Academic Technology Specialist Dr. Victoria Chen, research assistants aim to enlighten the university’s community about AI usage
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Welcome to the latest frontier in technology: artificial intelligence (AI). With its rapid development and expanding usage, there are plenty of myths and misconceptions that come with AI. But there’s a group at the University of Guelph-Humber (U of GH) that wants to alleviate your concerns and hesitations about using these tools.
The AI Hub is here to inform the school community about artificial intelligence, including novel applications, ethical and responsible uses, and answering students’ and staff’s burning questions at a booth set up in the building’s atrium periodically, with a different theme each session. The group is comprised of founder Dr. Victoria Chen, U of GH Academic Technology Specialist, and two research assistants (RAs), Ashnaa Narumathan and Siobhan O'Donoghue.
“The topic of AI can feel scary for anybody, but it's important to realize that it is a part of our future and it's something that we have to get comfortable with being as a part of our lives,” fourth-year Kinesiology student and AI Hub RA Ashnaa Narumathan said, as the number of AI tools students have access to is exponentially surging (there’s even one that helps with note-taking). “Taking that extra step to learn [is important] because I think that using it can make your learning experience more valuable and make it more enriching.”
The idea for the AI Hub sparked in the winter of 2023, when Dr. Chen conducted a survey about this technology, and many students responded that they felt confused about using AI and indicated that they’d never use it, or that they even fear it.
“I don't want students graduating or going into a job thinking, 'my school was AI-free. I never used AI.' I want them to be able to have that knowledge,” Dr. Chen said, wanting to arm students with the confidence they need to enter a job market and world increasingly relying on AI.
Over the 2023-2024 academic year, Dr. Chen and the Community of Practice Teaching and Learning focused on creating opportunities for instructors and staff to reduce misconceptions around AI and integrate authentic learning practices into their teaching and work through interactive events and podcasts. In the fall of 2024, she received a grant to help further reach the U of GH population, specifically the students – hence, the AI Hub was born.
By setting up a booth in the atrium, an area at U of GH where there’s ample foot traffic, Dr. Chen wanted the AI Hub to feel approachable to students.
Some topics they cover at their booth include myths and facts about AI, as shown in the video above, and how to use Microsoft’s Copilot AI. For instance, the AI Hub demonstrated how to use Copilot to aid in finding the perfect gift for a loved one for the holidays, with students providing a description of the person, their likes and dislikes, and a budget. The activity showcased the importance of using descriptive prompts to generate useful responses and ease of using the tool.
Asked about what she wants students to take away from visiting the booth, fourth-year Media & Communication Studies student and RA Siobhan O'Donoghue said: “You can use AI properly and for good. You're not copying and pasting [generated] text out of AI; that's not what we're encouraging here. We're trying to encourage the ethical practices of using it because it's such a beneficial tool that we have in post-secondary nowadays. I just really hope that students learn how to properly use it and learn all the different abilities that AI has.”
Narumathan, who’s applying to a Master’s program looking at how patient care outcomes can be improved by using AI to diagnose people, said she wants students to “learn how to use this cutting-edge technology before it becomes a total norm in our society.”
Along with highlighting AI tools, the RAs also provide resources on AI for students, instructors, and staff such as the online module “AI, Algorithms & You” developed by U of GH and Humber Polytechnic’s Library Services to introduce students to the basics of algorithms and AI tools, while emphasizing their ethical and responsible use.
Curious to learn more about AI? The AI Hub is tabling in the atrium from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesdays in January, for two weeks in February, and for two weeks in March.