March 28, 2024

Rao Speaks to NC State Faculty About AI in Education

Professor of Communication and Chair of the Department of Communication and Digital Studies Anand Rao

Professor of Communication and Chair of the Department of Communication and Digital Studies Anand Rao

Anand Rao was invited by NC State University’s Campus Writing and Speaking Program to speak with faculty about AI in education. He gave a presentation on Monday, March 18, 2024, titled “Argumentation, Communication, and Critical Thinking: Teaching Durable Skills to Prepare Our Students for Success in an AI-World” and then ran a faculty workshop on Tuesday, March 19, 2024, titled “Building Chatbots for AI Literacy.” Both presentation and workshop built upon work that Rao has done over the last two years on AI in education as he works to develop models for student AI literacy and how to incorporate AI technology into classrooms in a responsible way.

Rao Presents at International AI Conference

Professor of Communication and Chair of the Department of Communication and Digital Studies Anand Rao

Professor of Communication and Chair of the Department of Communication and Digital Studies Anand Rao

Anand Rao, Chair of Communication and Digital Studies, attended the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) meeting in Vancouver, Canada, to share research on the development of AI tools to support the teaching of argumentation and debate. He and his co-authors had a poster presentation at the AAI Conference’s AI4Education Workshop titled “Augmented Debate-Centered Instruction: A Novel Research Agenda for Responsible AI Integration in Education.” The paper argues for a debate-centered model of instruction that addresses concerns over assessment and AI reliance while helping students develop critical, durable skills. With presenters from around the world, the workshop focused on bridging innovation and responsibility in AI research. Collaborating organizations at the workshop included  Google Research, DuoLingo, OpenStax, Princeton University, Berkeley – University of California, Rice University, Jinan University, and the University of British Columbia.

A copy of the paper is available at https://www.debaterhub.com/aaai

Rao Shares AI Teaching Tips With ‘Inside Higher Ed’

Professor of Communication and Chair of the Department of Communication and Digital Studies Anand Rao

Professor of Communication Anand Rao contributed to an article titled “Teaching Tip: Navigating AI in the Classroom,” published by Inside Higher Education. In the article, Rao said he introduces students to low- and no-code options to build their own generative AI tools in his special topics course on digital studies. Read more.

Teaching Tip: Navigating AI in the Classroom (Inside Higher Education)

Rao Takes on AI for ‘With Good Reason’ Radio

Professor of Communication and Chair of the Department of Communication and Digital Studies Anand Rao

Professor of Communication and Chair of the Department of Communication and Digital Studies Anand Rao

Professor of Communication Anand Rao spoke to With Good Reason radio for a segment titled “The Age of AI: AI in the Classroom.” Many teachers are scared about the impact AI will have on cheating. But Anand Rao of the University of Mary Washington says most of his students will be using AI in the workplace once they graduate. So he encourages them to use AI on assignments and coaches them on how to use it appropriately. Listen to the segment.

The Age of AI: AI in the Classroom (With Good Reason Radio)

Rao Speaks at Virginia Professional Communicators Conference

Anand Rao speaking about generative AI at the VPC Conference

Professor of Communication and Digital Studies Anand Rao gave a guest presentation at the Virginia Professional Communicators Conference held in Fredericksburg on Friday, May 5, 2023. The title of his talk was “ChatGPT and Communication: How Generative AI Will Transform Our Field.” He discussed recent developments in generative AI, how GAI could be used by communication professionals, and some concerns about how GAI could be misused.

Johnson-Young Presents on Birth Trauma Communication

Assistant Professor of Communication Elizabeth Johnson-Young

Associate Professor of Communication Elizabeth Johnson-Young

Associate Professor of Communication Elizabeth Johnson-Young presented her paper, “Birth, Trauma, and Communicating Maternal Health” at the annual conference of the Eastern Communication Association in Baltimore, Maryland. The paper was presented during a panel hosted by the Health Communication division focused on maternal and reproductive health. The paper focused on birth choices, experiences, and perceptions of traumatic or challenging birth experiences. Maternal and postpartum health is a topic of importance in the United States, given increasing maternal mortality rates (MacDorman, Declercg, Cabral, & Morton, 2016), recognition of factors involved in postpartum depression and anxiety, and increasing rates of inductions and cesarean births (c-sections) despite the risks that come with them (Betran et al., 2018; Sandall et al., 2018). Birth trauma and psychological responses to birth trauma most often refer to situations in which the mother’s or child’s life is put at risk (i.e. NIH, 2013); however, a simple search on social and popular media reveals a host of other experiences women may have that they define as traumatic, the consequences of which can impact their mental health, who they trust when it comes to their maternal healthcare, and future decisions regarding birth. The project addressed the research question: What communication choices and strategies do women use after a negative birth experience? Using in-depth, semi-structured interviews of women who personally define their birth experience as difficult or traumatic, the paper discussed the potential consequences of listening, language, and support.

 

Assistant Professor of Communication Adria Goldman, and Professor of Communication and Communication and Digital Studies Department Chair Anand Rao also presented at the conference on March 30, 2023. Their panel, Collaborative Team-Based and Experiential Learning as a Path to Student Innovation in Communication, which included Johnson-Young, explored examples and lessons from team-based collaborative learning experiences from multiple institutions. During the interactive discussion, panel members brought expertise from their classrooms and roles in their school that demonstrated purposeful collaborative learning. In each of the cases, a focus on student engagement with one another and the outside community was key, as students learned to situate themselves as communication scholars and practitioners. UMW presenters shared examples and ideas from Visual Rhetoric, Senior Seminar in Digital Rhetoric, and Small Group Communication. Panel members from other institutes presented projects from courses such as Public Relations and Game Design.

 

Rao Publishes Book on Chat GPT

Professor of Communication Anand Rao co-authored and co-edited a new book, Chat(GPT): Navigating the Impact of Generative AI Technologies on Educational Theory and Practice, with a host of other authors and three other editors. The book, in which educators discuss ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence tools, was published by Pedagogy Ventures and is listed as the No. 1 new release in Curricula and in the Top 10 for Educational Professional Development. It includes 38 chapters and essays, 14 appendixes and more than 600 pages. The authors’ goal is to help prepare educators for fall 2023 as AI is most likely to continue to disrupt and transform education at all levels. Read more.

Professors Turn to ChatGPT to Teach Students a Lesson (The Wall Street Journal)