Valley City State outlines new AI institute, expands teacher pipeline and dual-credit partnerships

Valley City State University leaders told the Legislative Management Higher Education Committee on the VCSU campus that the university has launched an AI Institute for Teaching and Learning, is pursuing new AI-related certificates and faculty supports, and is continuing to expand dual-credit and teacher-pipeline programs that its leaders say are critical to rural schools.

President Lefebvre welcomed the committee to VCSU's newly renovated McCarthy Hall and introduced university staff and local partners before Vice President for Academic Affairs Larry Brooks described the AI Institute, which Brooks said received state workforce-innovation support. "AI is gonna revolutionize and change everything that we do in the world," Brooks said, arguing the institute will prepare teachers and students for new workplace expectations.

The institute, Brooks said, has six pillars that include K'12 teacher training, AI across the curriculum, personalized learning and "ubiquitous access." He told the committee VCSU will host a two-day mid-November workshop with regional universities to develop standardized curriculum for K'12 teachers and will pay faculty stipends for departmental "AI champions" who will embed AI content across courses. Brooks also said the university has filed program notices to the system office for graduate and undergraduate certificates in AI in education.

Assistant Professor Harmony Richmond demonstrated a classroom use case for pre-service elementary teachers, showing how students use ChatGPT to create a song that teaches…