AI Ad-Hoc Committee Meeting 

Thursday, May 29, 2025, 3pm

Room C333 

Minutes: 

Present: Anthony Iantosca, James Pacello, Rachel Ihara, Steven Amarnick, Carmen Echerri, John Raymond, Nicole Colbert, Monica Filimon 

We started by discussing how we see our teaching practices change as AI develops further: 

–in-class activities are important: they engage students in direct interaction with the printed text; they allow for an accurate assessment of student learning 

–should we re-assess teaching practices? 

Some argued we will have to reconsider what we teach (what skills we are looking for in our students), how we teach it, and how we assess teaching (given the apparent widespread of academic cheating involving AI). 

Others wanted to explore the question more (AI may not prove as destabilizing as predicted; in fact, it could help both students and instructors to avoid formulaic writing, for example). 

Still others suggested that in the long run we may place increasing emphasis on literacy and reading. 

–our assessment practices may change: we may veer toward more oral presentations or (multimedia) projects. However, the process-oriented assessment we use now may still prove useful in the long-run. 

–what is it about AI and its use that contributes to deterministic discourse? Why do we reflexively assume that because it exists, it must be used, developed, engaged? 

We also discussed several teaching goals that may prove essential in the long run, such as developing students’ motivation/engagement, attention, critical thinking, and capacity for self-reflection. 

The valuable point was made that we still have to decide what skills we want students to develop, how we want to assess those skills, and only then can we decide the role of AI in all of that. Once the parameters are decided on what the role of AI is in that process, it may be possible to safely incorporate it into class. 

This discussion was followed by MF’s presentation of her approach to using AI in class ( 

both in async and in-person classes). 

We discussed the need for a workshop/course on AI literacy for faculty as well as possible issues we may raise in the fall, at one of our department meetings. 

We decided to consider such issues at a future fall meeting of the AI ad-hoc committee. That meeting was set for 3:00pm, Thursday, September 18; James Pacello will organize that meeting.