“AI is evolving so quickly and by working together we will help North Dakota teachers adopt and expand new practices more quickly,” Alan LaFave, VCSU president, said in the news release.
VCSU AI INSTITUTE FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING
According to VCSU, the institute will have six priorities to help upskill students and teachers. The institute will acquire software to develop generative AI tools like large language models, and set standards for the ethical use of these tools. Through stipends, scholarships and awards for educators and students, the institute will help engage its community in training opportunities and AI coursework, and offer AI excellence awards. The center aims to train teachers, both VCSU faculty and K-12 educators, through its own programming — online courses, summer workshops and faculty training.
With faculty harnessing AI, the institute hopes to create more personalized learning opportunities, and prepare graduates for AI-enabled careers upon graduation.
Funding for the first two years of the program will come from a $1 million Workforce Education Innovation Fund (WEIF) grant, established by the North Dakota legislature in 2023. Long-term sustainability will rely on grants and service fees, according to the news release.
NDSU INSTITUTE FOR AI IN LEARNING AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
NDSU’s Institute for AI in Learning and Workforce Development is designed to expand AI literacy, workforce training and interdisciplinary research across the university and the state. The institute will be launched using one-time legislative funds, with long-term support expected through philanthropic contributions, according to documents submitted to the state board.
Similar to VCSU’s endeavor, the NDSU institute aims to integrate AI literacy across all majors, and into at least 60 percent of degree programs by year three of its development; and to train at least 50 educators per year. The NDSU institute plans to engage with K-12 schools by offering dual credit courses in AI. It also aims to drive AI research, particularly in agriculture, engineering, health, education and business.
The main difference between the two institutes is NDSU’s plan to engage with industry through employer-sponsored boot camps, and companies engaging in AI labs and training.
“The institute’s mission to work in both NDSU’s departments and programs and connect to industry is a paramount need of the state and region as AI skills become more in demand and implemented,” the proposal said, indicating no center with this mission currently exists.
AI institutes and centers are growing more popular at institutes of higher education, and as collaborations among them. Google hosts an AI for Education Accelerator, and the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) brought 124 institutions together to participate in its Institute on AI, Pedagogy, and the Curriculum last year.
According to the AAC&U, as AI evolves and demands more from higher education, the institutes can “help campuses navigate these complexities, engage in curricular and pedagogical reform, and address the array of related concerns associated with AI in higher education, including questions about policies, ethics, and the future of higher learning.”
