At Montclair State University’s Bloomfield College, faculty are adapting to the rapid changes brought by artificial intelligence in education. Dr. Fiona “Freddie” Harris, who coordinates the first-year writing program, focuses on building students’ critical thinking skills that cannot be replaced by technology.
Dr. Harris employs autoethnography as a core research method in her classes. This approach asks students to study and analyze their own communities through direct observation and documentation, helping them develop insights based on personal experience rather than relying solely on machine-generated information.
Collaboration among faculty is an important part of this process. Dr. Harris regularly meets with colleagues such as Dr. Grace Cook and Dr. Nora McCook to discuss how best to integrate AI literacy into coursework and design assignments that foster critical thinking skills. During one meeting, they tested a writing assignment using different AI servers to examine how well current safeguards work when machines attempt tasks like autoethnography. As Dr. Harris remarked during the session, “The bot can’t do that!”
In her WRT 105 class, Dr. Harris introduces students to community autoethnography assignments while emphasizing ethical considerations and responsible research practices. Students learn how to conduct interviews, take field notes, and observe behaviors within their chosen communities.
Faculty at Bloomfield College continue discussions about evolving teaching methods in response to technological advancements. At monthly meetings, instructors review the writing curriculum and explore ways for humanities-based instruction to strengthen student analysis and synthesis skills even as artificial intelligence becomes more prevalent.
Dr. Harris believes that consistent habits lead to academic confidence among first-year students—an idea she reinforces each week through initiatives like the “Strong Student” campaign slide.
Outside the classroom, Dr. Harris also teaches yoga in Roseland alongside Donna D’Onofrio, integrating lessons of presence and connection into her work both at the university and beyond.
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