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Join us for a panel discussion on the dynamic intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and higher education.
This interactive conversation is designed to give the University of Arizona community an opportunity to ask questions and hear how fellow faculty, students and staff are embracing AI in their teaching and studies, and how they are addressing challenges amid the rapidly evolving AI landscape.
Join the discussion in person or virtually. Registration with a University email address will be required.
We see – or hear about – AI in many types of human and computer interactions, including website chatbots or tools like ChatGPT that can generate human language, recognize images, analyze data, and predict text. As these tools improve and become more accessible, colleges and universities, including the University of Arizona, are examining what the future of AI looks like in academia.
Panelists
Darcy Van Patten - Moderator
Chief Technology Officer, University Information Technology Services
Darcy is responsible for enabling high-quality digital experiences in support of day-to-day productivity and collaboration, learning, support services, digital engagement, administrative services, and student services. Her University of Arizona portfolio includes the departments of Administrative Technologies, Digital Experience Technologies, and Student and Academic Technologies. Darcy leads through the lens of innovating the business through technology enablement and human centered collaborative problem solving – always with an eye toward creating the most valuable outcomes in support of the University’s mission, and delivering a high-quality digital experience for our faculty, staff, students, and strategic constituents.
Greg Heileman – Panelist
Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Currently serves as the Vice Provost, Undergraduate Education and Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Arizona, where he is responsible for facilitating collaboration across campus to strategically enhance institutional capacity related to academic administration. He has served in various administrative capacities in higher education since 2004. His experience includes work in the areas of faculty development, institutional research, accreditation and academic program review, curriculum management, student success, academic advisement, tutoring, student health & wellbeing, student conduct, budget and finance, economic development, policy development, information technology and data governance, and strategic planning.
Emily Jo Schwaller – Panelist
UCATT, Assistant Professor of Practice
Dr. Emily Jo Schwaller is an Assistant Professor of Practice in the University Center for Assessment, Teaching, and Technology. She is part of the award-winning Writing Across the Curriculum team on campus, supporting writing instruction and equitable writing practices across campus. Her teaching and research focus on technology, future faculty development, and writing and DEI work. Her work can be found in New Directions in Teaching & Learning, WPA: Writing Program Administration, Composition Forum, and Composition Studies.
Dawn Hunziker – Panelist
Associate Director, Disability Resources
Dawn is the Associate Director for the University of Arizona’s (UArizona) Disability Resource Center (DRC) and oversees Digital and Physical Accessibility for UArizona. As an employee of DRC for over 25 years, Dawn has successfully launched several initiatives across the UArizona campus, and the Digital and Physical Access Team consults with campus regarding accessibility and universal design in the physical, digital, work, and academic environments. Dawn currently serves as President with the ATHEN (Access Technology in Higher Education Network) Executive Committee. Dawn often speaks at local, state, and national conferences regarding UArizona’s Digital Accessibility Program, pdf/web accessibility, captioning processes, and inclusive curriculum design.
Bryan Carter – Panelist
Center for Digital Humanities and Associate Professor in Africana Studies
Dr. Bryan Carter received his Ph.D. at the University of Missouri-Columbia and is currently the Director of the Center for Digital Humanities and an Associate Professor in Africana Studies, at the University of Arizona. He specializes in African American literature of the 20th Century with a primary focus on the Harlem Renaissance. His research also focuses on Digital Humanities/Africana Studies. He has published numerous articles on his doctoral project, Virtual Harlem, an immersive representation of a portion of Harlem, NY as it existed during the 1920s Jazz Age and Harlem Renaissance. Dr. Carter’s research centers on how the use of traditional and advanced interactive and immersive technologies changes the dynamic within the learning space. Dr. Carter has completed his first book entitled Digital Humanities: Current Perspectives, Practice and Research through Emerald Publishing, and has just completed his second manuscript through Routledge Press, entitled: AfroFuturism: Experiencing Culture Through Technology (June 2022). His current work has also led to exploring the African American, and expatriate experience through immersive and augmented technologies using handheld devices and wearable technologies.
Jackson Grove – Panelist
Student, Information Science
Jackson Grove is a freshman, majoring in Information Science and minoring in Computer Science. HE currently works with AI Core, the University's Institute for Computation and Data-Enabled Insight's student engagement program, where he delivers workshops on AI and its industry applications. Alongside this, he taches online courses in Machine Learning and Data Science to high school students, sharing his expanding knowledge as he continues his own education.
This town hall is part of the AI at Arizona event series, aimed at sparking discussion and sharing ideas around AI at the University to broaden understanding, responsible use and access to these technologies.
The Institute for Computation and Data-Enabled Insight is convening the series in partnership with the Office of the Provost and Research, Innovation and Impact, and the UA Debate Series in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. Light refreshments will be available until 5:30, giving time to mix and mingle after the event.