Wallace Community College Selma Blog

SELMA, Ala. - As artificial intelligence changes how work gets done, Wallace Community College Selma is exploring the skills students and our staff need to use it effectively and responsibly.

The college welcomed Andrew Williams of Pariveda on October 21, 2026, for "Leveraging AI in the Tech Workforce." The professional development session began at 10 a.m. in Room 112 of the Hank Sanders Building and connected workplace applications of AI with strategies educators can use in their classrooms.

Williams emphasized that dependable results require more than knowing how to ask an AI tool a question. His presentation centered on four skills: breaking problems into smaller parts, learning through repeated attempts, communicating clearly, and checking the work.

The presentation connected those skills to programs beyond computer science. Examples included a nursing student prioritizing a patient load, a technician troubleshooting a machine one system at a time and a business student planning an event by separating the venue, budget, invitations, and schedule.

Williams also described AI use as an ongoing process of asking, reviewing and refining. Clear requests should explain the task, provide relevant background, identify the intended audience and format, and establish limits. His slides compared this preparation to briefing a coworker before handing over an assignment.

Human judgment remained central to the session. Williams urged participants to treat AI-generated material as a first draft and verify its accuracy before it reaches a patient, customer, or client. The presentation also featured an AI daily briefing example designed to organize a schedule, priorities, and tasks.

A native of Greensboro, Alabama, Williams is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and a Dallas-based Senior Managing Consultant with Pariveda, a strategy and technology consulting firm. He brings about 20 years of technology experience and leads Pariveda's AI Value Lab. He holds bachelor's and master's degrees in management information systems from the University of Alabama.

Williams also serves on the WCCS Computer Information Systems Advisory Board. His work training early-career professionals informed the session's focus on the habits that help people produce reliable work with AI.

For the classroom, Williams outlined five approaches: have students define a successful result before using AI, assess their reasoning and verification, ask them to find and correct AI-generated errors, reward revision and lessons learned, and set clear expectations for when AI use is appropriate.

Williams described a progression from strong thinking skills to effective AI use within a field and, for some, connecting AI tools into repeatable workflows. Participants were invited to consider one assignment they could adapt during the semester.
The session supported WCCS's focus on preparing students for changing workplace expectations.

Building Pathways. Creating Opportunities. Changing Lives.

Downloadable copy: 
WCCS Explores Skills for an AI-Enabled Workforce