Colleges and industries across the nation and globe are all talking about AI and its impacts on education and the workforce. Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is compelling College of Western Idaho (CWI) to recognize these seismic shifts, join conversations, and position the College to adapt successfully in meeting the needs of students, faculty, staff, and ultimately the communities we all serve.
AI’s Major Impact
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is being adopted at unprecedented rates (St.Louis Fed, 2024). There is no doubt that students are using it, and many will need AI literacy to be competitive in the workplace. “More than half of the students surveyed worried about AI’s impact on them achieving their college and career goals," and “65% said they would like the curriculum to include AI training to help better prepare them for their future careers.” (Inside Higher Ed, 2024) According to a National University 2024 study, 77% of companies are either using or exploring AI usage in their businesses.”
“To fulfill CWI's mission, it's essential that we actively embrace the opportunities and challenges presented by Generative AI in teaching, learning, and student support," said CWI President Gordon Jones. “By equipping our students with the skills and education to use AI tools, we enhance their employability and prepare them for the workforce."
In response, members of the President’s Cabinet approved the creation of CWI’s AI Committee in Summer 2024. This cross-institutional group focuses on supporting CWI’s needs in various areas of this fast-evolving AI landscape, such as planning, communication, and policy updates.
View Charter Members & Learn More
Department Updates
Launching Spring 2025 semester are significant developments in CWI’s use of AI. Watch for more details on these in the coming weeks:
- Credit Instruction has secured an enterprise-level contract with local startup Guardrailz, which provides secure access to multiple GenAI models (such as ChatGPT) to all faculty and students.
- Workforce Development is launching a non-credit course in partnership with Guardrailz that teaches participants about AI tools and how to have the best results through effective prompt writing. This course will be available for free to any CWI staff or faculty.
- The Writing Center is opening the inaugural AI Literacy Center as the college-wide source for providing all students with support in AI. This includes navigating AI policies and assignments, ethical approaches, concerns and ideas, all with a focus on developing students’ essential AI literacy. The AI Literacy Center is set to open week 3 of spring semester.
Community & Training Opportunities
The AI Committee encourages you to join in the exploration of GenAI and how it’s changing teaching, learning, operations, and the student experience. All perspectives and experience levels are needed and welcome.
AI can be an overwhelming topic! If you are not sure where to start, we recommend:
- Watching this 20-minute video that explains AI in practical terms: Generative AI in a Nutshell - how to survive and thrive in the age of AI.
- Just trying it! Put an email you are struggling to write into the Copilot chat. Prompt it to revise it to be more concise, professional, kind, etc. See what it can do for you. (See the instructions on accessing Microsoft Copilot below.)
- Reaching out to a committee member from your division/department to discuss how they are exploring and thinking about the use of AI.
Additional Resources & Fun Things to Explore
Ongoing, Informal Conversation, & Support
- Request to be added to the chat, CWI AI Learning Community, on Teams.
- Join weekly AI drop-in sessions focusing on updating assessments hosted by CWI faculty, Liza Long on Wednesday evenings from 7:30 – 8:30 p.m. on Zoom.
- Attend OSBE Statewide Generative AI Drop-In Sessions: Noon – 1 p.m. on Jan. 23, Feb. 27, and April 24. Join Zoom at this link. See all Spring Office of the State Board of Education events here.
Teaching & Learning Resources
- CWI CTL SharePoint: AI at CWI resources for faculty
- State of Idaho AI Resource Guide: A Guide to Teaching and Learning with Artificial Intelligence
- Student Resources
- Ethical use and classroom guidance for students in this chapter from CWI 101 OER textbook, “Principles for Using AI in the Classroom and Acknowledgement Statements” by Joel Gladd and Liza Long
- Interactive badge in MyCommons: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Basics Badge
Free, Self-Paced Online Courses
- Generative AI for University Leaders | Coursera; 1-4 hours
- AI for Educators: Offered by Microsoft, free, 3 hours
Most recommended book: Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI, Mollick, Ethan
Tool Tip
Did you know all CWI staff, faculty, and students have free access to Microsoft Copilot? This GenAI tool does not use or share data entered it if you are logged in to your CWI account. However, you should still never put students’ Personally Identifiable Information (PII) into any AI tool.
- To access Copilot, log in to your CWI account, open up your browser using Microsoft Edge, and click on the Copilot icon.
- A new tab will open. Double check that your name is in the upper right corner to ensure the Enterprise data protection applies to the chat.
- Start a new chat!
- Confirm your conversation is protected by checking for the green shield near the top right.
For more information on Co-Pilot for Enterprise, read more here:
Meet your AI assistant for education: Microsoft Copilot | Microsoft Education Blog