The Faculty Senate convened Thursday, hearing a presentation on AI tools being tested by WSU libraries and revisiting a proposal for introducing 90-credit bachelor’s degrees.
WSU libraries are currently in a trial phase testing three separate AI research tools, Scite, Consensus and Undermind. These tools differ from other generative AI tools students can easily access by focusing on academic resources, rather than the open web.
“The platforms that we are looking at testing are not the same thing as the general AI tools, like Chat GPT or Copilot, that you might be more familiar with,” Science Librarian Emily Cukier said. “The AI research tools we’re testing here are more limited but more powerful for their purpose…these are only going to use academic literature to generate their outputs.”
The more limited nature of these AI research tools make them more reliable, but not perfect, Cukier said.
“When students are looking for information using these tools, they are, first off, more likely to be pointed to more reliable sources and less likely to get a fabricated response or a fabricated citation,” she said. “These tools are not 100% accurate, but they do seem better than the general ones.”
The trial phase will help determine whether these tools are worth the price, and if so, which of these tools.
WSU Vancouver Senator Dene Grigar, a professor and the director of creative media and digital culture, expressed concern over whether we can afford these, let alone long-term, especially as books and journals are being cut from the library’s budget.
When Grigar asked how much these programs cost, Alex Merrill, associate dean for technology and operations, danced around the question, saying he could not say on a live stream. However, Merrill clarified that some of them are competitively priced and within the realm of other tools.
Following guest presentations, the Senate passed several action items, each unanimously, including amendments to majors and approvals of function languages for committees. The Senate then proceeded to discussion items.
The first three discussion items revisited the proposed 90-credit bachelor’s degree presented during the previous Faculty Senate meeting.
At-large Senator Alair MacLean, a professor of sociology at WSU Vancouver, raised concerns over the consideration of discussion items related to the proposed 90-credit bachelor’s degree before the proposal was ever voted on or passed. MacLean motioned to table these three discussion items and send them back to committee.
The motion to table the discussion and return the three discussion items to committee passed 45–8. The committee will review these items and send them back to the Senate at its discretion.
“Many of us (I think) have just learned of the proposed change in bachelor’s degree credit number at WSU from 120 to 90,” a Faculty Senate forum post said. “This is a shocking development that was not vetted through rigorous discussion and debate among the University faculty.”
It is important to note that, according to the proposal, not every bachelor’s degree will be reduced to a minimum of 90 credits. Departments will independently decide whether to offer 90-credit bachelor’s degrees, and if so, which degrees to offer at 90 credits.
WSU Everett Senator Gordon Taub, a professor of mechanical engineering, said he understood the 90-credit bachelor’s options could allow for more flexibility by accommodating specialized majors like engineering technologies. Taub said something like an engineering technologies degree could not be done at a community college, but perhaps could be done faster than other engineering degrees on graduate tracks.
