Christina Olear and Deborah Ousey, associate teaching professors at Penn State Brandywine, have been selected as faculty leaders for AI-aware instruction. This innovative program supports teaching excellence by fostering a culture of thoughtful experimentation, collaboration, and exploration of AI-aware instructional practices.
The program, supported by the Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence, aims to bring educators together to share successes, challenges, and promising practices as they navigate the opportunities and complexities of artificial intelligence in higher education. Olear and Ousey were recommended for the program by Jennifer Nesbitt, chief academic officer at Penn State Brandywine.
Olear and Ousey have attended conferences, panels, and workshops to learn about emerging best practices for AI in education. Their work has focused on practical classroom applications, as well as important questions surrounding ethics, privacy, safety, academic integrity, and equitable access. They have also conducted faculty surveys to better understand perspectives on AI in the classroom.
AI is reshaping the way people learn, work, and communicate, so higher education has a responsibility to help students engage with it thoughtfully, ethically, and effectively.
"Olear and Ousey emphasize the importance of AI literacy, which includes not only learning how to use AI tools but also understanding their limitations, potential biases, and the importance of protecting personal and academic information. They are examining how AI can expand opportunities for students while being mindful of the risks of widening existing disparities if access, training, privacy protections, and digital literacy are not addressed.
Olear and Ousey look forward to continued collaboration with SITE consultants and peers across the commonwealth as they help foster thoughtful, AI-aware teaching. They are thankful to the Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence and its generous donors for this opportunity.
AI will play an important role in the future of higher education, allowing us to place greater emphasis on higher-level thinking.
"As AI continues to reshape the way people learn, work, and communicate, it is essential for higher education to help students engage with AI thoughtfully, ethically, and effectively. Olear and Ousey’s work embodies this vision, and their selection as faculty leaders for AI-aware instruction is a significant step forward in this endeavor.
