AAC&U Launches AI Institute for Pedagogy and Curriculum

A new online program from the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), a membership organization for higher education institutions that promotes their democratic purposes, aims to help higher ed leaders adapt their curricula for artificial intelligence.

AAC&U announced last month that it had enlisted 124 institutions to participate in the inaugural Institute on AI, Pedagogy, and the Curriculum, which involves monthly meetings, webinars and mentorships to help participants devise plans for implementing AI into their classrooms and courses. The first cohort started in mid September and will conclude in April.

According to the news release, a faculty member from each participating campus will act as a mentor, offering guidance and being a point person for contact with other institutions. In between monthly virtual events, teams will discuss timely topics of interest and exchange ideas and updates.

Among the participating institutions are Boston University, Indiana State University, Kansas State University, the New York Institute of Technology, San Francisco State University, Texas A&M - San Antonio, the University of Texas at Dallas, the University of Colorado Denver, the University of North Florida, the University System of Georgia, California State University - Fullerton, and the University of California in both Davis and Santa Cruz.

AAC&U’s Vice President for Digital Innovation Edward Watson said in a public statement that the new online institute is an attempt to meet the rapid emergence of generative AI proactively and responsibly.

“AI competencies and literacies are quickly emerging as necessary workforce skills,” Watson’s statement read. “This demands that associated learning outcomes become a part of our curriculum; however, evoking AI into the classroom can create challenges regarding academic integrity and student learning. This institute is designed to help campuses navigate these complexities, engage in curricular and pedagogical reform, and address the array of related concerns associated with AI in higher education, including questions about policies, ethics, and the future of higher learning.”