Commencement: Reflecting on AI's Presence in Higher Ed

Note to listeners: there are visual references in this video, that you can see by accessing the YouTube version here instead

Summary

In this final episode of "AI Goes to College," we bring together diverse voices from across FSCJ to reflect on a year of AI integration in higher education. Host Professor Stuart weaves together perspectives from faculty, administrators, and students to create a portrait of how artificial intelligence is transforming campus life. Using Mary Shelley's Frankenstein as a framing device,n she explores whether we are creating something beyond our control, and what responsibility educators have in guiding this technology's development. From AI-enhanced Socratic seminars to employee management systems, the episode showcases real-world applications while addressing  concerns about critical thinking, the learning process, and the future of education.

Show Notes

Introduction

• Host Professor Sarah reflects on one year of documenting AI's impact at FSCJ
• Opening montage features student and faculty voices expressing both optimism and concern
• Mary Shelley's Frankenstein 
• The Luddite movement: a relevant parallel narrative to today's AI revolution?

Chapter 1: Early Adopters

• Rusty Gardner (Executive Director of Enterprise Information Systems) discusses the dual approach to AI at FSCJ:
  • Educational side: What tools can be used for teaching and learning
  • Functional side: How staff use AI in daily operations
• Professor Scott Cason (Humanities) showcases his AI "agents" (Culture Sage and Belief Bot) that enhance Socratic seminars
  • Students engage with AI before class discussions, leading to deeper and longer conversations
  • Quiz scores improved after implementing this approach

Chapter 2: Skeptics

• Professor Joe LaBarbera (Speech) emphasizes the "GIGO" principle (Garbage In, Garbage Out) with AI
  • Warns against "the dumbing down of society" if critical thinking skills are sidelined
  • Notes that AI cannot help students manage communication apprehension or adapt to live audiences
  • "It doesn't do the same thing that a real person can do... the emotion is often out of it."

Chapter 3: Institutional Intelligence

• Max Sukalo (Instructional Program Manager, Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management) developed an AI system that streamlines operations
  • Created a decision-making flowchart using institutional policies fed into AI
  • Reduced 45-minute consultations to 15-second AI responses
  • Views AI as "not a tool, it's a partner" with boundaries and guidelines

Chapter 4: The Students

• In Professor David Singletary's Computer Science course, students creating an AI application that recognizes ASL fingerspelling
• Alexis Stuart (Digital Media student):
  • Uses AI for caption generation in video editing
  • Created social media campaign text while focusing on design elements herself
  • Uses AI for practical life planning (meal planning, travel itineraries)
• James and AJ Higbe (father and son in Applied AI program):
  • James: "I choose to be an AI optimist"
  • Uses AI as a research assistant in professional work
  • AJ: Found AI helpful for philosophy class 

Chapter 5: The Lesson ...Perhaps!

• Professor Ron Bendele (Computer Science) reflects on AI's evolution since the 1990s
  • Already uses AI to teach and grade coursework in some classes
  • Sees professors' roles evolving but not disappearing
• Highlights from past guests:
  • Jason Gulya: Initial horror about AI's implications for plagiarism gave way to recognition of teaching opportunities
  • Dr. Kevin Yee, University of Central Florida 
  • Flower Darby: The importance of helping students use AI "in appropriate, thoughtful, and responsible ways"
  • Laura Dumin, Unversity of Central Oklahoma
  • Chad Davis, Nebraska Public Media: Concerns about AI potentially causing job displacement similar to factory workers in the 1980s-90s
  • The enduring importance of human networks, trust, and kindness

Conclusion

• Unlike Dr. Frankenstein, educators cannot abandon their creation
• The need to guide AI to ensure it serves human flourishing
• A call for continued conversation about AI's role in education

 

This podcast was supported by the AI Advisory Council at Florida State College at Jacksonville, and it was written and produced by Sarah Stuart and the college's Digital Multimedia Productions, especially Mark Hubbard and Curtis Wucker. A special thanks to all of the students, faculty, and staff who shared their experiences in this episode. Please email [email protected] with questions, comments, and feedback or leave a comment below! 

 

Episode artwork: ChatGPT-generated image

 

 

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