By Stokes Schwartz (CISAH), in collaboration with Microsoft Copilot
This Spring, the Center for Integrative Studies in the Arts and Humanities (CISAH) embarked on an exciting journey, presenting a series of workshops on artificial intelligence in a general education context. The advance queries, participant turnout at each of the four events, and post-workshop feedback showed just how much interest there is among those of us who work closely with MSU students.
We kicked off the series at the end of January with a keynote workshop led by educator, author, and creator Trevor Muir. Trevor shared practical ways that Integrative Studies faculty can help students develop AI literacy as part of their coursework. He emphasized that AI is here to stay, making it crucial for us to teach students about its ethical, transparent, and responsible use in their assignments.
In late February, we hosted another workshop featuring guests from the Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and Cultures (WRAC) Mike Ristich and Lorelei Blackburn, along with MSU Life Sciences Librarian Jodi Coalter. They joined CISAH faculty member Stokes Schwartz to share their current AI policies, practices, and examples of how they ask students to utilize AI. A recurring theme was the importance of students letting their own voices shine through in their work rather than rely solely on artificial intelligence.
At the end of March, CISAH faculty member Julie Koehler led a third workshop, providing concrete guidance on how faculty might update existing assignments in the age of AI. Julie highlighted practical examples and helped attendees consider how to adapt their Integrative Studies course requirements, descriptions, and rubrics to make them more AI-resilient.
Finally, in early April, CISAH Director Garth Sabo led the concluding workshop of the series, where we explored the limitations of artificial intelligence. This session highlighted learning, ethical, and accessibility concerns and how these might impact the ways in which Integrative Studies faculty embrace or limit AI use by their students.
The topic is vast, and our opinions varied, but regardless of one’s point of view, artificial intelligence will continue to challenge teaching faculty as it evolves. The Center for Integrative Studies in the Arts and Humanities will remain at the forefront of this discussion and continue organizing similar workshops to help faculty across MSU navigate the complexities introduced by the technology to our course and classroom activities. Stay tuned for more updates!