As higher education continues to adapt to artificial intelligence, students and professors at the University of Rhode Island said that the technology has the potential to enhance learning and emphasize rules around ethics.
Researchers and staff at URI have reported multiple consequences with using AI when dealing with academics, according to Kevin Bryan, manager in high performance computing at IT Research Computing Services.
“For certain people, it makes them more productive, and other people it makes them less productive,”Bryan said.
While AI is mostly seen in a negative light, there are many benefits to using it appropriately, according to Callum Magarian, a student working in URI’s Education and Outreach AI Lab, which is now part of the Institute for AI & Computational Research. Magarian is working on a research project on the usage of AI tools by students in the IACR’s AI Lab.
Indrani Mandal, a computer science associate teaching professor, leads the AI Lab, according to the Institute for AI and Computational Research website. The lab also includes individuals from the IT Teaching and Learning Services team and the electrical, computer and biomedical engineering department.
Faculty resources at the lab include AI learning applications, archival research data, hands-on workshop training, a graduate student support network and resources for funding opportunities, according to the IACR website. IACR workshops cover topics such as data science and generative AI.
Over the summer, students worked on various projects at the AI Lab, according to its website. Projects ranged from analyzing underwater video to label and monitor sealife, to exploring the impact of AI tools in learning environments, to creating an immersive virtual reality experience of a school.
Students also use AI outside of the lab, according to Magarian.
“I think that a decent amount of students would actually use AI not to really cheat, but to understand more complex problems,” Magarian said. “You can’t really beat around the bush.”
Students have indicated that professors are more open with relying on AI to complete tasks in the classroom.
One of the tasks Bryan uses AI for is structuring presentations.
“I’ll take my presentation that I’m going to give and then I’ll ask, ‘Hey, how can I improve this’,” Bryan said. “[AI] will suggest things like, oh, you should, add another graphic here or add some real world examples there.”
Along with the positives of AI come concerns from students over the quality of the education promoted involving their work ethic.
“Nevertheless, If you don’t actually do that work, then you’re not actually getting that benefit, right?” Bryan said.
To manage AI usage at URI, the AI Lab promotes workshops that explain how to beneficially use the technology, according to Magarian. The AI Lab’s workshops focus on promotion of how to use the AI tools for the better.
“I think that it’s good that the university is trying to promote AI literacy to some degree,” Magarian said.
Students have also noted benefits to AI usage, according to Magarian.
“Students often reported that they really appreciate the efficiency and time saving nature of the AI model,” Magarian said.
URI’s Office of the Provost has a section dedicated to “AI at URI,” under the initiatives web page. The page states that AI is transforming the landscape of higher education and that it opens up opportunities in research and teaching. It also says that the technology poses questions about ethical parameters and bias.
“As a public flagship research university, our mission and responsibility is to prepare students for the future they will occupy,” according to the Office of the Provost website.
The AI Lab is open Monday to Friday at the Robert L. Carothers Library in Room 147.
