Overview
In July 2022 ACC was one of 15 colleges to be awarded a $40,000 grant from the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), Dell Technologies, and Intel as part of an initiative to design and build artificial intelligence (AI) incubators in community and technical colleges across the country. ACC’s AI incubator will support curriculum development for several high-demand programs, helping faculty learn how to build AI components into their coursework.
Accomplishments
The AI initiative at ACC has undertaken a wide range of activities during the 2022-2023 academic school year. Below are highlights of these efforts:
Summer 2022
Three ACC staff/faculty completed the AI for Workforce (Intel) Cohort 13 training course for the “Train the Trainers.”
Fall 2022
- An AI module and assignment were incorporated into the NURS 3353: Informatics and Technology in Healthcare course.
- An application form and process was developed for ACC faculty to apply to participate in the AI Initiative by incorporating AI into their course curriculum.
- Thirteen faculty members were selected to participate in the AI curriculum redesign and receive stipends.
Spring 2023
- AI initiative team members presented at ACC’s Professional Development Day on Artificial Intelligence.
- AI initiative team members attended the AACC Workforce conference.
- AI initiative team members participated in multiple AI events and informational sessions in the community and with industry representatives.
- The 13 faculty AI initiative participants have done considerable work on their curriculum redesign plans and have a deliverable due date of May 15 for a document that details their work on AI this semester.
- The AI lab at the Highland Campus ACCelerator is in progress, with the location identified and confirmed, and the AI-specific computers have arrived as of May 8, 2023.
- Drama Adjunct Professor Heather Barfield, one of grant’s participants, is currently developing a world premiere live theatre production titled “Syntax Error: The Quickening of AI” to premier in spring 2025 with VORTEX Repertory Company in Austin. The production will be a collective work of creation that focuses on the recent historical and current energies related to artificial intelligence and machine learning. The production applies the Greek myth of Pygmalion as a foundational story, uses AI writing tools and adaptations of modernist theatre classics, and extends in creative and innovative tendrils from these centering subjects with the themes and challenges of love, creation, and transformation. We will be integrating multi-modal forms of storytelling through bodies on stage and in virtual spaces with XR technologies.
Impact
AI is constantly changing the landscape of our world, professionally and personally. The project definitely has a ripple effect, since those who went through training have in turn trained faculty, and now the faculty will be using this content in their curriculum. exposing students to this “new” pathway to understanding. This project has also shown our community partners that ACC is forward-thinking with a pulse on the current educational climate. Examples of current impact include:
- In Informatics and Technology in Healthcare (NURS 3353), 50 students received the AI content incorporated into that class and completed a comprehensive AI Use in Healthcare assignment.
- In Accounting courses and in Accounting Department meetings, AI content was taught to students and shared with faculty. In Accounting for Non-Business Majors (ACNT 1303), the focus was on AI fundamentals such as Ethics and the history of AI. The students completed assignments that focused on ethical dilemmas when creating AI applications.
- Three ACC staff/faculty completed the AI for Workforce (Intel) Cohort 13 training course for the “Train the Trainers.”
- 13 faculty have received resources and support while incorporating AI into their course curriculum. Most of these curriculum updates will take effect in the fall 2023 semester, where hundreds of students will benefit from the AI curriculum updates.
- The AI Lab at the HLC Accelerator is anticipated to open in June 2023.
Next Steps
Next steps should be divided between the AACC grant and general AI work at the college. Here are key next steps:
AACC Grant Next Steps
- Faculty AI grant recipients will be completing their grant deliverables by May 15, and a collection of these deliverables will be included in the final AACC grant report to showcase their work.
- The AI lab at the Highland Campus ACCelerator will be installed in the coming month.
- A final grant report will be written and submitted to AACC.
General Next Steps:
- Create a Faculty Interest Group (FIG) on AI in the fall 2023 semester.
- Consider the need/development of AI-specific policies and procedures at ACC, including ethical and legal considerations, and academic integrity issues related to AI writing/content creation tools like ChatGPT.
- Develop a structure and plan for future AI Initiatives at ACC post-AACC grant.
- Create structured uses and support for the AI lab at the HLC ACCelerator.