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Marlene Collins-Blair Interviewed by the RBJ: Prepared to teach ethics of using generative AI
Roberts Wesleyan University established an AI task force this spring to begin answering the question of how students, faculty and staff can use generative AI responsibly. The task force also began creating a university-wide policy around usage, which is still in development.
“We’re being open-minded about this technology,” said Dr. Marlene Collins-Blair, Roberts Wesleyan’s assistant vice president for academic affairs who is part of the AI task force. “To have a banner saying, ‘Don’t use it!’ is not us. We want to be open to the positive aspects of this.”
The task force surveyed faculty in June and found that 80% want to understand how to use AI to best serve students. Through conversations with students, Collins-Blair has also found the vast majority welcome generative AI and parameters for its usage.
“They’re digital natives,” Collins-Blair said. “They want to use it responsibly and we want our students to be AI fluent but have an ethical approach. I believe we can help our students learn ethical and responsible use of AI.”
This semester the university will continue conversations, working groups, and workshops for students, faculty, and staff regarding the responsible use of AI. They also encourage professors to have syllabus statements about their expectations surrounding generative AI use in their classrooms.