North Dakota
College and university professors in North Dakota talk about the use of AI in higher education
By 
Editor
Minot, North Dakota – Universities in North Dakota are among the colleges across the country that are contemplating how to collaborate with ChatGPT.
On Thursday morning, Your News Leader attended the Forum on AI hosted by the North Dakota University System.
Brek Thompson, a sophomore at MSU starting in the fall, expressed concern about teachers using artificial intelligence (AI) in courses in higher education.
“Even when you’re just using it for research, you’re not actually going gathering research from multiple sites for yourself, so I think that can kind of take away from your education,” said Thompson.
It can be a helpful tool for directing students in the right route to begin a research project, according to senior Frankie Juntunen, who is presently studying history education.
“I think the best way for teachers to get comfortable with new technology is to always incorporate it, but also do their own research on the matter first,” said Juntunen.
To address this very issue, a group of educators participated in a special online meeting on Thursday. The University of North Dakota’s president, Andrew Armacost, raised issues related to data gathering and privacy.
“John, you bring up an amazing point, which is our understanding of A). The technology and B). The response is an evolving journey,” said Armacost.
Vice President for Academic Affairs Laurie Geller of Minot State suggested organizing a small group to write something down.
“We’ve experienced those cases where I’ve talked with English faculty: ‘Where’s the line?’” said Geller.
The creation of a policy is something that Dr. Amy Juhala, dean of humanities, arts, and sciences at Bismarck State College, supports.
“I like the suggestion of working with the student to see what makes sense – so we’re still working on this,” said Juhala.
Other subjects discussed were expanding the use of AI in admissions and student recruitment.
Armacost stated that he is considering establishing a committee or board to develop additional recommendations regarding this technology. Next month, there will be more forums so that more viewpoints can be heard.
