Artificial intelligence, core course access at issue in Texas Senate higher education hearing

AUSTIN (KXAN) - The Texas Senate Subcommittee on Higher Education convened Tuesday morning to consider some of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s interim legislative charges.

Tuesday’s agenda includes interim charges related to monitoring new funding for public junior colleges, the use of artificial intelligence and other technologies in higher education and access to core curriculum courses. Core courses are required by the state for all undergraduate students.

Core curriculum accessibility is one of Patrick’s additional interim charges released on Sept. 10 and focuses on reviewing — and if needed, reforming — students' access to core courses. It also includes looking into issues that could reduce access to in-person classes.

UT Austin has expanded students’ options for satisfying core course requirements and provides different ways students can take these courses, Rachel Mersey, interim provost of the University of Texas at Austin, said at the committee hearing. Ninety percent of the 1,454 core courses are offered on campus, 6.9% are in a hybrid format and 3.1% are online only. The university also offers core curriculum courses at $500 per course during the summer semesters.

“UT Austin has been offering this small number of our largest classes online for more than a decade,” Mersey said. “These are not your pandemic Zoom courses. The online specific design of these classes enables more interaction and engagement for students than is possible in large in-person classes.”

Texas A&M University has addressed growth by hiring faculty, increasing class sizes and adding online course options to expand teaching capacity, Alan Sams, provost and executive vice president, said. However, all classes but one that are offered online also have an in-person equivalent.

“As we’ve grown, we have prioritized the student experience, focusing on quality, accessibility, affordability and student success,” Sams said.

The other agenda items stem from Patrick’s original interim charges released on April 11. Among those, monitoring new community college funding includes reporting on if student outcomes and workforce training are being focused on in the rulemaking process.

Sarah Keyton, interim commissioner of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, said the new system rewards the progress colleges make to the state’s higher education goals.

Keyton also touched on various new programs that are allowing students to gain college credit while still in high school, certification for various jobs and, for adult students, the opportunity to get their high school diploma while taking career programs at community college.

“Thanks to (the financial aid for swift transfer) program, students across Texas have been able to access more than 1.4 million semester credit hours of dual credit at no cost, providing a tremendous head start on their college journey while they're still in high school,” said Brenda Kays, president of Kilgore College and board chair of the Texas Association of Community Colleges.

The technology and AI charge looks at challenges, uses and the ethics of using emerging technologies like artificial intelligence in higher education.

Michelle Singh, assistant commissioner for digital learning at the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, spoke about the Adapting to Innovation Initiative.

“As we stand at the cusp of transformative technological change, our higher education institutions face both unprecedented challenges and extraordinary opportunities,” Singh said. “The landscape of teaching, learning and institutional operations is evolving rapidly, and our ability to adapt will define our success.”

In Fall 2022, an AI subcommittee was formed that brought together experts from across the state, and the board is working to put together resources for higher education institutions. This includes various courses and webinars for educators, and a planned AI hub that will be launched.

Singh said AI is being used to complement curriculum. For example, an AI chatbot could be used to answer questions about a syllabus.

“If students frequently are asking one particular question, instead of a student needing to ask the faculty member directly, you can build a chat bot that understands a syllabus and then goes and gives those responses based on the actual document,” Singh said.

UT San Antonio President Taylor Eighmy talked about a new college being developed at UTSA’s downtown campus. He said they are also creating a new department of AI and data science in addition an AI hub for the National Science Foundation that will soon be announced.

UTSA has released generative AI faculty and student guides and is in the process of creating credentialing programs in AI, Eighmy said.

“Developing this new college in San Antonio for UTSA is at the epicenter of the future, and we're really excited about it,” Singh said.