LC Students Host Panel on AI and Education

GODFREY - Lewis and Clark Community College students, faculty and community members gathered online and in-person Tuesday, May 6, for a dynamic panel discussion on how artificial intelligence is reshaping learning, teaching and the modern workplace.

Faculty and student panelists spoke candidly, sharing both enthusiasm and caution about AI's growing influence in daily life.

Former Student Trustee Jim Eck, who helped organize the event, commended the students and faculty who made the event a success, with around 80 in attendance online and in person.

"How we navigate using AI as educators, students, and more broadly as a society may not have full clarity yet," Eck said. "But what is very clear from our discussion today is that real person-to-person communications will put us in a much better position for individual, student, educator, and societal gains."

The conversation opened with faculty reflections on emerging research about "cognitive surrender," which is when users over-trust AI responses because of their confident tone.

"The idea of cognitive surrender is something that all of us, as instructors but even as students, should not lose sight of," said Professor of Speech Mumba Mumba, who served as one of the faculty panelists. "We have to continue to question what's in front of us. That's the human intelligence element we can bring to AI that should not be lost."

In addition to Mumba, panelists included students Julia Janus, Wrigley Releford, Roland Gonzalez and Ethan Micklevitz, as well as faculty members David F. Ollenbittle, Francis Corby and Christina Wickenhauser. President's Student Advisory Council members Jacob Wicker and Lashod Robinson moderated the event.

Students Emphasize AI as a Learning Tool, Not a Replacement

Students on the panel described using AI for studying, organizing coursework, generating practice tests, and even managing time.

"It's great when I have homework, and I need a tutor, and it's midnight," Micklevitz said. "I don't think it will ever replace teachers, or I hope it won't. There's something about the human interaction aspect of learning that remains incredibly important."

Janus said she uses AI to help organize her thoughts and ideas when she's writing a paper, to ensure they are presented in a cohesive way.

Others highlighted creative uses, such as generating social media ideas or turning class notes into flashcards. Still, they stressed the importance of personal responsibility.

"At the end of the day, it's a tool," Gonzalez said. "Your intention is what matters most."

Faculty Highlight Ethics, Critical Thinking and Classroom Adaptation

Instructors echoed the need for balance, urging students to use AI without letting it replace their own thinking. Several faculty members discussed new classroom strategies, including the use of handwritten assignments, clear AI-use policies, and teaching students how to verify AI-generated information.

"Just don't allow it to replace you," said Ollenbittle, who teaches in the college's Digital Streaming and Broadcast Media program. "Use it to help yourself but then use your human intelligence as well. It's as simple as that."

Corby urged students not to let AI outshine who they are as people and students.

"You all have your own unique identities, and everyone's a collection of cells that will never, ever be replicated," he said.

Wickenhauser added that AI literacy must become a core skill for anyone hoping to join the workforce in the future.

"I really think AI education needs to be widespread across the college," Wickenhauser said. "We all need to get on board and figure out the ways we would approach the output that we get from AI to make sure it's accurate, because in the end, we're going to be responsible for whatever we use from it."

Workforce Implications: Opportunity and Uncertainty

The panel also explored how AI is reshaping career paths.

Students expressed excitement for new opportunities but also concern-particularly in creative fields like music production and graphic design, where AI tools are rapidly advancing.

Experts are quick to point out, though, that AI cannot truly replicate human creativity.

Cognitive Psychologist Mark A. Runco, who published an article on this very topic in the December 2023 issue of the Journal of Creativity, said it's important to distinguish AI's "artificial creativity" from the real thing. Human creativity is driven by experience and authenticity, which is something AI cannot manufacture.

Faculty also noted that new roles will emerge, including AI trainers, consultants, and verification specialists - perhaps jobs that we can't even predict.

"AI is changing rapidly," Wickenhauser said. "Students need to jump in now and build the skills that will help them lead in the workforce."

A Call for Responsible, Human-centered Use

The event concluded with questions from the audience and a reminder that AI's impact depends on how people choose to use it.

"We cannot forget the human element that has been there since the beginning of time," Corby said.

Robinson closed by urging attendees to approach AI with integrity and purpose.

"We need to ask ourselves one question when we use it," he said. "Do we use AI to help others, or only to help ourselves?"

President Ken Trzaska said AI will continue to be an important topic of discussion on campus. An AI team on campus has been working to build and implement a campus policy on the use of AI in college business as well as in the classroom.

"It is a thread stretching across curriculum and processes," said President Ken Trzaska. "Seeing such an amazing group of Lewis and Clark student leaders drive today's program is inspiring. I appreciate each of them and also our remarkable faculty who lent wisdom and perspective alongside our students to create an important conversation."