AN ETHICS EXPERT’S PERSPECTIVE ON AI AND HIGHER ED; Pace University, September 3, 2024

 Johnni Medina, Pace University; AN ETHICS EXPERT’S PERSPECTIVE ON AI AND HIGHER ED

"As a scholar deeply immersed in both technology and philosophy, James Brusseau, PhD, has spent years unraveling the complex ethics of artificial intelligence (AI).

“As it happens, I was a physics major in college, so I've had an abiding interest in technology, but I finally decided to study philosophy,” Brusseau explains. “And I did not see much of an intersection between the scientific and my interest in philosophy until all of a sudden artificial intelligence landed in our midst with questions that are very philosophical.”.

Some of these questions are heavy, with Brusseau positing an example, “If a machine acts just like a person, does it become a person?” But AI’s implications extend far beyond the theoretical, especially when it comes to the impact on education, learning, and career outcomes. What role does AI play in higher education? Is it a tool that enhances learning, or does it risk undermining it? And how do universities prepare students for an AI-driven world?

In a conversation that spans these topics, Brusseau shares his insights on the place of AI in higher education, its benefits, its risks, and what the future holds...

I think that if AI alone is the professor, then the knowledge students get will be imperfect in the same vaguely definable way that AI art is imperfect."

More Art School Classes Are Teaching AI This Fall Despite Ethical Concerns and Ongoing Lawsuits; Artnews, August 30, 2024

KAREN K. HO, Artnews ; More Art School Classes Are Teaching AI This Fall Despite Ethical Concerns and Ongoing Lawsuits

"When undergraduate students return to the Ringling College of Art and Design this fall, one of the school’s newest offerings will be an AI certificate. 

Ringling is just the latest of several top art schools to offer undergraduate students courses that focus on or integrate artificial intelligence tools and techniques.

ARTnews spoke to experts and faculty at Ringling, Rhode Island School of Design(RISD), Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), and Florida State University about how they construct curriculum; how they teach AI in consideration of its limitations and concerns about ethics and legal issues; as well as why they think it’s important for artists to learn."

Here’s my AI policy for students: I don’t have one; The Washington Post, August 29, 2023

Jonathan Zimmerman , The Washington Post; Here’s my AI policy for students: I don’t have one

"Most of all, I want you to decide what is real."

Local universities prepared to teach ethics of using generative AI; Rochester Business Journal, August 15, 2023

 Caurie Putnam, Rochester Business Journal; Local universities prepared to teach ethics of using generative AI

"How are local schools handling these platforms that have the potential to produce human-like AI-generated content like essays based on the input of the user? You may be surprised."

How book-banning campaigns have changed the lives and education of librarians – they now need to learn how to plan for safety and legally protect themselves; The Conversation, July 20, 2023

Nicole A. Cooke Baker Endowed Chair and Professor of Library and Information Science, University of South Carolina, The Conversation ; ; How book-banning campaigns have changed the lives and education of librarians – they now need to learn how to plan for safety and legally protect themselves

"Library professionals maintain that books are what education scholar Rudine Sims Bishop called the “mirrors, windows and sliding glass doors” that allow readers to learn about themselves and others and gain empathy for those who are different from them. 

The drive to challenge, ban or censor books has not only changed the lives of librarians across the nation. It’s also changing the way librarians are now educated to enter the profession. As a library school educator, I hear the anecdotes, questions and concerns from library workers who are on the front lines of the current fight and are not sure how to react or respond. 

What once, and still is, a curriculum that includes book selection, program planning and serving diverse communities in the classroom, my faculty colleagues and I are now expanding to include discussions and resources on how students, once they become professional librarians, can physically, legally and financially protect themselves and their organizations."

Minnesota colleges grappling with ethics and potential benefits of ChatGPT; Star Tribune, August 6, 2023

Hannah Pinski , Star Tribune ; Minnesota colleges grappling with ethics and potential benefits of ChatGPT

"While some Minnesota academics are concerned about students using ChatGPT to cheat, others are trying to figure out the best way to teach and use the tool in the classroom.

"The tricky thing about this is that you've got this single tool that can be used very much unethically in an educational setting," said Darin Ulness, a chemistry professor at Concordia College in Moorhead. "But at the same time, it can be such a valuable tool that we can't not use it.""

At UChicago, a Debate Over Free Speech and Cyber Bullying; The New York Times, July 3, 2023

Vimal Patel, The New York Times ; At UChicago, a Debate Over Free Speech and Cyber Bullying

"Mary Anne Franks, a University of Miami law professor who studies civil rights and technology, said that universities should pay more attention to the intimidation of faculty members.

Cyberbullying “is much more intentional, vicious and threatening to a person than someone shouting unpleasant things to a person during a talk,” she said, adding that Mr. Schmidt’s behavior “was very much calculated to generate exactly the reaction that it did.”"

Register for ‘Ethics, Institutional Review Boards and Scholarly Activities: Pitfalls and Parapets’; WV Mountaineer ENews, March 7, 2023

WV Mountaineer ENews; Register for ‘Ethics, Institutional Review Boards and Scholarly Activities: Pitfalls and Parapets’

"All faculty are invited to attend the WVU Health Sciences Center Faculty Development Program presentation “Ethics, Institutional Review Boards and Scholarly Activities: Pitfalls and Parapets” from noon to 1 p.m. on March 14.

The presenter is Steve Davis, associate professor in the Department of Health Policy, Management and Leadership.

To register by noon on March 13, contact HSCfacultydevelopment@hsc.wvu.edu. Make sure to include the date and title of this presentation in your email. 

Registration is required to receive the Zoom access code. Access information will be sent to participants the day prior to the session. Please do not share the Zoom code."

Alarmed by A.I. Chatbots, Universities Start Revamping How They Teach; The New York Times, January 16, 2023

Kalley Huang, The New York Times ; Alarmed by A.I. Chatbots, Universities Start Revamping How They Teach

"In higher education, colleges and universities have been reluctant to ban the A.I. tool because administrators doubt the move would be effective and they don’t want to infringe on academic freedom. That means the way people teach is changing instead."

Ethics Hotline available to Ohio University employees; Ohio University, Ohio News, December 5, 2022

Ohio University, Ohio News; Ethics Hotline available to Ohio University employees

"The following message was shared with Ohio University faculty and staff on Monday, Dec. 5, 2022

Dear Ohio University employees,

Promoting a responsible and ethical workplace is everyone’s responsibility. For more than 16 years, Ohio University has demonstrated its commitment to this principle by contracting with EthicsPoint® to provide the Ohio University Ethics Hotline. The hotline can be used to report concerns of fraud, waste, abuse, or non-compliance with regulations or University policies—anonymously if so desired. This process is managed by the Office of Audit, Risk, and Compliance, and additional information can be found on the Office’s website(opens in a new window). 

Members of the University community may submit an anonymous report one of two ways: through a toll-free number or through a web-intake process on any computer or mobile device. Reports made to the hotline—via phone or website—are triaged and responded to by anonymous dialogue between the reporter, Audit, Legal Affairs, or the University representative who can most appropriately respond to the concern.

The University encourages employees to report concerns through normal lines of communication, such as to a supervisor or to an office or individual whose responsibility it is to handle such reports. However, when employees are uncomfortable doing so, the hotline offers an alternative for filing concerns anonymously. The University prohibits retaliation against an individual who in good faith reports concerns or provides information about suspected University-related misconduct, whether reported through normal channels or through the hotline. 

If you have concerns about possible fraud, waste, abuse of University assets, or other compliance or regulatory issues, you can file a report from any computer or mobile device on the Ohio University Ethics Hotline(opens in a new window), or by calling EthicsPoint toll-free at (866) 294-9591. 

While investigations are conducted in a highly confidential manner, it should be noted that records generated during an investigation may be subject to disclosure in accordance with applicable laws, including Ohio’s Public Records Act. The University is also required by Ohio law to make the University community aware of an additional fraud hotline maintained by the Ohio Auditor of State. This additional hotline resource is available by calling (866) 372-8364. 

Thank you for doing your part in creating an open and ethical culture here at Ohio University. 

Marion L. Candrea
Chief Audit Executive"

Texas A&M Weighs Sweeping Changes to Library; Inside Higher Ed, May 16, 2022

Josh Moody, Inside Higher Ed; Texas A&M Weighs Sweeping Changes to Library

"The Texas A&M University system is working on a plan that would make sweeping changes across its 10 libraries. Those changes, still being discussed, would include asking librarians to relinquish tenure or transfer to another academic department to keep it.

The plan grew out of recommendations from MGT Consulting, which Texas A&M hired in June 2021 “to conduct a high-level, comprehensive review of major functional areas,” according to a company report. But as administrators have suggested additional changes, including to employee classification, faculty members have pushed back, arguing that proposed structural changes to the library system will do more harm than good.

They are especially concerned about a proposal that would end tenure for librarians. Experts note that tenure for librarians, which is somewhat common in academia, though not universal, can be crucial for academic freedom, especially in a political environment in which librarians are under fire."

Head of nation’s largest 4-year university system resigns under fire; Politico, February 17, 2022

CHRIS RAMIREZ, Politico; Head of nation’s largest 4-year university system resigns under fire

"Three weeks before Castro was named chancellor in September 2020, Castro and Lamas entered a settlement agreement that barred Lamas from working for CSU. In return, Lamas was guaranteed $260,000, full benefits and a letter of recommendation from Castro to any other college jobs Lamas applied for, USA Today reported.

Castro apologized in an open letter to students and faculty at Cal State, saying he regretted offering Lamas the letter of recommendation. He added that Lamas was removed from campus immediately after a formal Title IX claim was filed against Lamas in 2019.

A growing number of faculty and state lawmakers had been calling for an investigation, outraged at the report. 

Such behavior happens “all the time,” CFA North Associate Vice President Meghan O’Donnell said in an interview Thursday. “It’s important for us to recognize that this is systemic,” she said, “and part of the problem is the fact that we have very little transparency or public input into the hiring of these senior level administrators.”...

The CSU also announced it will begin an initiative to “bring CSU to the forefront of Title IX innovation, accountability and response.”"

Harvard’s Epstein corruption deserves a full airing — even amid a pandemic; The Washington Post, May 4, 2020

Charles Lane, The Washington Post; Harvard’s Epstein corruption deserves a full airing — even amid a pandemic

[Kip Currier: Fortuitous to see this story -- and the call for this "cautionary" real world case study to be investigated  -- as I’ve included this as a case study in the syllabus for my new graduate course, The Information Professional in the Community, launching next week.

In one of the course’s weekly units, we'll be exploring Harvard's deeply concerning ties to the late disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein and, in columnist Charles Lane's parlance, "the cutting of ethical corners", within the broader context of critically examining Fiscal Considerations, Legal/Ethical/Policy Issues, and Risk Management in Collaborations and Partnerships.] 

"Such grotesque money-grubbing at the pinnacle of U.S. academia — a school, to be sure, that has positioned itself an ethical leader, especially in the movement against sexual assault and gender bias on campus — deserves a full airing, even amid the novel coronavirus pandemic...

It joins a lengthening list of cautionary tales of fundraising excess, such as the admissions-for-cash episode involving athletic teams at Yale, Stanford, the University of California at Los Angeles, the University of Southern California and Georgetown, among others...

The need for cash is probably at or near an all-time high, and so is the risk, reputational and otherwise, of cutting ethical corners to raise it.

Professors and administrators can ill afford the moral arrogance that characterized the dealings of some at Harvard with Epstein, or their sloppiness, or their cluelessness...

Not everyone at Harvard — much less everyone in higher ed — is to blame for this sorry episode. Every college and university can learn from it."

How is an academic CV different from a résumé?; The Washington Post, October 22, 2019

Daniel W. Drezner, The Washington Post; How is an academic CV different from a résumé?

"During the weekend, the Chronicle of Higher Education’s Megan Zahneis wrote up Phillips’s study, noting some possible concerns: “While it has popped up in a few high-profile cases, CV falsification is an instance of academic misconduct that might not make as many headlines as fudging data or plagiarism. But the difficulty of detecting it could make it all the more insidious.” Indeed, the grad students who did the coding for Phillips et al. got more and more upset as they proceeded. As Phillips explained to Zahneis, “That’s because most of these were applicants for entry-level positions, which is what they hoped to be applying for someday.""

Fixing Tech’s Ethics Problem Starts in the Classroom; The Nation, February 21, 2019

Stephanie Wykstra, The Nation; Fixing Tech’s Ethics Problem Starts in the Classroom

 

"Casey Fiesler, a faculty member in the Department of Information Science at the University of Colorado Boulder, said that a common model in engineering programs is a stand-alone ethics class, often taught towards the end of a program. But there’s increasingly a consensus among those teaching tech ethics that a better model is to discuss ethical issues alongside technical work. Evan Peck, a computer scientist at Bucknell University, writes that separating ethical from technical material means that students get practice “debating ethical dilemmas…but don’t get to practice formalizing those values into code.” This is a particularly a problem, said Fiesler, if an ethics class is taught by someone from outside a student’s field, and the professors in their computer-science courses rarely mention ethical issues. On the other hand, classes focused squarely on the ethics of technology allow students to dig deeply into complicated questions. “I think the best solution is to do both…but if you can’t do both, incorporating [ethics material into regular coursework] is the best option,” Fiesler said."

 

Some students, faculty remain uneasy about CMU's Army AI Task Force; The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, February 18, 2019

Courtney Linder, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Some students, faculty remain uneasy about CMU's Army AI Task Force

"Earlier this month, the Artificial Intelligence Task Force was introduced at the National Robotics Engineering Center. It’s meant as a hub for universities and private-industry partners to conduct research on AI in military applications.

While those on campus recognize CMU’s storied history with the U.S. Department of Defense — including contracting with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) on a regular basis and the hundreds of millions of defense dollars flowing into the university’s Software Engineering Institute — critics say they wish they had more information on this new work with the Army.

“We’re concerned that [the university] didn’t ask for any campus input or announce it,” said Wilson Ekern, a sophomore studying technical writing and German. “There’s a pretty big effort to get engineering and computer science students plugged into this military industrial complex.”

 His sentiments come at a time when Silicon Valley and the tech industry, at large, are toeing a gray line between creating useful innovations for defense and civilian protection and producing autonomous weapons with the potential to kill."

University Data Science Programs Turn to Ethics and the Humanities; EdSurge, January 11, 2019

Sydney Johnson, EdSurge; University Data Science Programs Turn to Ethics and the Humanities 

 

"These days a growing number of people are concerned with bringing more talk of ethics into technology. One question is whether that will bring change to data-science curricula...

“You don't just throw algorithms at data. You need to look at it, understand how it was collected, and ask yourself: ‘How can I be responsible with the data and the people from which it came?’” says Cathryn Carson, a UC Berkeley historian with a background in physics who steered the committee tasked with designing the schools’ data-science curriculum.

The new division goes a step further than adding an ethics course to an existing program. “Computer science has been trying to catch up with the ethical implications of what they are already doing,” Carson says. “Data science has this built in from the start, and you’re not trying to retrofit something to insert ethics—it's making it a part of the design principle.”"

 

Colleges Grapple With Teaching the Technology and Ethics of A.I.; The New York Times, November 2, 2018

Alina Tugend, The New York Times;Colleges Grapple With Teaching the Technology and Ethics of A.I.

"At the University of Washington, a new class called “Intelligent Machinery, Identity and Ethics,” is being taught this fall by a team leader at Google and the co-director of the university’s Computational Neuroscience program.

Daniel Grossman, a professor and deputy director of undergraduate studies at the university’s Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering, explained the purpose this way:

The course “aims to get at the big ethical questions we’ll be facing, not just in the next year or two but in the next decade or two.”

David Danks, a professor of philosophy and psychology at Carnegie Mellon, just started teaching a class, “A.I, Society and Humanity.” The class is an outgrowth of faculty coming together over the past three years to create shared research projects, he said, because students need to learn from both those who are trained in the technology and those who are trained in asking ethical questions.

“The key is to make sure they have the opportunities to really explore the ways technology can have an impact — to think how this will affect people in poorer communities or how it can be abused,” he said."

Can Higher Education Make Silicon Valley More Ethical?; Chronicle of Higher Education, March 14, 2018

Nell Gluckman, Chronicle of Higher Education; Can Higher Education Make Silicon Valley More Ethical?

"Jim Malazita, an assistant professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, hopes to infuse ethics lessons into core computer-science courses."...

"Q. You mentioned you’ve been getting some pushback.

A. I’ve had to do a lot of social work with computer-science faculty. The faculty were like, This sounds cool, but will they still be able to move on in computer science? We’re using different, messier data sets. Will they still understand the formal aspects of computing?

Q. What do you tell faculty members to convince them that this is a good use of your students’ time?

A. I use a couple of strategies that sometimes work, sometimes don’t. It’s surprisingly important to talk about my own technical expertise. I only moved into social science and humanities as a Ph.D. student. As an undergraduate, my degree was in digital media design. So you can trust me with this content.

It’s helpful to also cast it in terms of helping women and underrepresented-minority retention in computer science. These questions have an impact on all students, but especially women and underrepresented minorities who are used to having their voices marginalized. The faculty want those numbers up."

University of Chicago Strikes Back Against Campus Political Correctness; New York Times, 8/26/16

Richard Perez-Pena, Mitch Smith, Stephanie Saul, New York Times; University of Chicago Strikes Back Against Campus Political Correctness:

"Last year, a faculty Committee on Freedom of Expression, appointed by Dr. Zimmer and headed by Professor Stone, produced a report stating that “it is not the proper role of the university to attempt to shield individuals from ideas and opinions they find unwelcome, disagreeable, or even deeply offensive.”...

Many academics say the concerns reflected in the University of Chicago letter, while real, are overblown. “I asked faculty if any had ever been asked to give trigger warnings,” said Dr. Roth, of Wesleyan. “I think one person said they had.”

There often seems to be a generational divide on campus speech — young people demanding greater sensitivity, and their elders telling them to get thicker skins — but a survey by the Knight Foundation and Gallup gives a murkier picture. It found that 78 percent of college students said they preferred a campus “where students are exposed to all types of speech and viewpoints,” including offensive and biased speech, over a campus where such speech is prohibited. Students were actually more likely to give that response than adults generally.

But when asked specifically about “slurs and other language on campus that is intentionally offensive to certain groups,” 69 percent of college students said that colleges should be allowed to impose restrictions on such expression."