The ҹɫÊÓƵ has announced the launch of PACK AI, a new student-driven artificial intelligence initiative. PACK AI will ensure that students have the competencies and skills necessary to compete in their areas of study; it will aid faculty in having the support to integrate AI into their teaching and scholarship; and it will strengthen the University’s mission as the institution integrates AI into business processes to increase efficiency and productivity.
“The University of Nevada, our state’s original land grant institution, has been a visionary leader in education, research and community engagement for over 150 years,” University President Brian Sandoval said. “PACK AI is our next institutional imperative that provides transformative educational opportunities for our faculty and students, groundbreaking research that leads our state and nation, and provides the research and workforce of the future for our region to excel in economic development.”
Starting this semester, new students will be required to complete an introduction to AI module as part of their NevadaFIT experience that will include the use of AI and its ethics. The module will also provide guidance on the use of AI in academic coursework and the University’s policy on AI and academic integrity. First-year and transfer students will also have access to Microsoft CoPilot and Apple Intelligence on the iPads they receive as part of the Digital Wolf Pack Initiative.
Faculty and staff will be provided with resources to enhance their capabilities in AI, and scholars will have access to AI capabilities and computing resources to enhance research. AI tools will allow faculty to enhance student engagement through personalized feedback and interactive learning tools, streamline administrative tasks such as grading and scheduling and support inclusive learning by adapting content to different learning styles and more.
For campus productivity and efficiency, the University will continue to engage with software vendors to offer AI tools for faculty and staff for use in our business processes. The University has already acquired a new AI tool that provides easier access to our data systems and integrates AI into analytics.
The University will kick-off PACK AI with a presentation by Joel Davis, the executive director of the David F. Miller Retail Center, Warrington College of Business, at the University of Florida, on Sept. 4 and 5. Davis has 25 years of experience in analytics, AI and business operations. His current research is focused on the integration of analytics and AI solutions into business decision-making, and effective AI solution adoption strategies within corporations.
The University also has a campus wide working group, consisting of faculty and staff, that is studying current policies on AI, finding best practices, and recommending ways the University can explore and adopt the transformative opportunities of AI.
Following Davis’s visit, the University of Nevada will hold “AI in the Classroom: A Wolf Pack Symposium Series,” a group of lectures by our faculty throughout the school year on how they have integrated AI in their disciplines and provide our faculty and students opportunities to network and further PACK AI. Details on this speaker series will be available at the beginning of the fall term.
The launch of PACK AI will also feature:
- The Lake Tahoe campus will offer a one-credit introduction to AI course as part of its weekend course offerings this fall.
- Nevada Online is working with faculty to develop a three-course online certificate that includes an introduction to AI, ethics in AI, and applications in AI. The certificate program will be available to all students.
- Advancements in Teaching Excellence Program and Director Sarah Cummings are providing workshops for faculty on incorporating generative AI in their classes, including assignments, tutoring and ethics. Cummings has recruited a group of University faculty who are already successfully using AI in their classes and will share best practices.
- The Office of Research and Innovation will provide opportunities for University faculty to share their expertise in AI to expand efforts to enhance research across disciplines.
