Business and AI: U of A Instructional Designer Answers Questions
July 25, 2024 | by Heidi Wells, Global Campus | min read
In her work at the University of Arkansas Global Campus, Mandy Eppley creates courses for people who want to improve their skills or learn new ones to change careers or advance in their current career path. That means she is constantly learning about issues that affect the workforce, including artificial intelligence.
“You want to regularly follow industry news and read articles about AI advancements to stay informed about the latest trends and technologies,” she said. “That’s what I do. I attend webinars, I attend trainings, and I do a lot of research, following a lot of great people on LinkedIn who are considered great thinkers and industry leaders. Because it’s so new, you can’t really call yourself an expert yet.”
Daniel Breen, news director of Little Rock Public Radio, interviewed Eppley on the series Issues That Matter. The title of the podcast was “Digital Dilemmas: Realities and Perceptions of AI at Work.”
As a senior instructional designer for Professional and Workforce Development at the U of A, Eppley has collaborated with industry leaders to create courses to upskill and reskill the workforce population in advanced manufacturing, aerospace, biomanufacturing, industrial maintenance, solar energy, procurement and purchasing, and unmanned aircraft. She has also served as an adjunct faculty member at NorthWest Arkansas Community College and Eastern Kentucky University. At the latter, she created and directed an award-winning student success, peer mentoring and tutoring program.
She keeps learning, too. Collaborating with colleagues has been a vital part of that, Eppley said on the podcast.
Podcast guest Mandy Eppley, left, appears on screen with Daniel Breen, news director of Little Rock Public Radio, during a recording of “Digital Dilemmas: Realities and Perceptions of AI at Work.”
“Collaborating with more experienced colleagues can provide valuable guidance and support, and working with my colleagues has been one of the most substantial reasons I have learned as much as I have,” she said. “We all learn from each other.”
You can listen to the podcast online. You can also watch an unedited version on YouTube. Here’s a preview of the information Eppley shared. She elaborated on each of the points below:
What new skills are becoming essential in the workforce due to the rise of artificial intelligence?
- Data literacy
- AI and machine learning knowledge
- Soft skills
- Collaboration with AI
- Domain-specific knowledge
What roles do continuous learning and professional development programs play in adapting to AI advancements?
- Keeping skills relevant
- Enhancing problem-solving abilities
- Fostering innovation
- Improving collaboration with AI
- Promoting lifelong learning mindset
- Bridging skill gap
- Ethical and responsible AI use
What are the potential social impacts of AI on the workforce? How could that contribute to inequality and access to opportunities in a positive or negative way?
- Job displacement
- Skill gaps
- Income disparity
- Access to opportunities for education and training
- Lack of internet access
- Geographic disparities
- Scheduling tools for work-life balance
- Ethical and bias concern
- Transparency and accountability
How can employees prepare themselves proactively for some of the changes that AI will probably bring on?
- Continuously learning and upskilling
- Embrace growth mindset
- Enhance soft skills
- Leverage AI tools
- Understand ethical implications
- Network and engage with the community
- Mentorship and collaboration
What are some of the common ways AI is used in everyday life and work?
- Smart assistance devices
- Recommendation systems
- Navigation and travel
- Social media algorithms
- Email filtering
- Health care
- Work environment
- Data analysis
- Project management
- Cybersecurity
- Marketing
Do you foresee AI replacing certain jobs?
- Service industry
- Manufacturing
- Workforce transformation
Eppley also answered questions from listeners at the end of the podcast. You can learn more about training programs offered by the University of Arkansas at https://training.uark.edu/.
Heidi Wells
Content Strategist
Heidi Wells is the content strategist for the Global Campus at the University of Arkansas and editor of The Online Learner. Her writing spans more than 30 years as a communicator at the U of A and a reporter and editor at Arkansas newspapers. Wells earned two degrees from the U of A: a master's in 2013 and a bachelor's in 1988.
Wells can be reached at heidiw@uark.edu or 479-575-7239.
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