The law school dean wrote in a memo the school will shift its AI approach to take better advantage of in-class dialogue and learning.<\/p>\n
Supatman\/iStock\/Getty Images Plus<\/p>\n
The dean of the University of Texas at Austin School of Law has called on faculty to rethink their teaching styles to emphasize a Socratic mode of instruction, arguing in a memo<\/a> to faculty last week that artificial intelligence poses a threat to learning essential skills.<\/p>\n Though the law school dean, Bobby Chesney, acknowledged the necessity of training students to take advantage of AI capabilities, he wrote in the eight-page memo that faculty need to \u201ctake best advantage of the precious opportunity that the classroom setting provides.\u201d He said faculty should take steps to ensure students are not distracted or reliant upon their screens while engaging in dialogue in class, noting that the classroom as a supervised setting is the \u201csole context\u201d in which professors can ensure students are learning without using AI.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the emerging age of AI, our students will flourish best if they possess the fruits of both traditional legal training and a thoughtful program of AI upskilling that will help them make the best possible use of AI once in practice,\u201d Chesney wrote.<\/p>\n The memo outlines the law school\u2019s approach to AI in three areas: determining what AI knowledge and skills students should learn, preserving the integrity of assessments, and mitigating students\u2019 use of AI in completing course materials and assignments.<\/p>\n In addition to emphasizing a Socratic mode of teaching, Chesney said the law school will redouble efforts to emphasize the \u201cvalue of doing the hard work in the first instance themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n