Dr. Dave E. Marcial, director of the Dr. Mariano C. Lao Global Studies Center of Silliman University, led a seminar as resource speaker on Feb. 1 at the Sofia Soller Sinco Hall. Attended by Foundation University faculty, the discussion centered on AI — its disruptions, consequences, and a host of uneasy tensions between its use and concerns regarding academic trust and integrity.
His work has positioned Silliman University at the frontier of AI research, earning the institution international recognition for its AI integration and innovation framework. With two decades in academia and a long-standing career that witnessed AI’s gradual encroachment into pedagogy, Dr. Marcial understands the optimism — and shortcomings — that accompanied generative AI’s rapid emergence, especially after the pandemic.
The lecture was pragmatic: how might educators navigate the use – and abuse – of AI, in order to support their practice?
AI-generated outputs have raised questions about the legitimacy of intellectual labor and the seriousness with which students maintain their learning obligations. Fundamentals that were thought central to traditional academic environments are being undermined as AI use becomes more prevalent. While it has certainly expanded opportunities for independent learning, AI has also introduced subtler, more complex issues — some of the seemingly inconsequential kind, but gradually shape thinking patterns over time.
Dr. Marcial emphasizes the need for research-based strategies in adopting AI thoughtfully. A methodical approach must be laid out before we can begin to address the full expanse of its concern. Plagiarism and content detection tools were explored, how their use can uphold academic integrity while maintaining the access to AI use.
Dr. Marcial remained cautiously measured throughout the lecture. AI, in its variegated forms, readily challenges established pedagogical foundations. When a machine can produce essay-length responses in a minute, what value remains in the struggle behind intellectual work? The problem becomes more urgent when we realize the ubiquity of AI use, whose presence has been reported as early as junior high school.