ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: WORKING GROUP TO DRAFT PROPOSED GUIDELINES
The Vice-Chancellor has appointed a working group to draft proposed guidelines on the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in teaching and assessment at Uppsala University (UFV 2023/2129).
- The central guidelines are to confine themselves to ethical, educational, legal and other aspects that may apply to all courses and programmes at the University. Faculties, departments, programmes and subjects will be able to issue more detailed guidelines if necessary. The working group is due to present a proposal to the Vice-Chancellor in spring 2024.
- The decision comes in response to the public launch of ChatGPT in 2022 and the subsequent debate, which has raised the need for frameworks to regulate the use of AI in teaching and assessment. Several Swedish universities have already adopted guidelines on the use of AI. Generative AI is a type of artificial intelligence that creates new data such as images or text, by learning from existing data on the internet.
Further information: Mats.Cullhed@uu.se (Educational Developer)
VICE-CHANCELLOR APPOINTS OPEN SCIENCE REPRESENTATIVE
The Vice-Chancellor has appointed Professor Hans Karlsson, Department of Information Technology, as Open Science representative until 31 October 2026. The role includes representing Uppsala University in the European Open Science Cloud Association (EOSC-A) and in related working groups in The Guild, Coimbra and other international networks.
- Open Science is a concept in the research world that encompasses open access to scholarly publications, open access to research data, and new ways of assessing the impact or use of research. It also includes opening up science to enable a range of stakeholders to participate in the research process – and enabling researchers to receive recognition for contributions other than just publishing, such as sharing their research data, disseminating knowledge and engaging in dialogue with actors in society.
Further information: Anne-Sophie.Frojmark@uu.se (Head of Unit, Planning Division).
SUPPLEMENTARY OPERATIONAL PLAN FOR 2024 ADOPTED
The Vice-Chancellor has approved the supplementary operational plan for 2024 (UFV 2023/24). It includes adjustments between the Operational Plan for Uppsala University adopted by the University Board in June and the government’s Budget Bill in September 2023.
- The Operational Plan for Uppsala University approved by the University Board instructed the Vice-Chancellor to set mark-ups for payroll overheads, internal rent, internal interest and the level of charges (per student per hour) for examination arrangements. In addition, the supplementary operational plan includes the allocation of revenue from fee-paying students, Campus Gotland, national research infrastructure and the level of IT charges. The allocation of special funding for career-development positions is also included in the decision.
Further information: Joakim.Lofkvist@uu.se (Controller, Planning Division).
NEW STAFF GATEWAY TO BE LAUNCHED ON 6 DECEMBER
On Wednesday 6 December, the University’s new Staff Gateway will launch online, bringing a slew of improvements. To make it easy for staff working in a specific area to find information, there are a number of targeted ‘gateways’. Heads of department/equivalent will have a gateway where all content directed to managers will be collected in one place.
- The old Staff Portal will continue to be accessible until the end of April 2024. This is to give departments and other organisational units time to migrate local information and groups to the new website.
- Simultaneously with the launch of the new Staff Gateway, new web pages will open for all disciplinary domains, faculties and campus areas, as well as the University’s museums.
- Web pages for departments, centres and similar units will launch next year.
Further information: Ake.Johansson@uu.se (Project Manager, New Web Platform) and Anna.Tano-Graflind@uu.se (Sub-Project Manager, New Staff Gateway).
EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY ENLIGHT HOLDS CONFERENCE IN UPPSALA
Around 150 people from ten European universities gathered recently in the University Main Building for a conference of the European University ENLIGHT, an EU-funded network project that seeks to promote challenge-driven education and increase student and teacher mobility through joint educational activities. The ENLIGHT Director at Uppsala University is Professor Mattias Martinson.
- ENLIGHT was launched in 2020 as an alliance between universities in Europe (including Uppsala University) granted funding for an EU pilot project aiming to establish a European University. Funding has been provided by Erasmus+, and the aim has been to increase mobility between the higher education institutions through new, joint educational activities. The pilot project concluded on 31 October, but funding for a four-year extension of the project was approved in the summer, with a total budget of EUR 14.4 million.
UNIVERSITY BOARD WELCOMES DEBATE
At its meeting in November, the University Board discussed the recent debate sparked by political demonstrations at various Swedish higher education institutions. The University Board issued the following statement:
“The University Board welcomes debate. So long as they do not seriously disrupt teaching or create dangerous situations, students and teachers must be free to express different points of view in accordance with applicable regulations and our tradition of academic freedom.”
GOAL FOR THE NEW GUSTAVIANUM: A WORLD-CLASS MUSEUM
In summer 2024, Museum Gustavianum will re-open after a couple of years of renovation. The purpose of the renovation is primarily to improve the climate for the exhibited objects, while also increasing exhibition space. When the doors re-open, the goal is that visitors will step into a unique, world-class university museum. The renovation is being carried out by the National Property Board of Sweden in close cooperation with Uppsala University.