Joe Sabado – Higher Education & Technology Leadership

As an IT leader in a higher education institution overseeing critical, including COVID-19-related, systems, I appreciate the importance of IT being at the table and data-informed decision-making. A particular incident during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of IT representation in the institution’s core operations.
When a monthly process required a reboot of some systems, it became a source of concern when a well-meaning and concerned staff member, a campus COVID-19 coordination team member, reported that the system would be down for two days. This misinformation caused a mild panic that could have led to months of re-work of our systems, pausing other projects, hundreds of hours from our staff, and frustrations.
Fortunately, having someone in IT explain the situation corrected the misinformation. At the request of the coordination committee, I joined their team meeting to ensure our team’s commitment to addressing their concerns and to provide our perspective. To analyze the impact of the downtime, my team and I reviewed the logs and used an application that alerts downtimes. We discovered the systems were only disrupted for five minutes, much less than the reported two-day outage. This incident demonstrated the importance of data-informed decision-making in addressing complex issues.
It was clear that there was a need for collaboration between IT and our partners to address the issue. The incident highlighted the importance of having IT representation in the institution’s core operations. Electronic medical records, testing, and reporting are complex systems that require constant monitoring and attention. I requested to my supervisor that I become a standing member of the committee moving forward, which she approved. As part of the committee, I could address any concerns in real-time and better understand the actions requested by my team.

Our organization has emphasized the importance of collaboration and data-informed decision-making. Only through working collaboratively towards a solution could we identify the root cause of the issue and take steps to prevent it from recurring. We have also explored ways to make our systems more redundant and have coordinated with the campus for communication before any potential downtime.

The incident we experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the criticality of having IT at the table and data-informed decision-making. Mis-information can cause panic, frustration, and waste resources. By working collaboratively, we can identify and address issues promptly, ensuring that operations run smoothly and effectively.

How can we effectively provide service to those we serve without spending time with them and understanding their world?

I’ve been a staff advisor for student organizations for the last two decades and learned a very important lesson a few years ago. There was a year when I assumed I could maintain my relationship with the organizations I advise and the incoming student leaders and their needs and wants because I’d been their advisor for many years before that. I was caught off guard when I sensed a shift in attitude; explaining was challenging, but I felt it. I had to ask my colleagues if they were experiencing a change in student attitudes, and they confirmed my observation. It was neither bad nor good; it was just different. Another time, students started talking about “clickers,” and I had no clue what they were talking about.

One time, I was playing Pokémon with some students, and my supervisor, the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, happened to see us. The students thought I would be in trouble, but it’s quite the opposite. She was glad I spent time with students and pleased I played Pokémon walking around on campus so “I can experience paths where students go that I miss otherwise.” One of the most enduring pieces of advice she gave me is that as an administrator,” one of the most important insights we have to represent our students are the one-on-one conversations we have with them.” It’s also important to note that administrators probably spend time with student leaders and those already engaged. But the students we need to reach out to feel marginalized and suffer in silence because they either don’t know the services offered or don’t trust the campus.

Some communities require trust for staff/faculty/administrators to be genuinely invited into their communities. Often, it may take me more than a couple of years, even getting the urging of their peers comfortable with me, for younger students to meet with me. When I meet with them, they regret not accepting my offer for lunch sooner after finding out that I’m not as intimidating as they had presumed. I asked them why they didn’t meet with me sooner. They tell me they are trying to figure out how to respond to staff/faculty asking them to meet for casual lunch or coffee because they haven’t experienced that offer.

There’s a saying in the student affairs world to “meet students where they are,” which means making ourselves available at their events or just perusing what’s going on in social media to get a pulse of what’s going on. I follow the Facebook parents page, TikTok, and Twitter and am also alerted to Reddit posts on an unofficial campus subreddit. Even today, I’ve heard some colleagues reticent to using social media, but as my supervisor said, “You’re missing half the conversation if you don’t engage online.”

When we make decisions based not on students’ input or lack of understanding about their current world, not what we experienced as undergrads many decades ago, even with the best intentions, they can harm our students.

The debate around incorporating generative AI in higher education is a hot topic among educators, scholars, practitioners, and other interested parties. It’s essential to explore why generative AI may not be the ideal end-all solution for higher education. While there are opportunities and potential advantages of AI-driven learning, such as enhanced efficiency, personalization, and accessibility, we must also consider the possible risks and unintended consequences that come with it.

Below are 100 arguments that reveal the intricate nature of the issue, touching upon ethical dilemmas, pedagogical impacts, the erosion of human agency, and threats to academic freedom. By sharing these insights I hope to encourage a more balanced and informed discussion on the role of Generative AI in shaping the future of higher education. These are generated by ChatGPT, so please offer your critique to the 100 items below.

The Case Against Generative AI in Higher Education: 100 Arguments

Let me tell you the story of a person who has gone through many painful experiences throughout their life but has used these experiences to serve others. This person was mocked and made fun of as a young kid when they immigrated to the United States at the age of 11. This traumatic taunting led them to stuttering and a paralyzing fear of public speaking for half their life.

However, decades later, this person was able to overcome their fear of public speaking and stuttering. They decided to share their painful experiences and vulnerabilities with others, specifically with first-generation and marginalized students. They have had the privilege of being a keynote speaker for First-Generation Graduation, speaking at high school conferences, and Pilipino Graduation ceremonies. They have even conducted public speaking workshops for students who share their background as an immigrant.

This person’s story doesn’t end there. During their undergraduate years, they experienced painful moments as a student leader. As an inexperienced student leader, they made many mistakes and felt shunned by the community they cared about. These painful memories stayed with them for decades. But instead of letting these experiences defeat them, this person used them to provide guidance to the students they advised in the last two decades.

Recently, a group of student leaders this person advised found themselves in a difficult situation that led them to question themselves and their ability to lead. The situation even impacted their mental health, relationships, and academics. This person could relate to their struggles and offered them the perspective of someone who had faced similar challenges. They shared with the students that the moments of struggle and failure contributed to their growth and the lessons they still use today in their leadership position at their university.

This person’s story is a testament to the fact that our painful experiences and weaknesses can be used to serve others. By sharing our vulnerabilities, we can offer guidance and support to those who are going through similar struggles. This person’s journey shows that our struggles can contribute to our growth and help us become better versions of ourselves.

That person is me.

As a member of our campus’ emergency operations center teams and cybersecurity stakeholders (hint: everyone on campus), we need to recognize the importance of being prepared for a wide range of disruptions and disasters that can affect higher education institutions. In recent years, my campus has experienced various natural and man-made incidents, including floods, fires, technology disruptions, and power outages. In addition to these challenges, the increasing prevalence of cybersecurity threats, such as ransomware, distributed denial of service (DDoS), and other forms of attacks, has heightened concerns within higher education. This is primarily due to the valuable student, research, medical, employee, and financial data that higher education systems possess. To enhance our preparedness and response capabilities, we regularly conduct tabletop exercises that focus on various scenarios.

Coming up with engaging and realistic tabletop scenarios can be a challenge at times. This is where ChatGPT, an AI language model, can provide value by suggesting scenarios and guiding questions to consider. As a principle, cybersecurity professionals and others who design and coordinate these tabletop exercises should use ChatGPT as an initial attempt or as an idea generator to stimulate creative thinking and ensure a comprehensive approach to their exercises.

Below are four tabletop exercises designed to address different aspects of campus preparedness and cybersecurity concerns. These exercises, generated by ChatGPT, include detailed scenarios and guiding questions to help participants better understand the potential risks and challenges and facilitate discussions on effective response strategies:

By engaging in these tabletop exercises, campus’ emergency operations center team and cybersecurity stakeholders can proactively identify gaps in our preparedness and response plans, refine our strategies, and strengthen our ability to protect the campus community and its valuable data assets. These exercises, whether generated by ChatGPT or other means, encourage collaboration, foster communication among departments, and promote a culture of continuous improvement in our emergency response and cybersecurity efforts. Using ChatGPT as a tool to generate initial ideas for tabletop scenarios can significantly streamline the process and provide valuable insights for enhancing campus preparedness.