Jonathan Keiser, associate vice president for AI enablement and innovation and chief academic technology officer at the University of St. Thomas, spoke with WCCO Radio host Vineeta Sawkar about how colleges are responding to artificial intelligence, including classroom policies, faculty guidance and preparing students for an AI-enabled workforce.
From the conversation:
Sawkar: Jonathan, congratulations on this position. I am fascinated by it, and I know colleges are contending with AI. This must be a really big challenge as you embark on this work.
Keiser: Good morning, Vineeta. Thank you for having me. Yes, it is definitely a challenge. Across the entire higher education sector, faculty are being asked to think differently about their curriculum. We have always asked students to write and to develop their thinking and critical thinking skills in order to assess knowledge. AI complicates that. So we are really having to rethink how we prepare students for the first rung of their career ladder.
Sawkar: That is so true. My daughter has already graduated from college, but during a group project, her group got in trouble because one person used AI without telling the others. They all ended up getting a failing grade even though they pushed back. Some professors allow AI and others do not. Is your role to set a standard? How will you move forward with that?
Keiser: We have suggested policies for every course, and we highly recommend, and actually require, that every syllabus use a traffic light method. Red light means no AI use at all. Yellow light means limited use, such as brainstorming ideas or editing a paper. Green light means students are free to use AI in any capacity.
But a more thoughtful approach is integrating AI directly into the curriculum. Faculty can require students to use AI because these are the skill sets employers are looking for. Students need to learn how to evaluate AI output, think critically about it, and consider ethical implications. It is not as simple as banning it. It needs to be integrated thoughtfully so it supports learning rather than undermines it.
Sawkar: I think that is fantastic. I really like the green light, yellow light, red light approach. You will also have faculty status, with about 30% of your time dedicated to the classroom, preparing students for an AI-enabled future. What does that look like? What will you be teaching and sharing with students as they enter the workforce?
Keiser: I am developing a course now that will launch in February as part of our new Master of AI Leadership program. We have two graduate programs. One is a Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence, which is a technical program focused on building AI systems. The other is a Master of Arts in AI Leadership, which launched this fall. …