COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Ohio State students will return to campus next month with a new academic expectation: AI fluency.
In June, Ohio State University announced that by 2029, every student will graduate with the ability to use AI in relation to their major. Provost Ravi Bellamkonda provided an update at a Board of Trustees committee meeting this month, saying the new requirements will make the university more competitive. See previous coverage in the video player above.
“I guarantee you that the average salary of our students — I’m imposing a measure here — will be higher if they know how to apply AI in whatever it is they choose to do than if they do not,” Bellamkonda said. “It’s as simple as that.”
A trustee said members of the public have reached out and asked if they will be able to take artificial intelligence fluency courses, too. Although OSU is developing courses for its students, Bellamkonda said it also plans to launch an online AI course for small business owners by the end of the summer.
He said the course will cost less than $500 and provide entrepreneurs with the tools to incorporate AI in running their businesses. Bellamkonda said the university also plans to eventually launch a small, in-person, several-day-long AI business course for the public.
Bellamkonda mainly offered a glimpse into OSU’s planning ahead of introducing the AI Fluency program this fall. The presentation included the university’s definition of AI Fluency: “Equipping students to be fluent in the application of AI in their field of study.”
He said incorporating AI into every major is a large undertaking, and it comes with a lot of questions. As provost, he knows firsthand that many of the student code of conduct issues last semester stemmed from improper AI use. He said they are still figuring out how to prevent cheating and how to make assignments meaningful tools for learning.
Bellamkonda was joined by Associate Marketing Professor Jeff Dotson and Shereen Agrawal, executive director for the Center for Software Innovation. Agrawal, who is part of the AI fluency planning, said Ohio State developed learning outcomes to evaluate students’ progress with AI. These include foundational skills, how to input answers for a specific result, and exploring different implications of using AI, including ethical and environmental concerns.
Agrawal said OSU is redeveloping its general education launch course to include AI, a class all freshmen students are required to take. The AI implementation team is also working with colleges and departments to see how they can best embed AI into preexisting courses and pathways.
Dotson also addressed the trustees, speaking as an educator who has already incorporated AI into lectures. Dotson teaches a class on market research, and he said he used to spend 80% of the class teaching students to mine data, and just 20% helping them use the data to make decisions. With AI, Dotson said he can now spend 60-70% of class time on critical thinking and analyzing.
Agrawal said Ohio State plans to meet students where they are by working AI into the first things students do on campus. She said OSU also plans to partner with K-12 schools to help facilitate a smoother transition from high school to college, especially as younger students learn more and more about AI. Dotson said students are using AI already, so it’s important to get ahead of it.
“To believe they are not using it is naivety, I think we need to be formal about how we approach this,” Dotson said.
