said, but “the presence of AI demands that we affirm this commitment.”
During the conference sessions, Lenthall presented insights on AI in Teaching and Learning, informed by CETLI’s programming and consultations with Penn faculty, who are actively exploring and experimenting with AI in various ways. Lenthall discussed five principles that can guide whether and how to include AI in teaching: emphasizing the value of slow thinking, teaching judgement, empowering students, considering where and if we want to teach students how to engage with AI, and centering interpersonal engagement.
Reflecting on the conference, Lenthall says he was pleased to be able to contribute a perspective focused on what individuals value in teaching and learning. “When we think about the role AI may play in education,” he says,” we should think first about what we want students to gain from that education with us. Focusing on those values can guide our decisions about whether and how to integrate AI into our teaching.”