Richmond, KY- A new task force is pushing to make every college student in Kentucky fluent in artificial intelligence — and Eastern Kentucky University is already ahead of the curve.
This past week, a task force from Kentucky's Council on Postsecondary Education on AI emphasized it will work to get every college student in the state fluent in AI. EKU's director of AI strategies, Dr. Lisa Blue, is working with that state-funded group to spread her AI proficiency pathway across all Kentucky higher education institutions.
"Focus on student AI literacy," Blue said.
Her approach centers on the process — how AI works, tool choice — coupled with appropriate assignment design.
"Where can the student tell us about the decisions they made? Where can they reflect on the use of AI? Did it help? Did it hinder? Was it a waste of time?" Blue said.
Blue said she regularly encounters resistance to the work.
"I get pushback all the time," Blue said.
EKU's engagement with AI in higher education stretches back several years.
"We offered our first pre-semester symposium on using AI in higher education effectively four years ago this month," Blue said.
Last spring, Blue's approach was put into practice in a course at EKU called "Living with AI," co-taught by Blue and Dr. Perry Winslow. Winslow leads the AI Pathway in Essential Education, which offers students multiple classes with AI as a major part of the curriculum, taught from different disciplinary perspectives.
"Every discipline has something to say about AI," Winslow said.
That cross-disciplinary approach, Winslow said, gives EKU students a distinct advantage.
"They will have a view of AI that is much more nuanced, complicated, in depth than maybe any other student in Kentucky," Winslow said.
With an eye toward workforce development, Blue frames the stakes plainly.
"If we aren't teaching our students the appropriate AI skills, are we really preparing them for the workplace?" Blue said.
