Liberal Arts Symposium
The 10th Annual Liberal Arts Symposium
Generative AI Technologies – Mapping Uncharted Territory
Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies have become more prevalent in higher education, and they raise critically important policy considerations. Educators are facing many challenges to create environments in which the potential benefits of these technologies can be harnessed, while also mitigating the risks associated with their misuse. As we enter a new age of technology where advances in Artificial Intelligence enable students to have instantaneous writing completed for them based on a prompt or question provided, some educators are scratching their heads, while several are throwing up their hands in frustration and still others are wondering about the possibility of ethically and effectively incorporating AI into teaching and learning in an intentional way. We invite you to share any research/best practices you have conducted/experienced related to this modern-day challenge/opportunity.
Our annual Liberal Arts Symposium will be held on Tuesday, February 27, 2024, from 8 am - 5 pm in various locations on the south side of the campus of The American University in Cairo (AUC). The deadline for submitting abstracts/proposals has been extended to Thursday, January 4, 2024. To quote management consultant and educator Peter Drucker, “Since we live in an age of innovation, a practical education must prepare a [person] for work that does not yet exist and cannot yet be clearly defined.” We are indeed in such an age in need of preparing people for such work. Accordingly, the 2024 Liberal Arts Symposium will facilitate evidence-based discussions to help potentially guide us in this unchartered territory of pervasive generative AI tools.
Some immediate research questions:
- What is AUC’s generative AI tools policy?
- In what ways can generative AI tools enhance or impede student learning at AUC?
- What pedagogical innovations are needed to encourage students to develop an authentic authorial voice in the age of generative AI tools?
- How can we prepare students for a world and workplace in which the use of generative AI tools will be commonplace?
- In what ways can faculty and staff use generative AI tools to make their work more efficient and effective outside of the educational context?
- How will generative AI tools shape the production and assessment of research and scholarly activity? How will they also change the quality of research produced by students and faculty?
- How can clear lines of accountability be established for the use of generative AI?
- Who is responsible for ensuring that generative AI technology is used ethically and that its outcomes are monitored for fairness and accuracy in higher education?
- While generative AI may be a useful tool, why should it not replace human decision-making entirely? What are the boundaries between what AI can do and what humans can do?
Research and presentation topics include but are not limited to:
- Academic integrity challenges and research ethics
- Critical thinking in the age of generative AI tools
- Enhancing teaching and learning (in/across the disciplines) with generative AI tools
- Developing engaging teaching and learning activities that use generative AI tools
- Developing teaching approaches that use generative AI tools for formative feedback
- Raising student digital literacy/awareness about the appropriate use of generative AI tools
- Responding to disciplinary-specific concerns/opportunities using generative AI tools
- Curriculum reform in the age of generative AI tools
- Equity and equality/accessibility in the age of generative AI tools
- Technological innovation and research productivity
- Pedagogical innovations to address generative AI use
- Implications for teacher training and professional development
- Quality assurance and standards across the university
- Generative AI and its future implications
- Developing assessment and pedagogical methods that leverage opportunities or respond to issues created by the technology
- Other related topics
Proposal Submission Criteria
We encourage submissions from faculty and graduate students across the disciplines. In addition to individual and panel presentation proposals, we are seeking submissions that can:
Convene workshops and discussions to address critical questions about generative AI tools
Bring together interdisciplinary panels to discuss mutual concerns about generative AI tools
Present a demonstration or performance featuring creative and artistic uses of generative AI tools
Outcomes and Insights
Evidence and/or findings are reported involving generative AI tools
A description of how the work contributes to understanding the challenges and pedagogical scope involving generative AI tools
Reflective Critique
- A critical and reflective evaluation of the work is offered for audience engagement
- Planned opportunities for active audience engagement in the session are described
- Opportunities for audience participation in the discussion are included
- If appropriate, effective pedagogical practices are demonstrated
Submission of Proposals
Submit your proposal via email to symposium@aucegypt.edu and fill out the submission form by January 4, 2024.