Alison Travers, assistant director of UD’s School Success Center (left) listens as Chéryl Wilmore, program coordinator for Wilmington University’s Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership, Learning and Innovation, speaks during a small group breakout session.

Connecting communities

Article by Tabitha Groh Photos by Evan Krape and Maria Errico April 19, 2024

Discussions at Provost’s Symposium on Engaged Scholarship include AI’s place in academic-community partnerships

Delaware is a small state with just a handful of colleges and universities, but the opportunity to come together in one place doesn’t happen often.

But when it does happen — as it did for the annual Provost’s Symposium on Engaged Scholarship in March — the connections and partnerships that emerge can have a strong impact throughout the state. This year’s symposium, hosted at the University of Delaware, drew more than 100 attendees from community organizations and institutions of higher education to consider how artificial intelligence (AI) can strengthen academic-community partnerships.

“Gathering this audience to discuss such a timely topic allows us to learn from one another and identify creative new ways we can partner to improve the lives of Delawareans,” UD Provost Laura Carlson said.

UD’s Community Engagement Initiative planned the symposium with representatives from Delaware State University, Delaware Technical Community College, Goldey-Beacom College and Wilmington University.

The Provost’s Symposium on Engaged Scholarship drew attendees from Delaware’s institutions of higher education and community organizations. From left to right, Mary Wheeling from Goldey Beacom College, Justina Thomas from Delaware Technical Community College, Matthew Kinservik from the University of Delaware, keynote speaker Rep. Cyndie Romer, Clytrice Watson from Delaware State University, and Rick Beno from Wilmington University.

Alex Older, workforce development specialist with Easterseals Delaware & Maryland’s Eastern Shore, arrived with the idea of broadening her pool of student volunteers and interns.

Older, who first interned at Easterseals as a behavior science student at UD, connected with several UD programs and with Bryan Horsey, director of the Delaware Office of Work-Based Learning housed at Delaware Technical Community College.

“We were talking about different pipelines for his students to spend time with us at Easterseals,” Older said. “So I went [to the symposium] for community engagement, but the AI piece was super interesting and I think applicable to my role as well.”

Sessions aimed to establish a shared foundational knowledge of current technology and to spark discussion of how to engage students with and around AI.

“AI can help us break down barriers to education by making learning resources more accessible,” said keynote speaker State Rep. Cyndie Romer, who also spoke about legislative efforts in Delaware to address ethical considerations of AI.

Justina Thomas, vice president for Academic Affairs at Delaware Tech, was inspired to provide professional development around AI to her institution’s faculty, “to help them leverage the technology and teach students how to use the technology appropriately.”

Thomas, a symposium planning committee member, said that she was also pleased with the range of “unique perspectives” represented by the participating institutions.

Lillie Hunter and Tavianne Maultsby, senior information technology majors from Delaware State University, joined a small group of undergraduate students who made the 50-mile trip from Dover to present during the poster session.

Hunter said that she left the event with more information about “how AI can be used as a resource in education rather than perceived as a threat.”

These youngest attendees will soon enter a workforce that is already being shaped by AI.

“As I transition from the classroom to professional working environments, I would like to keep these insights and conversations within my toolbox of information,” Maultsby said.