Preparing Students for an AI-Infused Future: SNU’s Three-Year Journey

The landscape of most career fields has drastically changed since the introduction of artificial intelligence tools. Today’s students will enter AI-driven career fields, and at Southern Nazarene University, we are equipping them for future success.

At SNU, we have been on a three-year journey of introducing, integrating, and infusing AI into the curriculum. While faculty explore the benefits and challenges of AI tools like ChatGPT in education, they are also examining how AI is shaping the careers their students will enter. Our goal has been to educate and equip both faculty and students through open conversations about AI and its place and role in the educational process.

Year One

In the first year of our exploration, faculty workshops were provided, showing how faculty can leverage AI tools to enhance class discussions, course assignments, and the learning experience. Breakout sessions like “ChatGPT for Learning: Prompts to Invite AI to the Discussion” and “ChatGPT and AI Tools: The Professor’s Virtual Assistant” gave faculty hands-on experience with AI tools and integration strategies. We shared sample prompts to help faculty and students use AI tools effectively. The first year focused on exploration and dialogue, ensuring faculty were equipped to navigate AI’s challenges and opportunities in education.

In year one, SNU introduced a university-wide AI syllabus policy. Discussions were held regarding guiding students to use AI appropriately, ethically, and responsibly. We also recognized that AI could be a tool to empower learning and career readiness. To clarify AI’s role, we added an AI policy to all syllabi and encouraged faculty to discuss AI guidelines with students throughout the term.

At the start of our AI policy, a general statement was added to express our posture as an institution toward AI: While the SNU academic community embraces the exploration of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), we value the integrity of the learning process and the discerning use of technologies to advance, not detract, from learning gains. 

Faculty are offered a spectrum of AI Syllabus policy options depending on their course topic, learning objectives, course level, and student population. They make decisions on how AI can be used in their courses, choosing from three policy options: 1) Human Only: Learning Solo (without AI), 2) Human + AI Collaboration: AI Guide on the Side, and 3) Human + AI Integration: AI Partnership. Our goal was to provide clear AI policy options, giving faculty the autonomy to set course-specific expectations.

Year Two

In this second year of our journey, we are piloting courses designed specifically to educate and empower students to navigate a variety of AI tools and AI-infused work processes, including the areas of writing and computer science.

One course being developed is Exploring Generative AI: Writing in the Digital Age, an English elective. Designed by Dr. Gina Weaver, Professor of English and Director of the SNU Honors Program, this course will teach students to better understand the capabilities and limitations of generative AI and how to efficiently, effectively, and ethically leverage generative AI for enhancing writing in various contexts, including academic, professional, and community settings.

“AI brings both challenges and opportunities when it comes to teaching writing,” explains Dr. Weaver.  “Although I believe deeply that students still need to learn the basic steps and to practice the skills of writing and research, once they have those skills in place, using AI tools can allow writers to write more efficiently and effectively.”

“In Exploring Generative AI, we will focus on learning what different writing tools have to offer, at what stages and in what types of writing they can be most helpful, and we will dive into what areas they are weak in, “ she adds.  “Professionals in many fields will be expected to use AI, so it is important that students understand the tools are not ‘magic’ and to understand both the pitfalls as well as the positives generative AI has to offer.”

Another course being developed is Artificial Intelligence: Applications, Ethics, and Society. Designed by Rob Gering, Assistant Professor of Computer Science, this general education course will provide students with an introduction to artificial intelligence and its increasing impact on human society. Students will examine the origins and nature of artificial intelligence, explore the practical impact of AI on their own fields, review ethical considerations for current and potential future AI systems, and discuss the far-reaching impacts of machine intelligence on future human societies.

“As AI continues to shape our world in ways both seen and unseen, students will be encouraged to build a future that promotes human flourishing rather than amplifies harm—and to think carefully about the role they might play in that unfolding story,” explains Gering.

Year Three

In year three of our focused AI journey, we plan to work with academic program leaders to work toward an infusion of AI tools and principles university-wide. As with previous technological and pedagogical advancements, our goal is to seamlessly integrate AI into our curriculum. By the end of year three, AI will be thoroughly infused into our curriculum, helping to ensure that our graduates are AI-literate and career-ready.  

Dr. Mark Winslow, SNU’s Chief Academic Officer, states, “AI will soon be as ubiquitous as the cell phone, an essential tool for every individual. Our goal is to ensure that our graduates are adept at leveraging AI responsibly and ethically, enhancing both their intellectual and professional pursuits.”

Looking Ahead

As we continue this journey, our focus will continue to be preparing students for a rapidly changing workforce. AI-related course offerings and applications will be explored and implemented in the coming years across all academic programs. By embracing AI as a teaching and learning tool and an integral part of future careers, we remain committed to innovation, adaptability, and student success. At SNU, we are equipping students with the knowledge and skills to navigate and shape the future.