{"id":78021,"date":"2026-05-26T07:25:20","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T14:25:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/?p=78021"},"modified":"2026-05-26T07:25:20","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T14:25:20","slug":"the-human-side-of-ai","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/the-human-side-of-ai\/","title":{"rendered":"The human side of AI"},"content":{"rendered":"

Artificial intelligence is changing our world,\u00a0and NAU\u00a0is\u00a0helping\u00a0students and working professionals get a better understanding of how and when it can be used as a tool.\u00a0This summer, four AI courses will\u00a0emphasize\u00a0practical, human-centered uses\u00a0of AI, reflecting a growing demand for AI literacy beyond the tech industry.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Chih-Hsiung Tu<\/span><\/b>, professor in the Department of Educational Specialties, said AI is rapidly changing how people learn, work, communicate and solve problems, so it is not only important for them to\u00a0not only\u00a0use AI tools,\u00a0but\u00a0also\u00a0understand how AI affects learning, teaching, creativity, accessibility and decision-making.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMany students already use AI in daily life, but often without enough understanding of how to use it thoughtfully and responsibly,\u201d Tu said. \u201cThese courses are designed to help students become more confident,\u00a0reflective\u00a0and human-centered users of AI. We also hope students become lifelong learners and thoughtful AI collaborators who can work creatively and responsibly with AI in rapidly changing learning and professional environments.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The courses are aimed at giving students practical skills they can\u00a0immediately\u00a0apply in their academic,\u00a0professional\u00a0and personal lives. Tu said the hope is for them to become more thoughtful about how AI can support their learning and human development with critical thinking, rather than simply replacing human thinking.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe courses emphasize creativity, critical thinking, accessibility, human-centered learning and collaboration with AI tools,\u201d Tu said. \u201cStudents will move beyond simply using AI tools.\u00a0They\u00a0will\u00a0learn how to work with AI, evaluate AI outputs, manage AI-supported\u00a0workflows\u00a0and\u00a0apply AI\u00a0responsibly\u00a0in learning and professional contexts.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

These classes\u00a0are open to both undergraduate and graduate students, and Tu said they may be especially helpful for students interested in education, instructional design, business, communication, leadership, technology, training,\u00a0healthcare\u00a0and\u00a0professional development.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

AI for Master Learners<\/span><\/a>\u00a0explores how students and professionals can use AI as a thinking partner;\u00a0<\/span>Learning Science and Analytics<\/span><\/a>\u00a0looks at how people learn and how learning data\u00a0can support decision-making and learning experiences;\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Designing Digital UDL<\/span><\/a>\u00a0focuses on inclusive and accessible digital learning; and\u00a0<\/span>Microlearning Design with Technology<\/span><\/a>\u00a0covers the design of short, focused learning experiences for modern learners.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThese courses are not only about technology,\u201d Tu said. \u201cThey are also about people. We are trying to help students think about how AI can support learning, accessibility, inclusion,\u00a0collaboration\u00a0and human growth in thoughtful and responsible ways. In that sense, AI should not only make work faster,\u00a0but it\u00a0should also help us design learning experiences that connect people and support participation.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For more information about the courses,\u00a0visit the\u00a0<\/span>Educational Technology AI Institute website<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Editor’s note: The featured image is generated by AI.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Northern<\/a>Mariana Laas | NAU Communications
\n(928) 523-5050 | mariana.laas@nau.edu<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Artificial intelligence is changing our world,\u00a0and NAU\u00a0is\u00a0helping\u00a0students and working professionals get a better understanding of how and when it can be used as a tool.\u00a0This summer, four AI courses will\u00a0emphasize\u00a0practical, human-centered uses\u00a0of AI, reflecting a growing demand for AI literacy beyond the tech industry.\u00a0 Chih-Hsiung Tu, professor in the Department of Educational Specialties, said AI…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":100,"featured_media":78022,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-78021","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-research-academics"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78021","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/100"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=78021"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78021\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/78022"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=78021"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=78021"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=78021"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}