2024-ENG-I3-Magazine_ISSUU

Envisioning

Harnessing the Power of Artificial Intelligence

the Future

By Julene Snyder F ounding Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering Dean Chell Roberts, PhD, is all about embracing challenges. This is a good thing, because he sees this moment in higher education as pivotal: “It’s about developing the next best technology and thinking about how it can make our lives better, while also looking at potential consequences. This type of thinking is crucial.” Roberts is a proven visionary, whose foresight when it comes to predicting trends and tracking shifting demographics in higher education has long kept him ahead of the curve, especially when it comes to building momentum. “In the last two years, our computer science department has become the school’s largest, when it used to be the smallest. Tools like artificial intelligence (AI) change the function of learning and engaging in the world: How we do it and what we do with it matters,” he explains. Roberts’ expertise regarding the emergence of a changing workforce has led him to spearhead the creation of three new online master’s programs: cybersecurity, data science and artificial intelligence. “Those are such hot areas that we’re starting to move data science and

“Internationalization is one of the definitions of what it means to be a Catholic university” he says. “We want to have global impact, and you don’t have global impact if you’re not global.” As a key component of career and business advancement, Director of USD’s Center for Digital Civil Society and Program Director of the applied artificial intelligence and applied data science masters programs, Ebrahim Tarshizi, PhD, believes knowledge of AI and Generative AI tools is a highly valuable skill. “By integrating these tools into our courses and programs, we equip our students with essential knowledge that enhances their career prospects. International students are eager to pursue these cutting-edge fields. As we create more strategic partnerships, we aim to establish a robust support network for global students and better prepare them for the workforce.” As the world education market has shifted, Roberts sees an opportunity for the Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering to continue lighting the way forward. “If we’re in the global education market and we care about global impact, we must be there as a school. That’s where the future of education is.”

AI into every graduate degree as components of engineering management. Eventually, I think that AI has to be embedded in every discipline,” he says. “Not just in the technological world of engineering, but as part of all disciplines as these tools become more productive.” According to Erin Cooke, MS, a professor of practice for USD’s masters in applied data science and applied artificial intelligence programs, “AI can bridge a lot of gaps, such as summarizing a lecture into 10 bullet points and translating it to whatever language the student feels most comfortable in. AI can make the material accessible and break it down into digestible chunks.” She continues, “I’m excited about the idea of closing the digital divide to improve student outcomes. Hopefully, in the future, social and economic factors will no longer be a barrier to higher education.” Additionally, Roberts sees broadening the school’s global footprint as crucial, and is moving forward to tap into alternative international markets with these new graduate programs, particularly

in drawing students from Latin America, India and Southeast Asia.