Valdosta University professors embrace AI in the classroom

• Almost 48% of professors in higher education have yet to utilize AI in the classroom.
• Valdosta State is helping professors implement AI in their lessons to enhance teaching methods.
• Watch the video to hear from VSU professor Michelle Ocasio, who was one of 16 professors across the state to join the Governor's Fellow's symposium.

BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT

According to Ellucian, almost 48% of professors in higher education say they have yet to utilize artificial intelligence, or A-I, in the classroom.

Valdosta State is working on getting their professors up to speed.

"They are blown away by how powerful it is."

I’m Malia Thomas, your neighborhood reporter here, and I’m taking a look at how this impacts local— and state, education

This is Michelle Ocasio, associate professor of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages at VSU.

She's teached numerous students over her 13 years here in Valdosta.

"I love it here. I have great colleagues, great department and great students."

She tells me she became inspired to use AI in her lessons after dabbling with it on her own and seeing the benefits in the real world.

"I've been working with a colleague in virtual reality and we're trying to develop how to get students to step in to a an authentic location and speak to AI avatars so that they can correct their pronunciation and their grammar."

Her worked earned her a spot among 16 other higher education faculty members in the state at the Governor's Teaching Fellows Program symposium titled "Artificial Intelligence in the Holistic Classroom" earlier this year.

"The conference in Athens was an eye opener. It really taught me how to use AI from the bottom up and it explored large language models."

Ocasio and Landau will be moving forward in helping other professors implement AI in their lessons. In Valdosta, I’m Malia Thomas, reporting for ABC27.