AI across the curriculum! This is the new challenge for universities.
Apart from expanding expertise in artificial intelligence (AI) in departments of computer science and related areas, many universities are considering ways in which all students, also undergraduate students, can be exposed to AI in ways that are commensurate with the current prominence of AI in all areas of life and work.
Digital literacy is already expected from all university staff and students. Some models and frameworks for digital literacy already incorporate elements of AI (e.g. the DigComp framework of the EU, which is also incorporated in Digital Skills Framework One [DSFOne] – https://www.wcapecolab.org/dsfone).
The approach of the University of Florida (UF) to ensure that “AI literacies” are incorporated in all faculties/schools and in all courses, as well as in activities such as career development support of students, is one of the most prominent today. Pursuing this ideal, requires from UF a major effort of upskilling and reskilling, as well as investments of many kinds. See https://media-and-learning.eu/type/featured-articles/developing-career-ready-graduates-the-importance-of-ai-literacy-across-the-curriculum/
The “AI literacies” model followed by UF evidently does not imply high-level development of AI applications by all. Rather, it largely involves the following components: know and understand AI; use and apply AI; evaluate and create AI; AI ethics – all of these, as relevant to various subject areas.
Whichever approaches universities choose to position themselves for an AI-intensive future, it is clear that they will have to give urgent attention to strategies that provide opportunities for all students to be prepared for such a future – either through a curriculum-enabled model or through activities (e.g. short courses and practical applications) that supplement curricula.
