AI Principles & Practices, a series of interactive sessions supported by a Draw Down the Lightning Grant, aims to enhance faculty and staff skills by introducing platforms and technologies supported at Penn.
The collaboration, explains Jaron Rhodes, a co-lead on the project and director of communications for ISC, came about when the three institutions at Penn realized they were all working in the AI space, though from different standpoints.
“When the Lightning Grants came along, it was a perfect opportunity for us to partner and provide even more value to campus,” says Rhodes. “We feel generative AI tools are poised to impact everything at Penn and we want to make sure there are equitable training options for everyone, because there are dozens of schools and centers around campus with different needs and functions.”
The agreed-upon approach, he says, was to develop live interactive training—leveraging digital literacy and curriculum-building skills from Penn Libraries and CETLI—that goes beyond common offerings from learning platforms like LinkedIn Learning. In the three sessions, “AI Essentials,” “AI in the Classroom,” and “AI in the Workplace,” participants will have the opportunity to experiment with the recommended tools.
Rachel Hoke, associate director of technology and pedagogy at CETLI, is leading the AI in the Classroom sessions and plans to have participants develop a project on their own, designed to build literacy and encourage faculty to think about when it’s appropriate to incorporate AI in their courses and how to apply it.
“They’ll actually be able to take on the role of a student, and I’ll be guiding them through some activities where they’ll use an AI tool to see how it would perform if a student tried to use it to get started with research,” Hoke says.
The idea, she adds, is to stress “literacy skills through assignments that relate to their discipline, rather than setting a blanket AI policy.”
Those who wish to begin from a true AI starting line are encouraged to look to the “AI Essentials” offering, which provides a foundational understanding of generative AI, equipping attendees with the confidence to recognize when its use is effective and appropriate.
“We’re going to make sure that everybody leaves with a very clear understanding of what’s going to allow you to protect yourself and your data,” says Hoke.
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PIK Professor Desmond Upton Patton—of Annenberg and SP2—and collaborators introduce a joy-informed framework designed to initiate conversations among engineers, designers, and researchers.
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Penn receives national distinction for community engagement
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