The AI Climate at UVU 

Photo: UVU Professor Zach Taylor at the UVU Review

With the recent popularity boom of large language models (LLMs), like ChatGPT, educators have been working to debate the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in higher education.  

Now that the Fall 2024 semester is upon us, the Review checked in on the AI debate with two professors at Utah Valley University (UVU). One teaching philosophy and the other teaching collision technology. Despite their diverse backgrounds, they generally agree on how it should be used in the classroom and are both excited for future applications. 

Professor Shane Smith (pictured above) is an adjunct professor of Philosophy. He sees AI as an inevitable step in the evolution of the democratization of information. He points out the fact that students are going to have to learn to use AI in education and the workforce whether they like it or not, comparing it to the advent of the internet in the 90’s. He believes that AI should be a tool that both professors and students alike can take advantage of, with certain caveats to be addressed. “It’s that continuing democratization, the same way the internet did.” Smith said. 

Professor Zac Taylor is a professor in The Department of Applied Engineering and Transportation Technologies. He also compares AI with the advent of the internet. “We have seen all these amazing changes with the internet taking place and now we have AI. We need to embrace it and learn as much as we can and see what great things will happen from it.” 

When it comes to AI in the classroom, Taylor advocates students use it wherever it benefits them. He mentions that other departments within the Smith College of Engineering & Technology have concerns about its use. But Taylor remains enthusiastic about AI especially for those who may struggle in certain fields such as writing. Taylor believes AI can allow students to achieve new heights in their careers if they can use it responsibly. 

Smith also encourages AI use but sees it as a necessary technological advancement to keep up with. His argument is that if UVU banned AI outright, students would not be prepared to be in the workforce where AI use is widespread.  

Additionally, Smith views the advantages of AI through a philosophical lens, comparing the use of AI to having a friend to review your work instead of just writing your essay for you. The issue from there is not, according to Smith, that the person or AI has written a student’s work, but that students gain nothing from the educational experience when they rely too heavily on other methods to complete their work for them. When asked if he had ever had students abuse AI in his class, Smith is used to it.  

“I have, and that leads to the sort of flip side of the problem is, can I prove that is the problem that I came across. No, not really in a lot of these systems. I have run into it and I am pretty sure I know who these people were. I cannot prove it, but we are back to treating it like it is a person. Yeah, I cannot prove that you had your friend Dave write your paper rather than you writing it. But you are not getting anything out of the class if you are doing that either. So, to a certain extent, I have to count on you, caring about your education, and then turn it loose, but I realized that is asking a lot for most professors to just accept that.”  

Interestingly, both professors had ideas they were passionate about. Taylor is excited about the role of AI as a tool to help mechanics work on vehicles becoming increasingly complicated with expensive training. “In the past OEMs held that information to themselves, but once this information is out, it’s out” 

Likewise, Smith sees AI as a technology that could lessen the amount of work for grading in general, bringing up a different way of thinking about the use of AI in academia with an emphasis on assisting overworked adjunct professors as well as students. He proposes a pre-grader or AI model designed to reduce the workload of grading essays from roughly 8 hours down to 3 hours. “If you could simplify not just the student’s tasks but also all our overworked professors’ tasks, that would be fantastic.”  

Utah Valley University’s definitive AI policy is still being decided. According to the Fulton Library website on UVU policy and generative AI: “As of December 2023, there isn’t an overall policy governing how and when AI tools can be used by students. Instead, you should read your course syllabi and talk to your professors about if and how AI can be used in your classes.” As AI continually evolves in both capabilities and popularity, discussions around the technology are going to continue. 

Professors in liberal arts and trades alike have agreed that AI is a powerful technology that we should all embrace. UVU as an institution keeps its attitude towards technology open-minded, but still recognizes the ethical implications that come when embracing AI. In response to these concerns, UVU has formed the AI Task Force with the mission of training faculty and enhancing the student experience for graduating in an AI-dominated world. If you want to learn more about AI, the next event is guest speaker Dr. Neil Lawrence, a renowned AI expert from the United Kingdom. This will take place Wednesday, September 11 at 1:30 p.m. in the Vallejo Auditorium in the Keller Building.  

To see the full interview on AI with Professors Smith and Taylor, visit the video on our YouTube channel here:

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