At 5 p.m. in the Fiesta Room on Oct. 21, a small crowd of students, faculty and local residents gathered together. Forming tables into one large, cohesive circle, the group settled and prepared for a lengthy debate. The Conversation at Trinity, a university program, promoting debate on a wide range of different topics, continued its series with another “Town Hall,” welcoming their open debates to the wider San Antonio community beyond Trinity. The subject: students’ usage of AI programming in the classroom.
William Jensen, associate professor and director of debate, was one of the event’s organizers, leading the discussion and prompting audience questions. Jensen asked questions like “Should we encourage the development of AI?” and “Do you think the usage of AI in the classroom by students should be prohibited?”
Jensen asked the audience to raise their hands to either agree or disagree, and attendees engaged in discussion. The participants argued with specific points about the evolution of the classroom, ethics regarding the impact of AI on the environment and how to operate circuitry without aggression.
Group members participated in a “town hall” debate, arguing their points almost in the same way a traditional meeting in a town hall would unfold. The staff and students contributed by asking further questions about the subject and gave their opinions and reactions in response. As the leader, Jensen led the direction of the evening and gave insight into what went into organizing the debate, choosing the topic and how well they went.
“As part of the strategic dialogue process, we wanted to have a more open format,” Jensen said. “It was wildly successful for the last debate, so we thought we would do the same thing for this, and I think it worked out really well again. I hope this format demonstrates that there’s a rich and healthy diversity of perspectives that students and staff can engage in.”
In response to the discussion on the topic of AI in education itself, Pat Semmes, Board of Trustees member and former computer science professor, talked about her history of seeing technological evolution throughout her life.
“I started at IBM when the first commercial computer came out, and I lived through the emergence of the first hand calculator and the internet,” Semmes said. “It’s kind of fascinating to look at what the steps were then, what the concerns were then and what they are now. It’s very similar: What is cheating and when should you use a calculator?”
According to Trinity’s website, The Conversation’s aim is to develop healthy and dialogue-based communication of issues.While engaging with questions and points raised, the debate never escalated further than people offering rebuttals with a smile. The final event of The Conversation titled “The Meaning of Your Life,” featuring Arthur C. Brooks, will be held on Nov. 12 at Laurie Auditorium at 7:30 p.m.
