Generative AI: A University's Approach to Understanding Opportunities and Challenges

This paper reports preliminary findings from an ongoing, campus wide research project on effective methods for generative AI applicability in pursuit of effective and engaging teaching and learning activities. Generative AI has had a tremendous adoption rate since the public release of ChatGPT 3.5 on November 30th 2022. This has necessitated that educators and administrators consider the potential opportunities and threats usage of generative AI by students and faculty may have on higher education. Recognizing the inevitability of generative AI, the researchers have proposed a university-wide research project to ascertain the changes in faculty and students perspectives when using generative AI The research project is two-fold. First, a longitudinal survey has been developed to address research questions about usage and perceptions of generative AI change over time. The second prong of this research project focuses on the implementation of new and continuing generative AI professional development workshops. These “AI Institutes” are targeted educational opportunities to provide faculty, staff, and students with hands-on experiences that model appropriate ways to teach and learn with generative AI tools. Workshops change based on audience needs, but will be designed to support such processes as introductory and advanced lessons on building learning activities which engage students with generative AI, administrative shortcuts, best practices for writing, and our university’s AI policy and principles. The longitudinal survey, thus, allows the research team to gauge changes in perspectives as the “AI Institutes'' are deployed and widespread adoption of generative AI tools become more mainstream. This paper reports on the first year of this research project, including one survey and one AI Institute. This research on integrating generative AI technologies into teaching and learning has important implications for the field of networked learning. As the paper explores, rapid advances in AI are changing how students and faculty interact with content and each other. Findings from the longitudinal survey and AI Institutes could provide insights into how to thoughtfully leverage these emerging tools to enhance connections, dialogue, collaboration, and co-creation of knowledge within digital learning networks.  While further research is needed, this project takes an important first step in assessing faculty and student perceptions that can inform appropriate AI integration. Lessons learned could guide other institutions exploring the potentials and pitfalls of weaving generative AI into networked learning ecosystems

Frontier Lab for AI Readiness (FLAIR) Project

The Department of Teaching Innovation and Learning Technologies (TILT) at Fort Hays State University aims to establish the “Frontier Lab for AI Readiness” (FLAIR) to harness innovative artificial intelligence methods for the growth and development of Northwest Kansas. This initiative would position FHSU as the epicenter for AI training, education, and advancement on the Great Plains. FLAIR\u27s objectives are threefold: First, it will offer educational opportunities to FHSU students and the Northwest Kansas community, including certificates, badges, and apprenticeships, through genuine interdisciplinary collaborations. This lab will equip learners for an AI-focused workforce. Second, FLAIR would connect with the community to tackle rural-specific challenges by applying AI to support sectors like agriculture, education, healthcare, small businesses, data analysis, and community infrastructures. Last, it will ensure that AI\u27s transformative power benefits the regional economy by working closely with local enterprises to boost workforce development. By launching FLAIR, FHSU aims to become a leader in applied AI, foster interdisciplinary and community-wide technological collaborations, and chart a sustainable course for Northwest Kansas. As the integration of AI becomes more widespread, FHSU would be poised to lead its application in rural settings

Fostering Digital Communities: A Case Study of a University’s Digital Master Plan Designed for Networked Learning Among Online Learners

As online education expands, fostering digital communities that support networked learning becomes imperative. However, many universities lack comprehensive digital strategies to facilitate engagement and connections in distributed environments. This research examines the development of an inaugural digital master plan at a university where half of the student population is online. Guided by Moore's theory of interactions (1989) and Garrison's Community of Inquiry framework (2017), the plan aimed to enable meaningful student-to-content, student-to-instructor, and student-to-student interactions.  The digital master plan was designed to provide high-level guidance on the intentional and purposeful use of the educational technologies, tools, platforms, and systems necessary for a robust online learning experience. It creates a cohesive vision and strategy for the digital learning experience, just as a campus master plan aligns the physical learning spaces. The digital master plan leverages the Community of Inquiry framework as a key reference point in its comprehensive gap analysis. The collaborative process involved multiple methods to assess gaps in the university’s infrastructure including: National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) data, three internal surveys, an external diagnostic analysis and plan, and audits of the learning management system's tools and usage. Quantitative data provided insights into student perceptions, while qualitative findings explored the depth of social relationships and learning networks enabled through digital platforms. Throughout the process, the research team aimed to understand the social learning processes that support how learners develop and utilize technology to learn and foster a sense of belonging (Garrison, 2017). The process harnesses the natural motivations underpinning social network formation - namely information sharing, support seeking, and sense of belonging. Further, it operationalizes these motivations to achieve CoI's high-order learning community goals. Analysis revealed key gaps related to: clearly defining and measuring online student success, expanding engagement opportunities in courses, leveraging technologies to facilitate connections, building a collaborative faculty culture, and improving communication. In response, the final digital master plan put forth five recommendations focused on these priority areas. Implementation and evaluation of digital platforms aligned to the recommendations indicate positive impacts on online students' sense of connectedness, learning experience, and academic performance. This research makes important theoretical and practical contributions by developing a replicable institutional process for assessing and strategically enhancing a digital ecosystem to foster networked learning. The digital master plan provides guidance for the adoption of social technologies and pedagogies to increase community, connectivity, and collaboration. As online education continues to expand, insights from this case study can inform strategic digital planning efforts at other universities striving to overcome transactional distance and cultivate impactful virtual learning communities

Perceptions of Social Belonging Within Higher Education Students

The purpose of this research was to investigate the efficacy of a student-centered social media platform for higher education students. Social belonging significantly influences educational success, as heightened feelings of belonging among students correlate with increased motivation to stay engaged and learn (Marler et al., 2021). The conceptual framework for this study uses the intersection of social presence and social capital as resulting in social belonging. Social capital refers to the networks students build through interactions with others that could prove to be valuable resources (Lefebrve et al., 2016). Social presence looks at the interaction and relational aspects of these networks as students need to build a social relationship and engage others in their academic work (Kreijns et al., 2014). Social presence emerges as an important factor in online education especially as enhancement is shown to positively improve interaction and performance (Chun-Wang et al., 2012). Social presence and social capital overlap to create social belonging which focuses on interpersonal relationships and how expansion of these relationships occurs through communication and common experiences in the academics (Lingat et al., 2022). The goal of this study was to investigate feelings of social belonging across students at Fort Hays State University with both an online and on-campus population similar in size. Hypotheses stated that student use of the institution’s online community would result in higher levels of social belonging compared to students who did not use the platform. A sequential mixed methods research approach was deployed to address the research question (Cameron, 2009): Does a virtual community platform help promote students’ sense of belonging?. For the quantitative methodology, a survey was distributed to both on-campus and online student populations (n = 230). An independent t-test was conducted but found no significance indicating no differences in terms of online platform use: social capital, t(228) = .34, p \u3c .73, social presence, t(228) = .68, p \u3c .50, social belonging, t(228) = .74, p \u3c .46. Additionally, a Mann-Whitney U test was performed which looked at differences in social belonging between the online and on-campus students. Results demonstrating overall social belonging yielded no significance between the online and the on-campus students, (U = 4664.50, p = .33). With this lack of significance in the initial results, an exploratory regression was conducted to investigate social belonging’s relationship to the online platform. Significance was found, the online platform use was predictive of overall social belonging, r (117) = .40, p \u3c .001. For the qualitative results, a sample of interviews were collected from participants who took the initial survey (n = 7). Data from these interviews will be displayed in a table representing coded responses in alignment with the conceptual framework. As a whole, despite the lack of difference between online and on-campus groups, social belonging is still a critical factor in student success in higher education with connections to student motivation and engagement (Marler et al., 2021). The exploratory analysis showed that online platforms targeting student interactions may increase students’ social belonging which has a potential to increase student engagement and success. Further implications drawn from this study point towards the benefits of increasing social belonging within higher education. Understanding the different factors within social belonging such as social capital and social presences can help develop further research and interventions aiming to promote social belonging in future research

Play the Game: Evaluation of Psychological Capital, Emotional Intelligence, and Virtual Team Performance among Online Gaming Teams

Virtual teams are becoming ubiquitous with the contemporary work environment. Shutdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated many to reconceive the workplace whereby people accomplished work no longer located in immediate proximity, leading many teams to engage online in virtual spaces. Even in a post-lockdown world, virtual teams have remained widely used within the workplace. Online gaming has exploded in popularity, it allows people to interact with others from across the world. Numerous parallels exist between online gaming teams and problem-solving teams often used in the contemporary workplace: 1) pursuing a shared goal; 2) identifying member roles; and 3) collaborating together to accomplish a task. The purpose of our research is to examine the role that psychological capital and emotional intelligence play in team success within an online gaming team challenge. Participants will compete in an online video game event, where their goal, as a 6-player team, is to solve a set of challenges within 24 hours. The researchers will conduct a content analysis of participant recordings from the event. Findings and implications will be discussed. Understanding member interaction among online gaming teams has potential implications for how workplace teams can interact more effectively together

Social Belonging Perceptions Across FHSU Students

Social belonging is a critical aspect of student success and well-being in higher education. Research on social belonging has thus far primarily focused on traditional, on campus students in higher education; however, higher education institutions have seen an increased number of online students post pandemic (D’Agostino, 2022). Fort Hays State University (FHSU) has likewise seen a growing number of online students, with 3,807 on campus students compared to 6,604 online students for the 2021-2022 school year. Data from the 2021 NISS Diagnostic Analysis resulted in the following executive summary, “Improve outcomes for online students by better understanding the specific obstacles they are facing and by targeting supports in response”. To address the growing need to understand the unique perspectives of FHSU’s online students and to contribute to the overall FHSU student success the Teaching Innovations and Learning Technologies (TILT) department designed a mixed methods research project with the intention to build a faculty facing workshop that is data driven by FHSU students. A design-based research approach was taken to support the project’s lofty goals. An initial analysis of past data was conducted using 2021 NSSE survey data, 2021 NISS Diagnostic Analysis and Playbook, and the FHSU’s 2021 Post-Pandemic survey data. This data was used to construct the theoretical framework of social belonging for this project, which includes social capital and social presence. Next, a sequential mixed methods approach was deployed using a qualitative survey followed by qualitative, semi-structured interviews. This poster will report on the project’s design, theoretical framework, and preliminary findings

Games to Grades: Evaluation of Psychological Capital, Emotional Intelligence, and Virtual Team Performance among Project Teams

Group projects are frequently used in higher education courses to facilitate collaboration; however, group effectiveness can vary greatly, resulting in individual stress and poor academic performance. To alleviate this, some instructors utilize peer evaluation. While instructors are well intentioned these rubrics rarely, if ever, are grounded in the constructs of collaboration that they wish to foster. This research poster reports on an ongoing project to develop a self and peer evaluation grounded in psychological capital and emotional intelligence, the EQ-PSY Evaluation. These constructs were selected based on their dimensions for individual and social capacities to capture effective teamwork. This poster will report on preliminary findings from a semester-long leadership course which is designed to scaffold students through a group-led project and implemented the EQ-PSY Evaluation. Findings will be discussed, and attendees will be able to provide feedback to the researchers. The EQ-PSY Evaluation will be available for attendees to modify and take back to use in their own teaching contexts. This project has implications for understanding member interaction among student project teams, and potential implications for how educators can facilitate teams to interact more effectively together

A Smart Resume Builder Tool Using Generative AI

Crafting a standout resume is crucial in today’s competitive job market. Not only does it create a strong first impression on employers but it also it opens the doors for endless job opportunities. Despite existing resume assistance for FHSU students on the Career Services page, there\u27s a lack of tools for generating or streamlining the resume writing process. To address this issue, an efficient resume builder utilizing OpenAI’s GPT-3.5 model was developed specifically for FHSU students. Its key features include intuitive template selection, dynamic AI-generated content for tailored resumes, multi-format output supporting PDF and Word formats, and a user-friendly experience with responsive design across devices. By integrating these features, the resume builder, or TigerResumeCraft, empowers users to craft attention-grabbing resumes aligned with their career goals, ultimately enhancing their success in the job market

Gender Detection in Facial Images: A Comprehensive CNN Analysis

This research investigates the construction of a robust gender detection system using facial features and Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), exploring the impact of different layer configurations on accuracy and computational efficiency. With a validation accuracy of 91%, findings illuminate the nuanced relationship between precision and computational resources, enriching discussions on facial recognition technologies