29 August 2024
In 2023, Arizona State University (ASU) announced a groundbreaking partnership with OpenAI, signalling a bold step towards integrating artificial intelligence into the fabric of education. This collaboration aims to harness the power of technology to deliver lifelong learning and drive human potential on a global scale. The partnership has already resulted in over 200 innovative projects, highlighting the transformative potential of AI in education.
To kickstart this initiative, ASU invited faculty and staff to submit proposals on how they could leverage ChatGPT in their respective fields. The submissions were encouraged to focus on three key priority areas: supporting teaching and learning, advancing research for the public good, and enhancing the future of work.
Within weeks, the university received proposals from more than 80% of its schools and colleges, showcasing the widespread interest in integrating AI into academic practices. As a result, over 200 projects were activated across various departments, marking a significant milestone in ASU’s journey towards becoming an AI-driven institution.
One of the standout projects is the ‘AI as a Writing Companion’ initiative, which utilises ChatGPT to support scholarly writing. This project provides students with real-time feedback on their writing, helping them strengthen their arguments and expedite the submission process. By acting as a virtual writing assistant, ChatGPT is empowering students to achieve academic success while also easing the workload of faculty.
Another innovative project involves ‘Sam,’ a chatbot powered by ChatGPT, designed to assist students in the College of Health Solutions. Sam engages students in role-based conversations, helping them practice patient-provider interactions. Clinical Professor Colleen Cordes, who oversees this project, praised the bot for its ability to facilitate authentic practice of motivational skills. She also noted that the transcripts generated by ChatGPT Enterprise made it significantly easier to provide qualitative feedback, streamlining the grading process.
PhD student Amber Hedquist explored the ethical dimensions of AI by examining how ChatGPT can support effective and ethical participant recruitment for research studies. Her work highlights how AI ensures that recruitment materials are accessible, avoiding scientific jargon while clearly communicating the opportunities available to participants.
As AI continues to reshape the landscape of education at ASU, the university remains committed to protecting the privacy of its faculty and students. Lev Gonick, ASU’s Chief Information Officer, emphasised the importance of maintaining privacy and security in the age of AI. “The introduction of OpenAI’s product for education, in the form of ChatGPT Edu, was enormously important,” Gonick said. “It helps us protect our student privacy, protect our research output which is our intellectual property, and supports our security requirements, whether that’s in the research or in the teaching and learning environments. And that is something that every CIO—and every university president—needs to be mindful of.”
