Mapping AI and OER: Focus groups and webinars

[Meredith Jacob]

Greetings colleagues,

TL;DR (too long; didn’t read)

Participate in a focus group: If you’re working with AI tools in the context of creating or using OER (or if you’re considering it and/or have concerns about the use of AI) please register for a focus/discussion group over the next six weeks to contribute to our mapping and research: 

https://auwcl.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUpfu6oqDksEtd3f2Z22dFAHTqKq8UljUDv 

These focus groups will feed out into two webinars

Attend a webinar: If you’d like to attend our pair of webinars about copyright, AI and open education on August 14 and September 11 please register here:

https://auwcl.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Tye_ZlmATnSmrT1jFnDwTQ 

If you have any questions, please email mja...@wcl.american.edu and Will Cross, wmc...@ncsu.edu. 

Long version

In partnership with members of the OER community,  we are developing guidance materials for open educators as they continue to explore the function of AI tools and negotiate if and how AI might benefit open education.  This work will focus primarily on copyright and information policy and is intended to complement and support other ongoing work to evaluate AI tools for education.

 Please note that there is a separate registration link for to participate in a focus group or interview and then to register for the webinars.

Workshops and interviews with OER authors, educators and librarians to map current and potential uses of AI, and to understand risks and concerns.  To navigate all the noise about AI tools, we need to address real uses and risks.  Right now, we have (at best) an imperfect and evolving understanding of what AI actually looks like on the ground. So we are hoping to connect with the community to see if and how you are using AI. In that spirit, we would love to hear from you about your experience - good, bad, and strange - using AI in OE. Topics include:  

• Using AI tools for Open Education 
• Uses of AI tools in materials creation
• Uses of AI tools to adapt and deliver OER
• Using AI to support diverse learners
• AI and disability access
• AI for Language Learners
• Mapping AI concerns
• Concerns about social, economic, and environmental impacts
• Concerns about subscription models, privacy, and ownership
• Concerns about attribution, credit, and misinformation/disinformation
• Institutional policies, copyright, and open licensing 
• Librarians, OER implementation experts, and [   ]
• Advocacy organizations 

If you’re using AI already and have specific experiences or concerns, and/or if the focus group times don’t work for you, then please register for an interview.  If you’re interested in participating in a focus group for more general information sharing please look for an available time here.

Webinars: To report back to the community and further this discussion we’re planning two webinars - one on the legal nuts and bolts and one to share out the community feedback and hear from educators and librarians:

August 14, 2024 12pm ET:  Copyright and technology basics of generative AI tools, including:

• How AI tools are built  and  how to understand the value of their outputs (including copyright ownership and copyright infringement)  
• Existing legal strategies for addressing specific problems related artistic style, copyright infringement, and attribution
• Economic changes in content access and creation

 September 11, 2024 12pm ET: State of AI in Education today with concrete examples of risks and benefits in the following:

• The use of AI to create new materials that are open
• AI as a tool for instruction in the classroom and online
• Opportunities created by AI to make educational materials more accessible and to empower educators to translate, customize, and localize materials for specific audiences. 
• We will also welcome practitioners to a discussion about emerging issues and decisions points that the OE community will face in the near term as we decide what role AI should play in open education

Happy to answer any questions and thank you for sharing your experiences,

Meredith Jacob

Public Lead Creative Commons USA

Project Director - Copyright, Education, and Open Licensing 

Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property

American University Washington College of Law

Need to schedule a meeting? https://calendly.com/meredithjacob

Remote work phone (202)640-1701  (9am-5pm ET)