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UM Responds to AI
Ronnie V. Amorado
July 17, 2024
freepik.com
The University of Mindanao recently drafted a policy document to guide all its stakeholders on how to deal with artificial intelligence (AI), specifically on how higher educational institutions need to prepare for such emerging technology. The document, entitled, Treatise on the Use of Artificial Intelligence and Other Online Programs in the University of Mindanao, aims to prepare the university in the use, utilization, and exploitation of AI technology and other online programs (LMS, e-resources, etc) with the end goal of optimizing the technological benefits without sacrificing academic integrity. Below are excerpts of the document. Complete copies are available at the university.
Policy Statement
The University of Mindanao shall vigorously proceed and adopt education technology and innovations, including artificial intelligence and online programs, that are beneficial to the achievement of learning outcomes and performance excellence but without sacrificing academic integrity. The ethical use of technology, tempered by available resources, will be a sacrosanct obligation of all sectors of the university.
Rationale
UNESCO has raised the alarm over using artificial intelligence tools in schools, urging regulators to implement tighter restrictions on their usage….The UN agency points to a spike in plagiarism and cheating incidents via AI platforms.
As opposed to human intelligence, artificial intelligence (AI) is generally referred to as machine intelligence based on a set of programmed and programmable tasks using various algorithms and developed in other online programs as software or computer systems, including search engines, chatbots, automated applications, or pattern recognition programs (facial, speech, movement, voice, language), among others. It is a technology designed to make computers or machines intelligent that are able to search and respond to queries or tasks on demand with speed; calculate or analyze problems; even learn and make decisions with abilities similar to or even better than humans. AI is intended for more efficiency in doing human tasks, so that humans can do other tasks that are difficult for computers to perform. For the use of commerce and industry, AI is seen as a technological panacea as part of industrial revolution, as it can learn and develop work processes. Other online programs with interactive features even with limited AI are also intended to help humans in their day-to-day tasks.
While the use of AI and other online programs can enhance organizational operational productivity, they can bring huge challenges to many pedagogical principles, policies, and practices. Without proper caution, orientation, mitigation, and control, these challenges can bring about distortions that hamper, mock, or even injure educational standards and requirements expected of all learners and learning facilitators (academic and academic support personnel). No less than the UNESCO and several scholars have raised the red flags against the abuse and use of AI in education and thus, require schools to design ethical framework and internal policy guidance for all its stakeholders.
This treatise is generally aimed to provide a set of simple and practical guidelines on the use of AI and other online programs by all the stakeholders in the university. It is the desire of the university to take stock of the opportunities offered by these technological applications but at the same time be able to prepare to face the challenges they pose to the university. It is important to highlight that UM is an educational institution that seeks to mold and cultivate student learning competencies and outcomes. Thus, this treatise shall continue to uphold the basic and traditional learning principles while adapting to new technologies.
Situationer
Dishonest students will cheat more in online classes. But even the honest students are also tempted – even seduced – because of the opportunity and ease of cheating. The nature of the online technology presents daunting problems for systems integrity (pedagogy) and the moral integrity of the users (teachers and students).
Guiding Principles
Even the wise cannot see all ends.
Responding to the current situationer and deriving from the university’s core values of excellence, honesty and integrity, innovation, and teamwork as popularly expressed in 4G (galing, gawi, gawa, gana), this treatise articulates a set of guiding principles in the use, utilization, and exploitation of AI and other online programs for the perusal of all the university’s stakeholders:
Academic integrity is an absolute guiding principle in using AI and other online programs in all the academic and non-academic operations in the university. This is intended to ensure that learners are molded and cultivated expectedly of their learning competencies. Technology is not intended for use to achieve delegated competencies. Learning facilitators – including the non-teaching personnel – are likewise expected to imbue such virtue as role models to learners.
Technological adaptability is derived from excellence and innovation that require the university to be continuously updated with latest technological trends and being adaptable to engage and adopt such technology to the extent that it is beneficial in achieving learning competencies (learners) and operational efficiency (learning facilitators).
As such, given the two guiding principles serving as foundational edicts, specific guiding principles are articulated in addition.
AI in Education
Destroying any nation does not require the use of atomic bombs or the use of long range missiles. It only requires lowering the quality of education and allowing cheating in examinations by the students. Patients die at the hands of such doctors. Buildings collapse at the hands of such engineers. Money is lost at the hands of such economists and accountants. Humanity dies at the hands of such religious scholars. Justice is lost at the hands of such judges. The collapse of education is the collapse of the nation.
AI in Research
Plagiarism is the capital crime in academics.
Transitory Provision
As a living document, this treatise shall be updated and enhanced prescriptively. The university shall pursue an adoptive educational technology that reinforces academic standards and performance excellence tempered and guided by academic integrity and all the virtues therein for good conduct.