Breakout Session #1: Education

As generative AI actively reshapes higher education, liberal arts institutions are uniquely positioned to develop innovative pedagogical responses because of their focus on critical thinking, ethical reasoning, and problem solving. And while many institutions are slowly working their way toward big-picture policy adaptations to these changes, faculty have had to be much more agile, developing new assignments, syllabi, and in-class approaches that have required a degree of collaborative professional development as well.

This roundtable features three faculty members from three different institutions who will share their experiences in both integrating AI into their teaching practices and developing professional development initiatives to support faculty adapting their teaching to the new AI era. Kimberly Hall, Associate Professor of English at Wofford College will discuss how her collaboration with colleagues outside of her college and in an AI Working Group within her college helped her develop a lab structure for the critical exploration of generative AI that can be adopted in first-year general education and upper-division major courses. Kelly Neil, Associate Professor of English at Spartanburg Methodist College, will discuss how she co-facilitated a workshop series designed to help faculty incorporate generative AI into course assignments. She will discuss strategies to increase faculty participation and engagement and provide an overview of how the workshop series led to more effective teaching and learning in participants’ classrooms. Erin E. Templeton, Dean of the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences and Professor of English at Converse College will add an administrative perspective that not only addresses institutional responses and career readiness initiatives to help support faculty and increase both faculty and student buy-in but also reminds us of the importance of the humanities and the liberal arts in framing the terms of the “AI Debates” that we’re seeing splashed across various social media platforms and higher ed outlets.This session will address both the opportunities and challenges faced with such initiatives and attendees will gain actionable insights into fostering a faculty culture of curiosity and critical evaluation toward generative AI.