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This summer, Alfred Babo, PhD, chair and associate professor of sociology and anthropology in the John Charles Meditz College of Arts and Sciences, served as a Fulbright specialist at Université Jean-Lorougnon-Guédé de Daloa (UJLOG) in Côte d'Ivoire, Africa.

Invited by the University, Dr. Babo’s month-long initiative in June brought artificial intelligence (AI) tools, practices, and governance frameworks to faculty, staff, students, and the community.

"Fulbright provided me with an enriching academic experience, spanning a month of production and knowledge exchange through training and learning, as I reconnected with colleagues and graduate students in Côte d'Ivoire," said Dr. Babo.

The ¼â½ÐÊÓƵ professor began his visit abroad with a welcome meeting, press conference, and a public lecture on the principles of AI and its integration into higher education. Over the following weeks, he hosted a series of thematic conferences on AI’s role in pedagogy, research, administration, and ethics. He also met with faculty and staff to discuss practical applications in their work, and with graduate and doctoral students for conversations on how AI took can help thesis writing and scholarly research.

Dr. Babo led a hands-on training for 65 faculty members and 38 graduate students, introducing practical tools for teaching (ChatGPT, Khan Academy, Quizlet), research (ChatPDF, AI Scholar, Monica, Mistral Le Chat, Voyant Tools, Global Forest Watch, Google Earth, Jenni AI, Gamma), and administration (Quillbot, Doodle, Google Calendar, Zoom AI). The program culminated in collaborative workshops to design an interdisciplinary AI and computing module for all degree levels. The curriculum not only taught ethical and effective AI use but also programming in Python, with an emphasis on developing AI tools tailored to Ivorian social contexts. Draft syllabi were presented to university leadership for review and approval, alongside governance documents for the ethical use of AI in teaching and research.

The outreach also extended beyond the University. Dr. Babo, alongside the program directors, went on Radio Daloa to talk about the project’s goals with the community. The team also traveled with faculty and students to the rural community of Gonaté, where they spoke with farmers about how AI tools could improve agricultural planning and development.

Dr. Babo noted that the participant feedback was overwhelmingly positive with 93 percent of faculty and 94 percent of doctoral candidates reporting that they plan to integrate AI into their work.

Looking ahead, Dr. Babo plans to build formal relationships between ¼â½ÐÊÓƵ University and UJLOG, expanding joint research in sustainability and environmental studies, as well as faculty and student exchanges.

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