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The Artificial Intelligence Learning and Teaching Task Force (AILT Task Force), part of SFU’s AI Strategy Committee, has begun work to address students’ and instructors’ uncertainties and concerns over the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in learning and teaching practices.

According to task force chair Paul Kingsbury (associate vice president, learning and teaching, pro tem) helping the university respond to today’s changing learning landscape is a complex challenge, but it is one he is confident the group can tackle.

“I’m very honoured to have such a skilled and passionate group of faculty, staff and students leading this work. We come from all parts of the university, but the goal to help students and instructors navigate learning and teaching in the era of generative AI is one that unites us all.�

The AILT Task Force has identified five major areas of focus for its activities, which are being tackled by subcommittees named accordingly. They include academic Integrity, pedagogy and teaching innovation​, governance and ethics​, impact assessment and communication and graduate studies.

CEE educational developer and pedagogy and teaching innovation subcommittee co-chair Megan Robertson says the work is about helping find flexible, context-based and dynamic solutions for instructors and students.   

“As institutions and disciplines are navigating how to respond to generative AI and feeling pulled between completely embracing AI, completely refusing AI, or landing somewhere in the middle, one phrase that has emerged from writing across the disciplines is the idea of chaotic blending.’ Within a single course, depending on the learning outcomes, instructors and students may find that there are good opportunities to use AI in some activities, avoid them in certain assignments, and assessment opportunities to critically explore the technology and its outputs. What we need to do now is think beyond all or nothing approaches to explore what makes sense in each context—while always staying true to our university’s educational goals.�

The subcommittees are currently in the process of creating draft guidelines, policy recommendations and resources which will be shared with the SFU community this summer following a consultation and approval process. It is anticipated that any policy changes will be implemented in Fall 2025.

In the case of academic integrity, which emerged as one of the top instructor concerns during the October 2024 Faculty and Staff Townhall on Artificial Intelligence in Learning and Teaching, some of the planned outcomes include recommendations for adjusting current reporting procedures and a collection of syllabus statements describing the use of AI.

Questions related to the AILT Task Force can be sent to Paul Kingsbury avplt@sfu.ca.