2024 North Carolina PKAL Regional Network Meeting
Artificial Intelligence in Undergraduate STEM Education
A Virtual Event Hosted by North Carolina Central University and Wake Technical Community College
April 12, 2024
–
Virtual Meeting
Description
Project Kaleidoscope is AAC&U’s center of STEM higher education reform initiatives, dedicated to empowering all STEM faculty and administrators to graduate more students who are competitively trained in STEM disciplines and liberally educated for an increasingly technologically-based world. The PKAL Regional Networks provide low-cost, effective professional development opportunities for STEM faculty and administrators to foster a caring community, explore and advance modern undergraduate STEM pedagogies, disseminate findings from undergraduate STEM research and practice, and promote STEM faculty career advancement.
As we look at the undergraduate STEM education landscape, one of the major disruptors is artificial intelligence. This meeting offers practical applications and implications for AI both in and out of the STEM classroom. This meeting intentionally incorporates networking time to discuss ideas with presenters and participants. Whether you are an AI novice, skeptic, or expert, you will find relevant information at this meeting.
Call For Proposals
STEM faculty and administrators from public and private 2- and 4-year higher education institutions are invited to submit proposals for the 2024 NC PKAL Regional Network Meeting. We encourage proposals that directly align with one of our meeting themes. However, we also welcome related proposals that extend beyond the classroom to policy, institutional practice, admissions, or other relevant areas.
Meeting themes include the following:
(1) Defining AI & what it means for undergraduate STEM education
(2) Practical applications, interventions, and evidenced-based examples of transformed or new assessments/assignments using AI
(3) Policy, institutional practice, admissions, or other relevant areas where AI impacts undergraduate STEM education
While we encourage data-driven (qualitative and quantitative) proposals, we also recognize that AI in undergraduate STEM education is a blossoming field. Thus, we will also consider proposals that focus on philosophical questions, theory advancement, evaluation and development of measures, reviews, and secondary data analysis. These proposals, in particular, should offer unique contributions to the current body of research and practice.
When submitting, you can select your preference for presentation format. Please note that there are no guarantees based on preference. Final programming decisions will be made based on the alignment of your proposal with the conference theme. In general, we encourage all types of presentations; however, presentations that demonstrate evidence for efficacy in the abstract will be more favorably considered for this type of presentation.
PRESENTATION FORMAT 1: SPARK TALK
Spark Talks are short, 5-minute talks aimed at sharing a quick, insightful, and engaging idea, data, intervention, or activity. Presenters should allow up to 2 minutes for audience questions. Speakers may use up to 5 slides. Please note that the deadline to submit presentation slides is April 5th.
PRESENTATION FORMAT 2: POSTER
Poster presentations include a single slide that summarizes your idea, data, intervention, or activity. Presenters will have 30 minutes to discuss their posters with participants and answer questions. Please note that the deadline to submit posters is April 5th.
Call For Proposals Submission
The proposal submission date is MARCH 15, 2024 by 11:59 PM.
Important Dates To Remember
Call for proposals opens.
Registration opens.
Call for proposals closes.
Notices of acceptance released.
Registration closes. Deadline to upload posters/lightning talk slides.
NC PKAL Regional Network Meeting occurs.
Registration
Click below to register for the meeting. The deadline to register is March 22, 2024.
| TYPE | BENEFITS | PRICE |
|---|---|---|
| Faculty and Administration | $60 CLICK TO REGISTER
| |
| Graduate Students | $25 CLICK TO REGISTER
|
Meeting Highlights
Keynote Speaker
Sambit Bhattacharya, Ph.D.
Professor of Computer Science & Director of the Intelligent Systems Lab
Department of Mathematics & Computer Science
Fayetteville State University
Efficacy of Artificial Intelligence Applications in STEM Education
Artificial intelligence (AI) has been integrated into educational practices for some time, yet the emergence of generative AI has rapidly increased the impact of AI on education's trajectory, especially since the release of ChatGPT in November 2022. This development, along with subsequent generative AI technologies, has sparked interest among educators and students regarding the application of these tools, while also raising concerns about potential misuses. Generative AI refers to advanced AI systems capable of creating text, images, audio, video, and code by learning from vast datasets. When prompted by a user, these models generate unique responses by drawing upon patterns found in data processed training algorithms. Each generated output, although novel, is derived from the model's extensive analysis of its training data, reshaped into a response that aligns with the user's input. The rapid spread of generative AI has been extraordinary, surpassing the adoption rate of any previous technological advancement. The integration and utilization of generative AI tools are fast becoming a norm, with businesses and higher education institutions anticipating that students will be proficient in generative AI applications.
In this presentation the speaker will demystify AI, provide background on the different forms of AI including generative AI, and will cover current and potential applications of AI in the realm of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education. The speaker will seek to elucidate what AI encompasses within STEM fields and to showcase faculty-driven examples of how AI has transformed traditional pedagogical assessments and facilitated the creation of new, AI-sensitive assignments. Some case studies where faculty members have successfully integrated AI into their curriculum will be discussed. These examples include the use of AI for customizing student assessments, providing real-time feedback, and creating dynamic assignment parameters that adapt to student performance, and content about AI that infuses AI into non-computing curricula. The speaker will discuss the use of AI-driven tools to complete some common tasks that you expect your students to do. Some examples of using AI tools will include explaining or illustrating an important course concept, selecting a good research question, solving a practice problem, or drafting code, creating multimedia presentations that explain key concepts.
Workshop Facilitator
Aaron Trocki, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Mathematics
Elon University
Strategies for Incorporating Generative AI into Undergraduate STEM Teaching and Learning
The recent availability of generative AI chatbots such as ChatGPT has changed the way students can approach academics. In response, institutes of higher learning have developed statements meant to guide users of AI toward ethical and productive ends. An overarching concern on behalf of faculty is that AI will do things they would expect students to do on their own. In this workshop, we will learn about a framework for incorporating generative AI into undergraduate STEM teaching and learning. We will also examine student feedback on a college-level writing assignment in STEM that purposefully infused prompt engineering in ChatGPT. We will then collaborate to adapt and design assignments and assessments that incorporate student use of AI chatbots. Finally, we will gain actionable strategies for transforming STEM teaching and learning with this emerging technology.
North Carolina PKAL Regional Meeting Hosts
Your hosts for this meeting are Drs. Gail Hollowell (Associate Professor, North Carolina Central University) and Jackie Swanik (Associate Dean, Wake Technical Community College). For more information about the meeting, please contact them directly.
Dr. Gail Hollowell
[email protected]
Dr. Jackie Swanik,
[email protected]