Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Penn State wants AI literacy to become as basic as freshman orientation. Its new “AI Essentials” course aims to teach students, faculty, and staff how to use AI responsibly.
Penn State launches AI literacy course for employees
Author: Maddie Aiken
Penn State has launched an artificial intelligence literacy course for faculty and staff as part of its efforts to be one step ahead of AI’s sweep through higher education.
Students will soon likewise have access to the training, which aims to equip participants with the knowledge, skills and “ethical grounding” necessary to engage with AI in academic and professional settings.
The course is one example of Penn State’s commitment to “responsible, human-centered AI knowledge and use,” Provost Fotis Sotiropoulos said during Tuesday’s faculty senate meeting.
“As I’ve said on a number of occasions, AI is not about tools and chatbots. It’s about unleashing human potential and creativity using these powerful tools, and that’s what we strive to do here across the community,” Mr. Sotiropoulos said.
“…Whoever says that universities take long to change, I’m enormously proud by how fast this community moved to really bring forward all of this innovation in AI — human-centered AI.”
Titled “AI Essentials,” the course consists of four modules that will teach participants the following:
* What AI is, how it works, and how to recognize, question and use it
* How to evaluate AI outputs and decide when using AI makes sense
* What AI tools are available at Penn State and how to use them
Faculty and staff currently have access to the training. Penn State leaders expect faculty to incorporate the training in their classes and curricula, Mr. Sotiropoulos said.
The course will launch for most students this fall. A small cohort of students enrolled in summer courses will have early access to a pilot program in the upcoming weeks.
Penn State’s goal is for all of its students to be “AI literate” by the end of their freshman year, Mr. Sotiropoulos said. He urged faculty to encourage students to complete the training. Freshmen will also receive a preview of it during new student orientation.
“This is a commitment that we have made to our community, and we’re working really hard to make it happen,” the provost said.
Earlier this semester, the university announced that “AI literacy” would be one of several broad initiatives as it prioritizes AI-forward thinking.
Credits: TCA, LLC.