Part II: AI in Higher Education
  • Policy and Regulation of AI in Higher Education
    • 2.1

    Policy and Regulation of AI in Higher Education

    Hello, and thank you for visiting this chapter on the ever-changing relationship between AI, higher education policy and regulation, and AI itself. Examine the international scene of artificial intelligence policy with an eye on the specific challenges faced by the Asian University for Women. Gain a better understanding of creative solutions, regulatory frameworks, and ethical factors. Learn from others' experiences and share your own, so you can help bring about the ethical use of AI in the classroom. Come along as we embark on a quest to influence the course of education in the age of artificial intelligence through legislation and policy. 

    Objectives

    1. Comprehend the Progression of Artificial Intelligence in the Field of Education
    2. Analyze ethical and policy factors
    3. AI Integration of Asian University for Women
    4. Find Difficulties and Come Up with Creative Resolutions



    Introduction: 

    Close your eyes and step toward a class with the rhythmic beat of Artificial Intelligence(AI). This is the time to learn with boundless AI tools and make the bridge to collapse the gap between traditional methods and modern technology. In the last few years, the use of AI has been growing in education all over the world and we can explore it with highly efficient learning AI tools. There are lots of opportunities to advance AI applications in education like incorporating digital instructional materials, gaming, and individual learning experiences (Zhai X et al., 2021). Both students and teachers can use effectively AI tools for their work and it gives good results in a short time. AI tools help students build strong engagement and performance with new innovative ideas. As a result, students get more opportunities to continue their studies which can enhance academic achievements and student involvement while decreasing the likelihood of students leaving their studies prematurely (Ayala-Pazmiño, M., 2023). By using AI, teachers can make teaching plans, simplify tasks, and save time. Students can also receive feedback on their assignments and suggestions to enhance their understanding and rectify their errors. To shape a data-driven educational environment, analytics powered by AI improve education by detecting areas for improvement and predicting student outcomes.

    The development of Artificial Intelligence(AI) can be categorized into different generations. "First Generation" is known as the first phase and involves AI using rule-based expert knowledge. During this time, AI systems followed predefined guidelines and depended on manual input (Zhai X et al.,2021). To explore optimal outcomes, the "Second Generation" enhanced its capacity by employing statistics and searching models (2021). The second phase of AI was able to examine data and patterns to find the best solution from the rule-based methodologies. The third phase is greatly improved to recognize and understand information and replicate the brain's cognitive processes (2021). Each new generation of AI comes with more advanced techniques and approaches to improve educational experiences and results. 

    AI in education offers various advantages, but it also raises ethical, privacy, and equity issues. There is a concern all over the world that student's writing and critical thinking ability are decreasing as they increasingly depend on artificial intelligence to finish their tasks (Chan, C, 2023). Because of these worries, several universities have banned using generative AI in their curricula. In light of these difficulties, it is important to establish policy and regulation of AI to ensure the ethical implementation of AI technologies in higher education. Generative AI tools have recently become available to the public, leading to their swift integration across different fields and industries (Chan, C, 2023). Different universities have policies and regulations of AI to ensure ethical concerns with the necessary skills and knowledge. “Eight out of 24 universities in the prestigious UK Russell Group have declared the use of the AI bot for assignments as academic misconduct including Oxford and Cambridge (Chan, C, 2023).”  Policies should deal with problems like algorithmic bias, transparency, and accountability to prevent unexpected effects and ensure that learning procedures are fair. The policy and regulation of AI in higher education are crucial for guiding students in understanding the appropriate utilization of AI, familiarising themselves with academic integrity, and gaining insights and inspiration from AI. Establishing clear guidelines is necessary to optimize the benefits of generative AI in education and remove potential issues. These guidelines, presented as an AI education policy, aim to ensure the responsible utilization of AI to benefit all individuals engaged in the learning process  (Chan, C, 2023). 

    The focus of this chapter is to analyze the policy and regulations of AI in higher education and thoroughly analyze different universities' policies specifically focusing on the Asian University for Women (AUW). Though AUW is in its early stages, the lessons it has learned so far provide important insight into the responsible application of AI in academia. In this article, informatively look at the present policies of various universities around the world, how things are changing, and how to set up transparent and effective rules for using AI in the classroom.

    Different Policies and Regulations of AI:

    By exploring higher education, we can find multiple policies and regulations, and each university has its own unique rules and regulations for incorporating AI.  The goal of education law, according to American Public University (2020), is to achieve a balance between several different goals, such as the promotion of education and the protection of students' rights, the acceptance of students with disabilities, and the guarantee of stable employment  and professional autonomy for educators. In 2023, Chapman University published all policies and guidelines of AI in different renowned universities:

    Universities demonstrate their varied viewpoints by implementing various policies addressing the complex ethical and educational considerations of integrating AI.  Now, let us shift our focus from examining policies at prestigious universities to the Asian University for Women (AUW), a unique institution actively incorporating AI into its operations. 

    By examining the details of AUW's current practices and future policies, we acquire valuable knowledge about the institution's distinctive strategy for managing the advantages and difficulties presented by AI in higher education. During a recent conversation with the Pro Vice-Chancellor and Teaching Fellows of the Master of Education program, we explored the intricate factors influencing AUW's approach to integrating AI. This provided a glimpse into the institution's evolving position on the matter. 

    The perspective of the Pro Vice-Chancellor of AUW:

    The mission and vision of AUW are to educate women who will become proficient and inventive experts, leaders who prioritize serving others in the industries and communities they will be a part of, and advocates for fostering intercultural comprehension and sustainable human and economic progress in Asia and globally. 

    On November 28, 2023, the meeting took place at the Asian University for Women with the Pro Vice-Chancellor of AUW. The discussion was about the policy and regulation of AI at AUW. During the discussion, the Pro Vice-Chancellor obtained valuable insights into AUW's concern about Artificial Intelligence (AI). maintaining a focus on ethical considerations, the institution is committed to creating an environment that supports technological advancement. Using AUW's unique educational setting as an example, they have investigated the pros and cons of AI. According to Pro Vice-Chancellor David Taylor, thinking critically is crucial for students. AUW offers multiple critical thinking and writing courses in which students analyze various academic resources and develop innovative concepts. He mentioned that "taking notes in class, researching, and coming out with a student’s idea is essential." As a result, a student can gain their research knowledge. Nowadays, students use AI to help them learn and get different insights from it, which shows up in their grades and papers. Also mentioned that using AI has positive and negative sides, and AUW authority works to make policies and regulations for students and teachers. In addition, AUW enforces strict rules regarding plagiarism, which is zero tolerance in AUW, requiring students to include citations when incorporating any ideas into their writing. Professors possess the authority to verify plagiarism, and Turnitin is utilized for this purpose. Instructors have flexibility in determining the acceptable levels of plagiarism and citation usage in their courses. In addition, AUW is ready to regulate and establish policies regarding AI while keeping students' ethical principles and capacity for critical thinking in mind. Teaching Fellows, MA in Education program


    About


     Dr David Taylor

     INTERIM PRO-VICE-CHANCELLOR

    Asian University For Women

    "Before joining AUW, David Taylor was for many years at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, where he became Pro-Director, Teaching and Learning, from 1998-2002. He then joined Aga Khan University in Karachi as Vice-Provost for Academic Development and worked there from 2002-2008. He also served as Interim Provost from 2003-2008. Later, he was appointed Director of the Aga Khan University Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations in London from 2013-2017. He is a political scientist and historian with a longstanding interest in South Asia, which he first visited as a student in 1962."                           



    Teaching Fellows, MA in Education program (Asian University for Women)


    Israt Jahan Oeeshi                                   Ferowza Swapnil                                                       Nusaiba Binte Zakaria

    Teaching Fellow           CHIEF TEACHING FELLOW AND PROGRAM COORDINATOR                               Teaching Fellow



    The Perspective of the Teaching Fellows: On November 28, 2023, the focus group discussion took place at the Asian University for Women. In this focus group discussion, three teaching fellows and I discussed the use of AI and explored potential future policies regarding AI at AUW. The use of AI in the Master's program is restricted to the development of new knowledge. The teaching fellows suggested that "students use chatGPT and similar AI tools as an assistant to get ideas, but it's unethical for students to write directly from chatGPT." They must incorporate citations to acknowledge the ideas of others in their paper. “Students have to write in their own words, and for their improvement in grammar, they can use Grammarly.” They also suggested that students should research to increase their critical ability. 

    By analyzing various AI policies, the university will provide insights into the unique incorporation of technology in education. At AUW, Pro Vice-Chancellor David Taylor and Teaching Fellows provide valuable insights demonstrating AUW's dedication to promoting critical thinking and responsible utilization of AI. As AUW formulates new policies, the chapter provides a framework for understanding how the institution deals with the ever-changing field of AI in education. This brings a new dimension to the continuing topic of ethical AI implementation in academic institutions.

    Please visit this link for more in-depth insights into AI policies and recommendations discussed by Teaching Fellows at AUW.  

    https://drive.google.com/file/d/1p88-G6ZyIldbp2cQwR2xsqaqQvgXcDiH/view?usp=sharing


    Importance of Policy and Regulations of AI:  Policy and regulation of AI is important in higher education to ensure ethical values in education. It is difficult to identify the concerns about data privacy, algorithmic biases, and the potential impacts on both students and teachers as AI systems grow more integrated (Hemachandran & Rodriguez, 2023). The use of AI is increasing day by day and students use AI for their tasks as a result, they lose their critical ability and original work. Even though many students use the latest and most updated version of AI by paying, others cannot afford to pay. As a result, students may lose equal opportunity and rights. To protect the privacy of students and teachers, a university should have a policy and regulation of AI. These broad ethical concerns highlight the need to create AI environment that is current in technology while also keeping to standards of transparency, privacy, and responsibility. 

    Data security and consent in AI usage: Protecting students' personal information, and research data is the most important priority while implementing AI in higher education. To protect data and to know how to use it, policy and regulation are important. To foster confidence and maintain ethical AI standards in higher education, it is critical to find an appropriate balance between focusing on the potential of AI and protecting individuals' privacy rights (Hemachandran & Rodriguez, 2023).
    Ensuring accountability: Transparency and explainability in AI systems: Explanation and transparency are essential and AI algorithms and processes should be open and transparent so that institutions can see the reasoning behind AI system recommendations and judgments (Hemachandran & Rodriguez, 2023).

    Current AI Initiatives in Higher Education:

    AI in Curriculum Development: To develop the curriculum AI is changing the way curricula are created and students get their course materials. The term "curriculum" refers to the collection of courses that make up an educational program at schools, universities, or colleges (Somasundaram M. et al., 2020). Gaining knowledge, and skills to fulfill the job requiredments are the primary objectives of the program. Presently, the curriculum is structured to include a variety of courses. These courses' Course Outcomes (CO) align with the Program Outcome (PO) (2020). Within Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), three primary types of learning dominate: supervised, unsupervised, and reinforcement learning. A fundamental differentiation arises in supervised learning, dividing the process into two distinct categories (Somasundaram M. et al., 2020). The initial learning process stage entails making iterative modifications to internal states in response to inputs and desired outcomes. Over time, this process improves the precision of computed results, moving them to the intended outcomes. In contrast, the second type, the forecast process, utilizes previous instruction experience to produce probable outputs without additional modification during the prediction phase. The Type 1 learning process is more appropriate for the particular goal, aligning with the continuous improvement paradigm. 

                                  Figure 1: Supervised neural network

    Applying this AI backpropagation method to curriculum design demonstrates its alignment with the educational context (Somasundaram M. et al., 2020). This corresponds to the iterative learning process in artificial intelligence, which reflects how students gain knowledge and skills throughout their education. During engineering education or professional upskilling, learners consistently assess how well the course outcomes match the changing requirements of job roles (2020). 

                                                Figure 2: Back Propagation

    To effectively design the curriculum, it is possible to utilize a model inspired by Artificial Neural Networks. This strategic approach simplifies the curriculum design, guaranteeing a clear connection between educational content and industry demands.

     AI in Student Support Services: Students get the service which they usually get from university and now they can all support from AI. Implementing technology in a complex setting, especially in a traditional field like higher education, is a highly demanding undertaking (Khare K et al., 2018). Students get feedback by using AI tools which help students to improve.

    AI in Research: By using AI, students can analyze data and identify patterns in research projects. Using data analysis tools, researchers can analyze data. Machine learning algorithms are utilized by these tools to analyze, extract, and discover patterns within huge databases (Khedkar,2023).

    There are lot of debate on using Artificial Intelligence in education where some are against using AI and others are with AI. Those who are against AI, think people are losing their creativity, violating human rights and vias of AI, and misuse of AI. But there can be rules and regulations of AI for using AI perfectly without any risk. We cannot stop using AI as it is spread all over the world like a flow. The necessity for a complete and methodical strategy to incorporate AI into different parts of education is highlighted by UNESCO's call to create a master plan for utilizing AI in educational administration, instruction, examination, and evaluation and also including resource allocation (Chan. C,2023).  There are three dimensions "pedagogical, ethical, and operational" in Ai policy farmwork. 

    figure 1
    AI ecological education policy framework for teaching and learning (Chan. C,2023). 

    Pedagogical dimension (teachers): The integration of AI into education is the main emphasis here. In this pedagogical dimension, students will be experts in using AI in their education system because teachers should teach students how to use AI without any cheating and plagiarism. In this case, teachers should be experts on AI initiatives. They have to teach how students use AI and by using this they can develop their critical thinking creativity and other necessary skills. 

    Governance dimension (senior management): In a university, the governance dimension takes the responsibility for academic dishonesty and data privacy. By facilitating responsible use and aiding in the maintenance of trust within the university community, the framework ensures that stakeholders comprehend and resolve the ethical dilemmas connected with AI technologies (Chan. C,2023). Universities are being encouraged to establish transparent policies and guidelines by this focus on governance (2023). This will help students and staff understand and navigate the complex ethical landscape surrounding artificial intelligence.

    Operational dimension (teaching and learning and IT staff): For a fair result of AI technology, it needs regular monitoring, evaluation, and support, as highlighted by the operational dimension of the framework (Chan.C,2023). It needs training, resources, and stakeholder support to ensure that all are on one page and can learn effectively how to run AI tools. 

    To manage everything, all should work together to ensure a successful policy and regulations of AI. 

    Expert Corner

    Hsun-Ta Hsu, Associate Professor

    Hsun-Ta Hsu, PhD

    School of Social Work.

    University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

    "Student Gen AI Usage Guidance:

    1. AI should help students think. Not think for them

    2. Students are 100% responsible for their final products
    3. Instructor discretions may supersede the guidance
    4. Data that is confidential or personal should not be entered into AI tools
    5. Accountability and transparency
    Teaching Gen AI Usage Guidance
    1. AI should help instructors teach, not teach for them.
    2. Instructors are 100% responsible for their teaching materials.
    3. Ensure that AI use is inclusive.
    4. Specify course AI policies.
    5. Actively communicate with students on AI tool usage.
    6. Avoid entering confidential or personal data into AI tools.
    7. Accountability and transparency.
    8. Stay informed."

    Recommendation: 

    After all the discussion and research, it is clear that a university should have policies and regulations for AI for students' and teacher's privacy. This is the era where Artificial intelligence is common all over the world. Still, there is a different debate and difficulty in using AI all over the world. Though, 24 universities banned AI many renowned universities practiced the specific policy of AI. Though a few universities have no access to AI for students it is not clear that students do not use AI for their tasks. No one can stop using AI as a result, the result will not be good for students. So, considering all kinds of ethical and vias of the algorithm a university should make policies and regulations of AI.

    Apart from other universities, the Asian University for Women is a renowned university in Asia. Still, the authority of AUW is working to make policy for AI. Making policy is not easy for a university but still it is necessary. I believe that with the help of all stakeholders (universities, teachers, administrators, students, and staff) is possible to implement the policy. By following the "Pedagogical dimension, Governance dimension, and Operational dimension" it is easy to make policy and regulations. Students should learn how to use AI in the real world in an ethical way and without any cheating is better than stopping using AI. As a result, without any concern, students will use AI without any permission. For example, many universities have a specific policy for maintaining rules and regulations. Students use AI with proper citation and can get the idea and teachers should teach how students critical thinking ability will develop by using AI. Otherwise, without policy and regulations, students will lose their privacy, they will cheat to do their tasks. 

    Conclusion: 

    AI has brought in a new age of inventive approaches to administration, research, and instruction in higher education, ushering in an important and revolutionary change in the field. Along this path of self-discovery, significant issues of privacy and ethics emerge. Concerns about fairness, prohibition of discrimination measures, student privacy, transparency, and responsibility are covered extensively in the chapter. This emphasizes the need for strong rules and regulations to control the ethical use of AI in universities. Essentially, the chapter provides a thorough examination of the diverse aspects of artificial intelligence in higher education. Asian University for Women is focused in this chapter and how and why policy and regulation of AI is important for this university like others. By following pedagogical, governance, and operational dimensions, making policy is possible. However, it is essential to have policy and regulation of AI in higher education. 

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    References:

    Chan, C. K. Y. (2023). A comprehensive AI policy education framework for university teaching and learning. International journal of educational technology in higher education, 20(1), 38.

    Kannan, H., Rodriguez, R. V., Paprika, Z. Z. (2023). Navigating the future: The need for regulation in AI usage in higher education. 

    Khedkar, S. (2023). Using AI-powered tools effectively for academic research. Retrieved June, 22, 2023.

    Khare, K., Stewart, B., & Khare, A. (2018). Artificial intelligence and the student experience: An institutional perspective. The International Academic Forum (IAFOR)

    Somasundaram, M., Latha, P., & Pandian, S. S. (2020). Curriculum design using artificial intelligence (AI) back propagation method. Procedia Computer Science, 172, 134-138.

    Zhai, X., Chu, X., Chai, C. S., Jong, M. S. Y., Istenic, A., Spector, M., ... & Li, Y. (2021). A Review of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Education from 2010 to 2020. Complexity, 2021, 1-18.

    https://libguides.chapman.edu/AI/home

    https://www.researchgate.net/publication/370474286_Artificial_Intelligence_in_Education_Exploring_the_Potential_Benefits_and_Risks

    Glossary Items:



    Mosaddika Mounin
    I am Mosaddika Mounin from Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. I completed my bachelor's in 2022 from the Asian University for Women. My major was Economics, and my minor was Finance and Development Studies. Currently, I am doing a Master’s of Education in AUW. I always believe in the transformative power of knowledge and I want to be a social worker and a change-maker in the future. I have decided to set up a modern school in my future where all young girls are allowed, and full free scholarships will be available to those who have financial problems. Practical education will be more practiced because I believe that learning theoretical education does not work to become a leader, and I am optimistic about my future goal.

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