Recently launched “AI Dialogues” podcast presents information and nuanced discussion about the use of AI in university

A new Spotify podcast titled AI Dialogues recently was launched by McMaster's MacPherson Institute, featuring discussions on the use of generative AI in higher education and at McMaster University. 

The MacPherson Institute is McMaster's teaching and learning center and provides instructors and teaching assistants with resources and training. The podcast discusses practical and ethical questions regarding the use of AI in education and aims to present this discussion to both educators and students who may not be familiar with AI technology.

Presently, according to McMaster's provisional guidelines on the use of AI and the final report by the Task Force on Generative Artificial Intelligence in Teaching and Learning, McMaster's current policy on the use of generative AI is that students should assume they do not have permission to use the technology unless otherwise specified by their instructor.

In an interview, Stephanie Verkoeyen, an educational developer at the MacPherson Institute and the host of the podcast, expressed thoughts on many instructors restricting the use of generative AI in the classroom. “A lot of instructors seem to be taking the approach right now of just banning use (of AI),” said Verkoeyen. 

Verkoeyen stated that a reason for this approach may be a lack of resources and dedicated opportunities for educators to investigate the positive and negative implications of AI for themselves and their students. Verkoeyen hopes that the podcast will reach these educators and bring them different perspectives on the use of AI in higher education. 

Four episodes have been released and have featured discussions with guests who take both supportive and more critical positions on the use of AI in education. For the second episode, MSU President Jovan Popovic was featured as a guest and discussed what he has been hearing from students on the topic.

On the fourth episode, guest Mat Savelli, an associate professor in the Department of Health, Aging and Society at McMaster, shared a more critical perspective of the use of AI. According to Verkoeyen, aspects of this perspective were rooted in concerns that it could undermine the critical thinking skills of students, such as when AI is used to summarize information.

For future episodes, Verkoeyen stated that some planned topics include discussing how educators can be better taught and trained to use and apply generative AI in their teaching, what potential to improve teaching AI possesses and how AI could improve the accessibility of learning in higher education. 

Students, educators, and anyone interested in the discussion surrounding the use of AI in higher education can listen to the podcast on Spotify.

The MacPherson Institute has launched a new zine exploring barriers of access on campus

C/O LQ from This Insane Life: MadStudents Zine, 2014

The MacPherson Institute, McMaster’s teaching and learning centre, has launched a new zine on disability, accessibility and teaching and learning at McMaster University.

Current and former McMaster students with lived experiences of disability, disablement, inaccessibility and ableism are invited to contribute to the zine to share and voice their experiences. This could include any barriers to access they might have experienced at McMaster or other post-secondary institutions.

Current and former McMaster students with lived experiences of disability, disablement, inaccessibility and ableism are invited to contribute to the zine to share and voice their experiences.

The zine project is being led by disabled students and alumni.

“[The zine] seeks to uncover and document the labour and legacy of these disabled student initiatives and others (individual and collective; formal and informal) we haven’t heard from yet,” as stated on the website

“The zine takes an arts-based approach to educational pedagogy and seeks to inform educators and faculty about the struggles of students who are or identify as a disabled, neurodivergent or are service users of mental health,” explains Evonne Syed, a third-year undergraduate MacPherson student partner and educational research assistant on the zine team.

The project will hope to acknowledge the need for greater accessibility and disability inclusion in the classroom, within curricula and on-campus. The project also builds on the work of a similar 2014 McMaster zine on Mad student experiences. It will also contribute to commemorations for the 50th anniversary of the MacPherson Institute.

Both individual and group submissions are being accepted in multiple formats, including but not limited to: creative arts such as collage, comics, graphic design, drawing, painting, photography; literary arts like dialogues/interviews, essays, poetry, lyrics, reflections, satire, short fiction, theatre scripts; or other ideas such as lists, recipes, games, etc.

The submission deadline is March 31 and can be submitted through a Google Form. Contributors will be notified about the status of their piece on May 1, with the publication date set for summer 2021. 

“Art is [one of the] the most successful modes for expression… there aren't really many guidelines and you have a lot of freedom with what you do and how you express yourself. In that way we can appeal to a wider audience when it comes to talking about disability and accessibility,” emphasized Tanisha Warrier, a second-year biology student on the zine team.

“Art is [one of the] the most successful modes for expression… there aren't really many guidelines and you have a lot of freedom with what you do and how you express yourself. In that way we can appeal to a wider audience when it comes to talking about disability and accessibility"

Tanisha Warrier

Up to 30 current students and alumni from 2011-2020 are eligible to receive a $125 honorarium for any pieces chosen for publication in the zine. Other contributors whose pieces are chosen for publication will be eligible to request an honorarium.

The amount will depend on the project budget and the overall number of accepted submissions. These honoraria are funded by grants from the Arts Research Board at McMaster University as well as the Student Success Centre’s Career Access Professional Services Program.

“Something that I really love about this project is that we are asking the people who are [directly] impacted by these [accessibility] barriers what their experiences are and compensating them for their contributions,“ said Emunah Woolf, a social work placement student on the zine team.

“A lot of times, we either don't ask the people who are impacted and, therefore, don't solve it in a way that actually fixes the issues. We're asking folks from equity-seeking groups how they want equity and then not actually compensating them for that knowledge or that labour,” said Woolf.

The zine will be an open-access publication that will be distributed to students, staff, faculty and campus partners. After the publication, the zine team plans on conducting research to evaluate the engagement and impact of the zine, such as through focus groups and surveys of contributors and readers.

The zine team emphasized the importance of this project in creating a more inclusive space for those with disabilities.

“We need to start having more conversations. Not only within our own friend circles and things like that, but also conversations with higher-ups in academics and larger, more influential people in our faculties to ensure that voices are being heard, and are being taken to a place where change can actually take place,” said Vikita Mehta, a second-year arts and science student on the zine team.

The team also highlighted tangible action that must follow through with the contributions of the zine, especially to make the learning environment more accessible for disabled folks.

The team also highlighted tangible action that must follow through with the contributions of the zine, especially to make the learning environment more accessible for disabled folks.  

“With the release of [the zine to] really set the scene, it might also be helpful to educators and [professors] in incorporating a more inclusive educational framework and improve their teaching methods in terms of how they structure their classes, so that it's more accessible for different students [of] different abilities,” said Syed.

“We need to ensure that the playing field level when it comes to school, work and academics [is made so] that everyone has equal opportunity to succeed,” added Warrier.

“We need to ensure that the playing field level when it comes to school, work and academics [is made so] that everyone has equal opportunity to succeed." 

Tanisha Warrier

New specializations are coming to life for the next academic year.

With an enrollment of over 1,100 students in the Honours Life Sciences program, the School of Interdisciplinary Sciences has been working to devise new specializations for the benefit of this large cohort.

The surprising twist? Students themselves are helping to spearhead the design of these specializations.

Four Life Sciences students at the university currently serve as MacPherson Student Partners under the direction of Prof. Kim Dej, who holds the MacPherson Leadership in Teaching and Learning Fellowship.

Together, they are involved in a two-year project to analyze the impact of specializations on student engagements and academic success.

“Last summer, [the faculty] reached out to students, where we held a day-long workshop asking them what they would like to see. That workshop made us realize we should have been working with students all along,” said Prof. Dej, “[I think] an important part of life science curriculum development has these partnerships with students.”

Over the past year, the student partners have been working on curriculum design, looking at outcomes, as well as survey data. They have come up with eight tentative sub plans before finalizing two as optional specializations for the program.

The specializations gravitate towards the subject of human health and wellbeing to captivate student interest. Rather than merely serving as a gateway to professional school, the specializations are more so intended to provide exposure to diverse topics and many potential career paths.

Students working for students appear to be the key theme of this project.

“Talking to friends of mine who have either graduated or are in fourth year, they feel like they needed more structure in the program,” said Aisha Mohamed, a third-year Life Sciences student, and MacPherson student partner. “ It’s been nice getting feedback and knowing that we can make changes to accommodate them.”

“I would have wanted more guidance out of first year that would direct me for the next three years,” added Hannah Kearney, also a student partner.

"Talking to friends of mine who have either graduated or are in fourth year, they feel like they needed more structure in the program."
Aisha Mohamed
MacPherson Student partner 

The two specializations, Sensory Motor Systems and Origin of Disease, are currently in the process of being finalized. Pending approval by the Senate, the new plans may be offered as soon as in the Fall 2017 curriculum.

Looking forward, Prof. Dej hopes to accomplish much more for the students in the Honours Life Sciences program by directing an interdisciplinary approach. Some of the areas she hopes to cover include public health, policy and science communications, among others.

“This isn’t the end; we want to explore more and hopefully explore outside the faculty to find things that cross these academic silos. Students who enter into the sciences are still interested in humanities and social sciences, and we wish to make these things thread together,” she said.

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