[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":366},["ShallowReactive",2],{"header":3,"footer":26,"footer-cities":54,"content-\u002Fnews\u002Fcsu-fresno-faculty-fold-ai-into-classes-bring-back-oral-exams-and-blue-books":235},{"id":4,"title":5,"body":6,"description":10,"extension":13,"links":14,"meta":20,"navigation":21,"path":22,"seo":23,"stem":24,"__hash__":25},"header\u002Fheader.md","Central Valley AI",{"type":7,"value":8,"toc":9},"minimark",[],{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":12},"",2,[],"md",[15],{"label":16,"to":17,"icon":19},"News",{"path":18},"\u002Fnews\u002F","mdi-newspaper-variant-outline",{},true,"\u002Fheader",{"title":5,"description":10},"header","ceT4J-WxxOBdbhRC-UD3fo0Npu7vWt2o2B9b_LURPmE",{"id":27,"title":28,"body":29,"copyright":33,"description":10,"developedBy":34,"extension":13,"links":41,"meta":49,"navigation":21,"path":50,"seo":51,"stem":52,"__hash__":53},"footer\u002Ffooter.md","Footer",{"type":7,"value":30,"toc":31},[],{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":32},[],"© {year} All rights reserved.",{"label":35,"link":36},"Developed by",{"label":37,"to":38,"target":39,"logo":40},"Kaweah Tech","https:\u002F\u002Fkaweah.tech","_blank","https:\u002F\u002Fassets.kaweah.tech\u002Flogo-black-on-transparent-tight.svg",[42,43,46],{"label":16,"to":18},{"label":44,"to":45},"About","\u002Fabout\u002F",{"label":47,"to":48},"Privacy Policy","\u002Fprivacy-policy\u002F",{},"\u002Ffooter",{"description":10},"footer","Ras2AGS8Wuda4aBPrbAbOivaxIsAoDbo9SNCA0w554g",[55,85,123,154,181,208],{"id":56,"title":57,"body":58,"county":77,"description":10,"extension":13,"intro":78,"meta":79,"navigation":21,"path":80,"seo":81,"stem":82,"tag":83,"__hash__":84},"cities\u002Fcities\u002Fbakersfield.md","Bakersfield",{"type":7,"value":59,"toc":74},[60,65],[61,62,64],"h2",{"id":63},"ai-in-bakersfield","AI in Bakersfield",[66,67,68,69,73],"p",{},"Bakersfield's AI conversation sits at the intersection of municipal government, the ",[70,71,72],"strong",{},"California State University Bakersfield"," community, and the energy and ag operators that drive Kern County's economy. The city was an early mover on AI-assisted permitting and has been a recurring backdrop for parent- and teacher-led debates about classroom AI use. Articles below follow specific Bakersfield initiatives, public-meeting decisions, and Kern County workforce stories — and how they reflect national AI trends from a regional vantage point.",{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":75},[76],{"id":63,"depth":11,"text":64},"Kern County","Bakersfield and the surrounding Kern County are home to some of the most concrete AI-in-government experiments in the Central Valley, from instant municipal permitting to school-district debates about classroom AI. Coverage on this page tracks how AI is reshaping public services, education, and the energy and agriculture economies that dominate the region.",{},"\u002Fcities\u002Fbakersfield",{"title":57,"description":10},"cities\u002Fbakersfield","bakersfield","ozFL4HvDA_g7UrRE1mHbKqcS-vDLwbiH9JWVh3rB2Ac",{"id":86,"title":87,"body":88,"county":115,"description":10,"extension":13,"intro":116,"meta":117,"navigation":21,"path":118,"seo":119,"stem":120,"tag":121,"__hash__":122},"cities\u002Fcities\u002Ffresno.md","Fresno",{"type":7,"value":89,"toc":112},[90,94,109],[61,91,93],{"id":92},"ai-in-fresno","AI in Fresno",[66,95,96,97,100,101,104,105,108],{},"Fresno's AI story spans several distinct ecosystems. ",[70,98,99],{},"Fresno State"," and the ",[70,102,103],{},"California State University"," system anchor a workforce-readiness push, while local ",[70,106,107],{},"Fresno Unified School District"," debates around responsible use have made the city a recurring reference point in California's K-12 AI conversation. The city's economic base in agriculture, healthcare, and public services means most AI adoption stories here are about applied uses rather than model development — a different posture than coastal tech hubs but arguably more consequential for the people living here.",[66,110,111],{},"Use the articles below to follow how AI is showing up in Fresno-area institutions and businesses.",{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":113},[114],{"id":92,"depth":11,"text":93},"Fresno County","Fresno is the largest city in California's Central Valley and the regional center for AI adoption across agriculture, healthcare, higher education, and small business. Coverage on this page tracks how AI is being applied — and contested — in and around the city of Fresno and Fresno County.",{},"\u002Fcities\u002Ffresno",{"title":87,"description":10},"cities\u002Ffresno","fresno","gOL2xk8y9t9OV6PPxP02OjYhZFHC_Cg-VGijh_V93dI",{"id":124,"title":125,"body":126,"county":146,"description":10,"extension":13,"intro":147,"meta":148,"navigation":21,"path":149,"seo":150,"stem":151,"tag":152,"__hash__":153},"cities\u002Fcities\u002Fmerced.md","Merced",{"type":7,"value":127,"toc":143},[128,132],[61,129,131],{"id":130},"ai-in-merced","AI in Merced",[66,133,134,135,138,139,142],{},"Merced is a research-heavy node in the Central Valley AI ecosystem. ",[70,136,137],{},"UC Merced"," faculty appear in national conversations about AI safety, autonomous vehicles, climate modeling, and pediatric health applications, while the ",[70,140,141],{},"Merced Unified School District"," and surrounding county institutions navigate the same K-12 and workforce questions the rest of the Valley faces. The articles below cover both the campus research story and the broader applied uses around the city and county.",{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":144},[145],{"id":130,"depth":11,"text":131},"Merced County","Merced punches above its weight in AI research, anchored by UC Merced — a leading West Coast hub for AI in agriculture, climate, autonomous systems, and health. Coverage on this page tracks both academic research coming out of the campus and how AI is showing up across Merced's schools, businesses, and county institutions.",{},"\u002Fcities\u002Fmerced",{"title":125,"description":10},"cities\u002Fmerced","merced","pSWWlEzMdcv2_RZrUKdkEHU3bixNboePGdHbSdd1m34",{"id":155,"title":156,"body":157,"county":173,"description":10,"extension":13,"intro":174,"meta":175,"navigation":21,"path":176,"seo":177,"stem":178,"tag":179,"__hash__":180},"cities\u002Fcities\u002Fmodesto.md","Modesto",{"type":7,"value":158,"toc":170},[159,163],[61,160,162],{"id":161},"ai-in-modesto","AI in Modesto",[66,164,165,166,169],{},"Modesto's AI conversation tends to combine ag-tech adoption stories with workforce-readiness questions for the city's small and mid-sized employers. ",[70,167,168],{},"CSU Stanislaus"," and the regional community college network shape the higher-ed angle. Coverage below follows Modesto-area AI announcements and the wider Stanislaus County context.",{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":171},[172],{"id":161,"depth":11,"text":162},"Stanislaus County","Modesto and Stanislaus County sit between the Bay Area and the southern Valley, and their AI story reflects that bridging role — from agriculture and food processing to the **California State University Stanislaus** community to small businesses adapting to AI-driven changes in marketing, hiring, and operations.",{},"\u002Fcities\u002Fmodesto",{"title":156,"description":10},"cities\u002Fmodesto","modesto","l75Dc40MX8wTb4lD088Yx9we4ypuDwmcvE-uEdqqREc",{"id":182,"title":183,"body":184,"county":200,"description":10,"extension":13,"intro":201,"meta":202,"navigation":21,"path":203,"seo":204,"stem":205,"tag":206,"__hash__":207},"cities\u002Fcities\u002Fstockton.md","Stockton",{"type":7,"value":185,"toc":197},[186,190],[61,187,189],{"id":188},"ai-in-stockton","AI in Stockton",[66,191,192,193,196],{},"Stockton's economic base in logistics, healthcare, and higher education gives the city a different AI profile than the southern Valley. ",[70,194,195],{},"University of the Pacific"," anchors the academic conversation, while San Joaquin County government, hospitals, and warehouse operators are navigating practical adoption questions: cost, training, security, workforce impact. The articles below track Stockton-area AI announcements and the broader San Joaquin County context.",{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":198},[199],{"id":188,"depth":11,"text":189},"San Joaquin County","Stockton and San Joaquin County sit at the northern edge of the Central Valley, where logistics, healthcare, and the University of the Pacific shape the local AI adoption story. Coverage on this page follows how AI is being put to work — and questioned — across San Joaquin County's institutions, employers, and public services.",{},"\u002Fcities\u002Fstockton",{"title":183,"description":10},"cities\u002Fstockton","stockton","TYEBK9akp2HbpAFmYY67FeKt7Rs7L8tvtYeQBtgJAHw",{"id":209,"title":210,"body":211,"county":227,"description":10,"extension":13,"intro":228,"meta":229,"navigation":21,"path":230,"seo":231,"stem":232,"tag":233,"__hash__":234},"cities\u002Fcities\u002Fvisalia.md","Visalia",{"type":7,"value":212,"toc":224},[213,217],[61,214,216],{"id":215},"ai-in-visalia","AI in Visalia",[66,218,219,220,223],{},"Visalia's AI footprint is grounded in the practical adoption stories that come with a Tulare County economy built around agriculture, food processing, and rural healthcare. ",[70,221,222],{},"College of the Sequoias"," and the surrounding K-12 districts anchor the education conversation. The articles below cover Visalia-area AI developments and the Tulare County context, with a focus on applied uses rather than research or model development.",{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":225},[226],{"id":215,"depth":11,"text":216},"Tulare County","Visalia is the largest city in Tulare County and a center for agriculture, healthcare, and county-government services in the southern Central Valley. Coverage on this page tracks how AI is being adopted across Tulare County's schools, hospitals, ag operations, and small business community.",{},"\u002Fcities\u002Fvisalia",{"title":210,"description":10},"cities\u002Fvisalia","visalia","gN4g7aAl-cqD4FfSTgtTAarltUoKLh8NFlPzCbZngqU",{"id":236,"title":237,"archived":238,"author":239,"body":240,"date":354,"dateModified":354,"description":355,"extension":13,"meta":356,"navigation":21,"path":357,"rawbody":358,"seo":359,"sitemap":360,"stem":361,"tags":362,"__hash__":365},"news\u002Fnews\u002Fcsu-fresno-faculty-fold-ai-into-classes-bring-back-oral-exams-and-blue-books.md","CSU Fresno faculty fold AI into classes, bring back oral exams and blue books",false,"CVAI Education Desk",{"type":7,"value":241,"toc":346},[242,246,250,269,273,276,279,282,286,289,292,296,299,302,305,309,312,315,318,333,336,340],[243,244,237],"h1",{"id":245},"csu-fresno-faculty-fold-ai-into-classes-bring-back-oral-exams-and-blue-books",[61,247,249],{"id":248},"key-takeaways","Key Takeaways",[251,252,253,257,260,263,266],"ol",{},[254,255,256],"li",{},"CSU Fresno has 7 AI-focused faculty, 7 AI courses, 14 AI-applied courses, plus an AI minor and two certificates.",[254,258,259],{},"The Division of Continuing and Global Education offers nine AI professional training courses for the community.",[254,261,262],{},"More than 300 faculty have attended campus AI workshops on teaching choices and academic integrity.",[254,264,265],{},"Faculty report oral exams, blue books, and in-class writing returning to assess learning alongside AI tools.",[254,267,268],{},"A general-education push for AI literacy is planned, and a social-aspects course is targeted for spring 2027.",[61,270,272],{"id":271},"instructors-rethink-the-classroom","Instructors rethink the classroom",[66,274,275],{},"\"Blue books are back.\" That’s how Jason McGensy, an instructional designer in CSU Fresno’s Office of IDEAS, summed up one change he’s seeing as professors react to chatbots that can crank out essays in minutes. A half-full Diet Pepsi sat on the lectern. The campus is not banning AI, they’re trying to teach with it, and around it.",[66,277,278],{},"Why it matters here: CSU Fresno trains much of the Valley’s workforce, so how the campus uses AI will shape what kids see next in Fresno Unified classrooms and what new hires bring to local clinics and ag offices.",[66,280,281],{},"Computer science chair Alex Liu said AI belongs in class as a tool, not a thinker. \"As long as we prepare our students to have critical thinking and problem-solving skills, I believe students will be able to work with AI and be even more productive,\" he said. \"AI can do a lot of things, but it’s not powerful enough to analyze complex problems, and it still requires humans in the loop for verification and judgment.\"",[61,283,285],{"id":284},"what-the-campus-is-adding","What the campus is adding",[66,287,288],{},"The Department of Computer Science lists seven faculty working in AI-related fields, seven AI courses, and 14 courses that apply AI tools. The department offers an AI minor and two AI certificates. Liu added that general education courses will include AI literacy so students in any major graduate \"AI competent.\"",[66,290,291],{},"Beyond degree programs, the Division of Continuing and Global Education runs nine AI professional courses open to the community. That means school staff, small-business owners, and public employees can get practical training without enrolling in a full degree.",[61,293,295],{"id":294},"how-assignments-are-changing","How assignments are changing",[66,297,298],{},"McGensy said faculty are pulling back some take-home writing and adding in-class writing, blue books, and oral checks for understanding. \"We’ve seen oral exams come back; we’re seeing blue books come back and more in-class writing,\" he said. Blue books, again.",[66,300,301],{},"In the Kremen School of Education, professor Christian Wandeler calls the approach \"integrity by design,\" which means writing assignments that ask for personal context or lived experience. If an assignment can be done by a bot, he said, rewrite it so it can’t. He also argues the better move is to teach students when AI helps and when it fails.",[66,303,304],{},"The Office of IDEAS has hosted AI workshops for more than 300 faculty members, McGensy said, focused on giving instructors options rather than one rule. Departments decide how and when to allow tools, and instructors make the call course by course.",[61,306,308],{"id":307},"what-professors-want-students-to-hear","What professors want students to hear",[66,310,311],{},"\"AI does not think. It cannot think,\" said Zareef Mohammed, who teaches in the Craig School of Business. Computer science lecturer David Ruby pushed back on the sci-fi fear of run-away code that writes itself, saying the real concerns fit in the \"industrial safety\" bucket when tools don’t act as expected.",[66,313,314],{},"Associate professor Thanos Panagopoulos tells students that motivation matters more than perfect course structure. He’s designing a general-education course on the social effects of AI, aiming for spring 2027. Liu said he’s not worried about mass job loss, but about preparing graduates to use AI to clear routine work so humans can do judgment, mentoring, and communication.",[66,316,317],{},"\"Motivating students is the most important thing in education. Eighty percent of the work is getting students ready to learn,\" Panagopoulos said.",[66,319,320],{},[321,322,323,324,326,327,332],"em",{},"Central Valley AI is produced by the ",[70,325,239],{}," team and developed by ",[328,329,37],"a",{"href":38,"rel":330},[331],"nofollow",", a regional firm that builds, deploys, and integrates AI solutions for businesses across California's Central Valley.",[334,335],"hr",{},[61,337,339],{"id":338},"source","Source",[66,341,342],{},[328,343,344],{"href":344,"rel":345},"https:\u002F\u002Ftoday.fresnostate.edu\u002Ffresno-state-faculty-integrates-ai-into-curriculum-while-addressing-its-limitations\u002F",[331],{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":347},[348,349,350,351,352,353],{"id":248,"depth":11,"text":249},{"id":271,"depth":11,"text":272},{"id":284,"depth":11,"text":285},{"id":294,"depth":11,"text":295},{"id":307,"depth":11,"text":308},{"id":338,"depth":11,"text":339},"2026-10-22","Faculty at CSU Fresno are adding AI across departments while stressing limits, reworking assignments, and planning GE AI literacy. Workshops have drawn 300+ instructors and new social-impact courses are in the queue.",{},"\u002Fnews\u002Fcsu-fresno-faculty-fold-ai-into-classes-bring-back-oral-exams-and-blue-books","---\nauthor: CVAI Education Desk\ndate: '2026-10-22'\ndateModified: '2026-10-22'\ndescription: Faculty at CSU Fresno are adding AI across departments while stressing\n  limits, reworking assignments, and planning GE AI literacy. Workshops have drawn\n  300+ instructors and new social-impact courses are in the queue.\ntags:\n- education\n- fresno\n- workforce\ntitle: CSU Fresno faculty fold AI into classes, bring back oral exams and blue books\n---\n\n# CSU Fresno faculty fold AI into classes, bring back oral exams and blue books\n\n## Key Takeaways\n\n1. CSU Fresno has 7 AI-focused faculty, 7 AI courses, 14 AI-applied courses, plus an AI minor and two certificates.\n2. The Division of Continuing and Global Education offers nine AI professional training courses for the community.\n3. More than 300 faculty have attended campus AI workshops on teaching choices and academic integrity.\n4. Faculty report oral exams, blue books, and in-class writing returning to assess learning alongside AI tools.\n5. A general-education push for AI literacy is planned, and a social-aspects course is targeted for spring 2027.\n\n## Instructors rethink the classroom\n\n\"Blue books are back.\" That’s how Jason McGensy, an instructional designer in CSU Fresno’s Office of IDEAS, summed up one change he’s seeing as professors react to chatbots that can crank out essays in minutes. A half-full Diet Pepsi sat on the lectern. The campus is not banning AI, they’re trying to teach with it, and around it.\n\nWhy it matters here: CSU Fresno trains much of the Valley’s workforce, so how the campus uses AI will shape what kids see next in Fresno Unified classrooms and what new hires bring to local clinics and ag offices.\n\nComputer science chair Alex Liu said AI belongs in class as a tool, not a thinker. \"As long as we prepare our students to have critical thinking and problem-solving skills, I believe students will be able to work with AI and be even more productive,\" he said. \"AI can do a lot of things, but it’s not powerful enough to analyze complex problems, and it still requires humans in the loop for verification and judgment.\"\n\n## What the campus is adding\n\nThe Department of Computer Science lists seven faculty working in AI-related fields, seven AI courses, and 14 courses that apply AI tools. The department offers an AI minor and two AI certificates. Liu added that general education courses will include AI literacy so students in any major graduate \"AI competent.\"\n\nBeyond degree programs, the Division of Continuing and Global Education runs nine AI professional courses open to the community. That means school staff, small-business owners, and public employees can get practical training without enrolling in a full degree.\n\n## How assignments are changing\n\nMcGensy said faculty are pulling back some take-home writing and adding in-class writing, blue books, and oral checks for understanding. \"We’ve seen oral exams come back; we’re seeing blue books come back and more in-class writing,\" he said. Blue books, again.\n\nIn the Kremen School of Education, professor Christian Wandeler calls the approach \"integrity by design,\" which means writing assignments that ask for personal context or lived experience. If an assignment can be done by a bot, he said, rewrite it so it can’t. He also argues the better move is to teach students when AI helps and when it fails.\n\nThe Office of IDEAS has hosted AI workshops for more than 300 faculty members, McGensy said, focused on giving instructors options rather than one rule. Departments decide how and when to allow tools, and instructors make the call course by course.\n\n## What professors want students to hear\n\n\"AI does not think. It cannot think,\" said Zareef Mohammed, who teaches in the Craig School of Business. Computer science lecturer David Ruby pushed back on the sci-fi fear of run-away code that writes itself, saying the real concerns fit in the \"industrial safety\" bucket when tools don’t act as expected.\n\nAssociate professor Thanos Panagopoulos tells students that motivation matters more than perfect course structure. He’s designing a general-education course on the social effects of AI, aiming for spring 2027. Liu said he’s not worried about mass job loss, but about preparing graduates to use AI to clear routine work so humans can do judgment, mentoring, and communication.\n\n\"Motivating students is the most important thing in education. Eighty percent of the work is getting students ready to learn,\" Panagopoulos said.\n\n*Central Valley AI is produced by the **CVAI Education Desk** team and developed by [Kaweah Tech](https:\u002F\u002Fkaweah.tech), a regional firm that builds, deploys, and integrates AI solutions for businesses across California's Central Valley.*\n\n---\n\n## Source\n\nhttps:\u002F\u002Ftoday.fresnostate.edu\u002Ffresno-state-faculty-integrates-ai-into-curriculum-while-addressing-its-limitations\u002F\n",{"title":237,"description":355},{"loc":357},"news\u002Fcsu-fresno-faculty-fold-ai-into-classes-bring-back-oral-exams-and-blue-books",[363,121,364],"education","workforce","wBS-qmE9ei_PmUVzSe5tFbXnMjKd1mudBeB3CRAm_Kk",1792629025410]