uOttawa TI | IT reposted this
This week, I had the opportunity to speak at the University of Ottawa Generative AI Symposium organized by uOttawa SAEA | TLSS and uOttawa TI | IT. My talk focused on AI Literacy and Competency in higher education: I shared examples from my own teaching practice, particularly how constructionist learning has helped me embed Generative AI into my courses in meaningful ways. I also spoke about how Gen AI has improved my own teaching workflow, from course design to student engagement. One of the key themes I discussed was how we are still in a phase of experimentation and learning – figuring out how to adapt our teaching while addressing challenges like overreliance on AI tools, academic integrity, equitable access, bias, intellectual property concerns, and even the potential for social isolation when using Generative AI. What made this event particularly meaningful was the engagement from such a diverse group – faculty colleagues, librarians, industry partners, instructional designers, and IT staff. The librarians, in particular, asked fantastic questions and shared insightful advice, while industry partners spoke about how universities can evolve in response to these shifts. I also referenced UNESCO’s 3 Cs for AI Adoption: Care, Creativity, and Capacity, and this event was a great example of how we can organically build capacity and foster creativity in our institutions. Grateful to the organizers for bringing together such a thoughtful and engaged group. We need more of these conversations! #AIinEducation #AILiteracy #HigherEd #TeachingAndLearning #GenerativeAI