{"id":24102,"date":"2026-05-01T07:48:15","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T07:48:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/24102\/"},"modified":"2026-05-01T07:48:15","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T07:48:15","slug":"teaching-ai-by-doing-not-studying","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/24102\/","title":{"rendered":"Teaching AI by Doing, Not Studying"},"content":{"rendered":"

Institutions nationwide have responded to the rapid growth of artificial intelligence<\/a> by introducing everything from drop-in workshops to research centers dedicated to the ever-evolving technology. At the University of Virginia College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences<\/a>, a new initiative launched last month aims to establish a more comprehensive framework for how colleges and universities engage with AI.<\/p>\n

Developed in partnership with the UVA Library<\/a>, the AI Literacy and Action Lab<\/a> is designed to equip students, faculty and staff with structured, evidence-based AI competency embedded directly into courses across disciplines. It will initially be delivered through course pilots led by faculty, a flagship one-credit seminar, a series of three one-credit AI courses and an incubator pathway for AI projects that extend beyond a single semester.<\/p>\n

Leo Lo, UVA\u2019s librarian and dean of libraries, said the lab is built on a framework<\/a> he developed around five core competencies: technical knowledge, ethical awareness, critical thinking, practical skills and an understanding of AI\u2019s societal impact.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe structure reflects our belief that people are most motivated to learn when they\u2019re working on something they care about\u2014perhaps a problem they want to solve or a question they want answered,\u201d Lo said. \u201cRather than attending a workshop or sitting through a webinar or lecture, we believe in learning by doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

The effort is timely; a recent report<\/a> from Handshake found that students graduating this year are adopting AI tools at a rapid pace: 85\u00a0percent reported using them\u2014up 31\u00a0percentage points from two years ago\u2014and more than a third said they use them daily.<\/p>\n

Employer demand for those skills is also accelerating. The same report showed that more than 10\u00a0percent of active internships on the platform now mention AI-related skills, while the share of full-time job postings referencing AI has nearly doubled year over year to 4.2\u00a0percent.<\/p>\n

A similar report<\/a> from EAB found that 42\u00a0percent of college-bound students said AI will influence their career choice, and 10\u00a0percent said they have already changed their planned major because of it.<\/p>\n

Christa Acampora, dean of the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences at UVA, said the decision to base the initiative in the library was intentional.<\/p>\n

\u201cLibrarians have been at the leading edges of information and access to knowledge,\u201d Acampora said. \u201cThey were some of the first people in universities to understand the uses of the internet, for example, and its impact on research\u2014not just studying it, but actually using it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt felt like a natural place to anchor this work,\u201d she added. \u201cThe library exists to serve all of our students and faculty and all of the big questions we want to pursue. So it makes great sense for librarians to be our primary partners in this effort.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other institutions are also turning to campus libraries to advance AI literacy. At Bryn Mawr College, the libraries are emerging as AI sandboxes<\/a>\u2014shared spaces for experimentation and ethical use. There, librarians facilitate workshops and one-on-one consultations with faculty and students, focusing on AI literacy and practical classroom applications.<\/p>\n

The AI initiative: UVA\u2019s lab currently has four pilot projects underway, spanning disciplines from economics to biochemistry.<\/p>\n

One pilot, launched this spring, brings together an economics professor and three librarians to offer a course that combines hands-on AI coding with training in critical thinking and ethics. The goal is to explore what responsible use of AI tools looks like in practice and how they may reshape employment, economic growth and inequality.<\/p>\n

A second spring pilot places first-year writing seminar students in conversation with students and teachers at a local high school, examining AI\u2019s impact on teaching and learning. Working with an English professor and lab facilitators, students develop lesson plans that model thoughtful AI integration in high school classrooms.<\/p>\n

Two additional pilots will launch this fall. One, led by a philosophy professor, will guide student projects exploring potential uses of AI across society, with a focus on building the skills needed to critically evaluate and validate AI outputs. The other, developed by a professor of chemistry and molecular physiology and biological physics, will integrate AI-supported learning into biochemistry courses.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs you look at the pilots, these are all real-world problems,\u201d Lo said. \u201cFaculty are asking, \u2018How can I incorporate AI into teaching and learning?\u2019 And students want to use AI to create something tangible\u2014an artifact they can show future employers that demonstrates how they\u2019ve applied these tools responsibly and ethically.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Outdoor<\/p>\n

UVA\u2019s AI Literacy and Action Lab is built around five core competencies: technical knowledge, ethical awareness, critical thinking, practical skills and an understanding of AI\u2019s societal impact.<\/p>\n

AI and the workforce: Looking ahead, Acampora said the pace and scope of AI-driven change may challenge long-held assumptions about how technological innovation shapes employment.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s higher ed\u2019s inclination to say, \u2018Oh, there\u2019s a new thing. Let\u2019s study it, and then we\u2019ll understand it,\u2019\u201d Acampora said. \u201cThere\u2019s a presumption that having more knowledge or access will make you better prepared for the workforce. But these changes may not follow the pattern of past technological shifts, where new jobs ultimately offset those that were lost.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat remains an open question,\u201d she added. \u201cSo teaching students to better understand their own human capabilities through the use of these tools\u2014that has real pedagogical power, and that\u2019s where our focus should be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lo echoed that point, emphasizing that developing critical engagement with AI\u2014not blind adoption\u2014is key.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not pretending AI is perfect,\u201d Lo said. \u201cThe technology is improving and changing, but it\u2019s far from it. Even if you\u2019re critical of AI, your arguments become stronger when you understand it better. We want people to build that literacy so they can help shape the technology in the direction they want it to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

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