cecil-college-magazine-spring-2025 - Flipbook - Page 15
In 2023, the Cecil College faculty
formed an AI committee to examine
academic integrity policies at the
College and draft statements on AIspecific issues, creating guidelines for
all faculty in regard to what they may
allow in classes. The goal was to create
a document to serve as the cornerstone
so faculty could share consistent policy
statements in their own course syllabi.
After laying the groundwork, faculty
have since incorporated AI into various
courses to introduce students to the
new, powerful technology.
Associate Professor I, Biology Melissa
Burke regularly integrates generative AI
into assignments in science courses. For
instance, in anatomy and physiology,
one of the topics is skin layers and
structures of the skin. Professor Burke
asks students to use generative AI
to create their own skin model and
then compare it to the actual skin
layers. Then, the class discusses how
generative AI can be used for future
scientific research and the limitations of
the generative AI image.
Professor Burke also uses generative AI,
such as ChatGPT or Perplexity, to assist
in creating rubrics and assignments.
“I will ask Chat or Perplexity to help
formulate the idea into something more
concrete. The generative AI models
are constantly learning and evolving.
Therefore, I have found that the more I
use it, the better it gets at knowing what
I am asking it, even when I may not be
using the language it originally needed.
I ask students to use generative AI to
create pretend quizzes to help them
study. They can also use generative AI to
summarize a difficult concept for them
or to re-explain a concept that they had
trouble understanding. Generative AI
can be a useful tool, just as any other
search engine is,” said Burke.
Dr. Dana Gullo, Associate Dean for
Teaching, Learning, and Technology, is
also an early adopter of AI technology
at Cecil College, partnering with
the IT department as a member of
the employee pilot group learning
Microsoft CoPilot. “It’s been really
amazing. It can summarize my emails
for the day, transcribe meetings,
provide a synopsis and clarify key points
that were discussed.”
Inclusion and accessibility are
fundamental to creating equitable
educational environments, yet many
students still face barriers that hinder
their academic success. Artificial
intelligence is poised to transform
this landscape by providing tailored
solutions that address diverse needs.
Dr. Gullo is exploring how to use it to
increase inclusivity and accessibility
in course syllabi. “I ask ChatGPT how I
can help make syllabus language more
inclusive for students with disabilities.
It provides revisions so the language is
more inclusive and suggests resources
for students to increase accessibility. I
will be able to share with faculty those
step-by-step tips for how to improve
and enhance their syllabi,” Dr. Gullo
remarked. In addition, Dr. Gullo is in the
process of doing extensive research
on various different AI tools so that
faculty can use the information to
upskill students as quickly as possible
and prepare them for the competitive
workforce.
Professor of English Kathleen Weiss
incorporates AI into an online College
Composition I course, first providing
students with guidelines and a policy
statement on ethical AI use. An initial
essay assignment involves reading
about AI use in the classroom and then
producing an argument that takes a
stance on whether they believe student
use of AI will ultimately harm or help
student learning. Three subsequent
assignments incorporate AI use directly,
including an “AI-assisted draft review”
in which students ask a chatbot, like
ChatGPT, to review their essay draft for
specific targeted areas. The students
assess the guidance and feedback AI
has provided. Students also ask an AI
chatbot for thesis-writing strategies
and compare those to course-provided
strategies. They use strategies from both
to write their thesis statements and
then reflect on the most effective advice
from each. In addition, students ask the
AI chatbot to outline an essay draft they
have written and identify parts that may
need further development. “Students
learn the ethics of engaging responsibly
with AI – using it as a tutor giving
advice, but never as a source for writing
or rewriting for them,” said Professor
Weiss.
To further prepare our students for
the future, Professor Chris Gaspare
incorporates AI education into a
Technical Writing course, teaching
students how to effectively use a
variety of AIs, such as ChatGPT, Copilot,
Perplexity, and Gemini, to sharpen their
job search acumen. “I have students use
AI to help create exceptional resumes
and cover letters. AI can help them
ensure the right key words are present
so their resumes will be flagged by a
company’s applicant tracking software,”
said Professor Gaspare. “AI can analyze
job descriptions as well as mission and
values statements from a company
site and ensure the resumes and cover
letters include the correct search
terms. We are teaching our students
productive ways to utilize AI so they
will be competitive candidates in the
workforce. In addition to resumes,
the students are also learning to
use AI for tutoring purposes and to
complete simple tasks, such as creating
instructions, and then review and revise
the output as needed.”
“In the Visual Communications
department, we focus on teaching
students how to create original work,
how to protect that work, and how to
use AI ethically,” said Dan Krukosky,
Associate Professor I and Director of
Visual Communications programs.
“We show them where the AI features
are in Photoshop and give them an
assignment to create work utilizing
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