Dr. Alfred Babo Enhances AI Education in Ivory Coast
This summer, Dr. Alfred Babo, chair and associate professor of sociology and anthropology at 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 introduced artificial intelligence (AI) tools, practices, and governance frameworks to faculty, staff, students, and the community.
The Fairfield professor began his visit with a welcome meeting, press conference, and a public lecture on AI principles and its integration into higher education. Over the following weeks, he hosted thematic conferences on AI’s role in pedagogy, research, administration, and ethics. He also engaged with faculty and staff on practical applications and discussed with graduate students how AI can aid in thesis writing and scholarly research.
Dr. Babo led 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 concluded with workshops to design an interdisciplinary AI and computing module for all degree levels. The curriculum emphasized ethical AI use and programming in Python, tailored to Ivorian social contexts. Draft syllabi were presented to university leadership for review and approval, along with governance documents for ethical AI use in teaching and research.
The outreach extended beyond the University. Dr. Babo and program directors appeared on Radio Daloa to discuss the project's goals with the community. The team also traveled with faculty and students to the rural community of Gonaté, discussing with farmers how AI tools could enhance agricultural planning and development.
Dr. Babo noted that participant feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with 93 percent of faculty and 94 percent of doctoral candidates planning to integrate AI into their work.
Looking ahead, Dr. Babo plans to establish formal relationships between Fairfield University and UJLOG, expanding joint research in sustainability and environmental studies, as well as faculty and student exchanges.