Title:Navigating digital tools and artificial intelligence

As artificial intelligence (AI) tools and language learning models increase in number and accessibility, Georgetown’s Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship (CNDLS) continues to add consultations, workshops, and focused training to its slate of support tools. In addition to this support, CNDLS is offering faculty and students AI help through its Digital Learning and Technology Assistance (DLTA) Program.

“The DLTA program originated during the pandemic when faculty had to pivot overnight from teaching in person to teaching online. Plus, our federal work-study students were out of work. Georgetown wanted to solve both problems at once,” explains Kim Huisman, assistant director for digital learning at CNDLS.

The Provost Office and the Office of Student Employment created the Instructional Technology Aid Program in 2020 that matched teachers with student technology assistants who provided real-time support to over 600 virtual—and eventually hybrid—courses at Georgetown.

The technology assistants, now known as digital technology learning assistants (DLTAs), are located in the Edward B. Bunn, S.J. Intercultural Center. The program offers technology support drop-in hours for faculty and students alike. Student DLTAs work with teachers to incorporate digital tools into their courses on an as-needed basis and mentor fellow students.

“I wish everyone at Georgetown knew that the DLTA request form is simple to use, our DLTAs are trained and experienced, and they can help in a lot of ways,” says Huisman.

“Everyone has had at least one professor who either needs help with technology, or whose Canvas page could be updated to make it easier to navigate. The more students and teachers who know about this program, the more people we can help,” says Taylor Lowe (SFS’25), lead DLTA for the CNDLS Program.

Continuing their goal to aid students and teachers at Georgetown work with digital tools, the DLTAs have added AI support to its range of services.

“We’ve been training the DLTAs about the wide range of AI tools,” Huisman says. “They are equipped to help faculty with any concerns they have about AI—like how students might be using it and how faculty can use it for creating assignments.”

“I think my biggest takeaway is that AI can be very helpful if you know how to use it,” says Lowe. “Being more specific in your requests and utilizing more specialized tools usually gets you better results than broad requests.”

“Students care deeply about their original voice,” says Molly Chehak (G’05), director of digital learning at CNDLS and writing program instructor. “The more we instruct them in smart and poor usages of AI, the better they will be equipped with skills that are becoming more and more important in today’s society.”