TROY, Ala. (TROJANVISION) — In a world of new technology Troy University professor Shari Hoppin has chosen to embrace AI and use it as a tool, as opposed to banning it completely.
“I use AI in the classroom because AI is being used in the professional world, so when students go out in the professional world we need for you all to be able to function,” Hoppin said.
She gives her students real-world tasks using AI. For example, in one class, her students use AI to write a news release.
“But they tend to lack a human element,” she said. “That’s where we’re going to look at it and say, okay, AI has generated this, but how do we bring what we’ve learned about in class, about persuasion for example, to improve on what the AI has done.”
Hoppin says although AI can be a useful tool, it isn’t perfect. That’s why she thinks it’s so important for students to do their due diligence when using the tool.
“AI tends to hallucinate,” she said. “It’ll make up things, and that’s problematic. You don’t get to say the AI did it; you’re responsible for the work you turn in.”
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Hoppin urges students to talk with their professors about the use of AI in each individual class, and fact check everything.
Talks about AI are also at the forefront for several members of TROY’s leadership.
Over the summer Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Dr. Kerry Palmer and his office sent out what’s being called TROY’s AI Forward Initiative. That guidance encourages faculty to research AI tools including the popular application ChatGPT. It also encouraged teachers to ask AI to create examples, generate images, write case studies and review them.
Among those suggestions was fact checking, which Palmer reminded users that writers are responsible for making sure their content is correct.
Palmer’s office has also sent out sample AI policies that include suggestions based on the faculty member’s own AI usage.
