AI is everywhere, how can universities adapt?
Summary
This episode explores how AI is reshaping university education, featuring professors Shauna Dolansky and Mike Welland who discuss strategies to preserve critical thinking amid rising "cognitive surrender." They share how they have adapted assessments, such as banning laptops and requiring oral defenses of AI-assisted work, to ensure students engage deeply with material. The segment also includes MIT professor Sam Madden, who highlights the decline in social learning environments like office hours and study groups. Ultimately, the conversation argues that while AI offers efficiency, educator…
Topics discussed
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Student perspectives on AI use in university
Introduction of guests Shauna Dolansky and Mike Welland
Shauna Dolansky on banning laptops in humanities classes
Detecting AI use in student essays and changing assessments
Mike Welland on integrating AI into engineering physics
Assessment changes: oral exams and reading annotations
The value of a humanities degree and critical thinking
AI as a tool for higher-level cognitive tasks
Closing remarks and guest introductions
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Promotion for CBC podcast Agent Layla
Introduction of MIT professor Sam Madden
Defining cognitive surrender and its impact on learning
Decline in social learning and office hour attendance
The promise of AI in software and research
Redefining the value of education in the AI era
Closing thoughts and listener engagement
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