In the three years since ChatGPT made its public debut, artificial intelligence (AI) has become a defining element of modern life. In higher education, AI’s presence is being felt both in and out of the classroom as faculty, staff, and students find ways to harness its powers of productivity and problem solving.
AI’s impact on college life is also reflected in the updated NWCCU 2027 accreditation standards, which require us to develop “clear policies and procedures to guide the ethical and responsible use of artificial intelligence in research, academic, administrative, and operational contexts.”
Amid these rapid changes, many people have concerns about AI’s impact on education, and questions continue to arise about how it will affect teaching and learning. This fall, Shoreline College faculty will have new opportunities to answer those questions.
In April, Shoreline received a $25,000 Elevate Washington grant from Microsoft to help educators build practical AI skills and prepare students for an increasingly AI-driven workforce.
The college was awarded the grant thanks to the collaborative efforts of Dr. Astrid Periz, Dr. Henry Garcia, Brandon Fryman, Lauren Valentino-Bryant, and Cheryl Allendoerfer, who wrote and submitted the grant proposal at the end of winter quarter.
Of 32 colleges that applied, Shoreline was one of only 10 to receive the grant, which will fund projects designed to help instructors build confidence using AI tools while staying thoughtful about governance, privacy, and real-world applications.
Elevate Washington will support the creation of an ‘AI for Teaching & Learning’ Canvas course that will serve as a professional development resource for faculty. Astrid and Brandon began developing the course over the summer, with a pilot launch planned for the fall followed by a full rollout in winter.
The Canvas course is designed for faculty with different levels of AI experience, from complete beginners to more advanced users. Participants will be able to start with the learning modules that best match their current knowledge and build their skills from there.
“We want to make something that will bring everybody together, bring everybody to the same level of knowledge,” said Astrid. “And then, from that point, people can choose to use the information we’re providing or not.”
The initial Canvas course includes 5 training modules:
- Foundations of Generative AI provides an overview of generative AI, how it works, its capabilities and limitations, responsible and ethical use, and effective prompting.
- AI as an Accessibility and Learning Support Tool explores ways AI can help reduce barriers and support different learning needs while keeping accessibility and responsible use in mind.
- Redesigning Existing Assignments with AI helps faculty examine and update existing coursework in response to generative AI.
- Building Assignments for Students to Use AI helps faculty design assignments and assessments in which students can use AI while still emphasizing critical thinking, disciplinary knowledge, and human judgment.
- Using the Shoreline AI Agent introduces the agentic AI resource we are developing to support faculty.
The training will also address issues such as privacy, bias, hallucinations, academic integrity, accessibility, ethical use, and the importance of maintaining human judgment when working with AI.
Over time, the goal is to expand the Canvas resource to include more specialized, discipline-specific content. This will allow faculty to explore AI applications relevant to their fields and explore teaching tools specifically designed to help with focused tasks like building critical thinking in STEM courses, analyzing data in the social sciences, or creating effective prompts for humanities classes.
The grant also funds two Microsoft-led workshops focused on generative AI and Microsoft Copilot, giving faculty and staff hands-on experience with AI tools and building an understanding of effective, responsible AI use.
Additionally, the grant includes the development of an AI agent. While details are still being finalized, the initial vision is that the agent will serve as a classroom support resource for faculty, functioning much like a teaching assistant.
“A faculty member can ask questions on how to build assignments, update assignments, how to incorporate AI into their assignments, those types of things,” said Brandon.
Participation in these professional development opportunities is voluntary, but Astrid and Brandon believe that even faculty who do not plan to use AI in their classrooms can still benefit from understanding the technology. Students are already using AI in many areas of their lives, and faculty who understand its capabilities and limitations will be better prepared to guide responsible use, protect academic integrity, and support student learning.
An understanding of AI can also help support Shoreline’s mission of providing high-quality training that prepares students for the workforce. Employers increasingly expect workers to understand AI, and faculty equipped with AI knowledge will be better positioned to help students develop those skills.
“We have to be competitive, as a college,” said Astrid. “We have to prepare our students, and the workforce is requiring them to know AI, so we might as well teach them how to use it ethically and responsibly.”
While faculty may choose whether they use AI in their teaching, for the college, addressing AI is not optional. The 2027 accreditation standards require us to establish policies and procedures for responsible AI use. Shoreline has already established policies and procedures addressing AI, and the Elevate Washington grant will allow us to go beyond the accreditation standard by helping faculty build AI skills, support responsible AI usage, and prepare our students for a future that will be increasingly shaped by AI.
“The world is moving in that direction,” said Brandon. “We don’t want our students to fall behind.”
