ECU leaders rollout new AI strategy to prepare students for changing workforce - witn.com

GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) — East Carolina University is launching a new strategy to integrate artificial intelligence in the classroom to prepare graduates for an increasingly competitive job market.

The ECU Board of Trustees heard the emerging strategy during a meeting Thursday morning. The plan focuses on advancing AI literacy and competency across all degree programs.

Zach Loch, ECU’s chief information officer, said the initiative directly addresses changes across multiple industries.

“We know that AI is having a huge impact into the industries that we’re sending students, and we want our students to be prepared,” Loch said.

Loch outlined a four-year plan already underway, which currently offers an AI-literacy course. The goal is to integrate AI into all degree programs and make it accessible to every student by next year. Ultimately, university leaders envision ECU serving as a regional gateway for advancing AI competency throughout eastern North Carolina.

Students say the training is needed as hiring expectations evolve.

“My brother finished his master’s at NC State for computer science, and he’s looking for jobs, but with the AI market, it’s so hard to find something,” ECU freshman Mithul Raghu said. “So, I think that implementing AI into classes will actually have a very positive outcome.”

During Thursday’s meeting, board members also saw how students are already using AI in class. Joshua Martinez, an ECU student, showcased “TheoTeach,” an AI-powered tutoring tool he developed after facing challenges in a difficult computer science course.

“We wanted to bridge that gap,” Martinez said. “We want them to understand what’s going on on-screen as [the professor is] going through the class, but without having them lose any of the information or knowledge that he’s trying to convey.”

Martinez emphasized that AI skills will be essential for graduates moving forward.

“We need to know how to use AI in the same manner, so that way we know how to implement it into every single aspect and to create a better world with it,” Martinez said.

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