VALLEY CITY, N.D. – Valley City State University just launched the AI Institute for Teaching and Learning, which will be dedicated to helping educators across North Dakota get up to speed with using the technology.
VSCU is the lead institution as part of a statewide partnership among several schools to run it.
In a press release, VSCU says the institute will help equip K-12 teachers “with the knowledge and skills to use artificial intelligence responsibly and ethically in the classroom.”
“It’s the way we teach, it’s how we teach and embedding that into our curriculum,” VSCU President Doctor Alan LaFave told The Flag.
Listen to Dr. LaFave’s interview below:
“We’ve been an innovative technology-focused university as part of our mission for a long time.”
In fact, LaFave says VSCU was the second university nationwide to provide laptops to all students in 1996.
The institute will also help prepare “career-ready graduates who are well-versed in AI”, and using AI to “create and improve personalized learning pathways for students.”
“They’ve been using it in a variety of ways for a long time and some of them don’t even know it,” said LaFave. “It’s an opportunity to enhance their skills and get them ready for the workforce.”
The AI Institute received state funding in the form of a $1 million grant from the North Dakota Workforce Education Innovation Fund.
LaFave says students and faculty “are fully embracing” the university’s move in this direction with AI.
“It’s very gratifying to see all of the departments are looking for ways that they can build it into their curriculums.”
