Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Short-term Adjustments

1. Try out generative AI tools for yourself: The more you understand AI, the more prepared you'll be to engage in discourse with your students. Enter test questions or prompts to see what you get in the output. Ask yourself how you could have students engage with or analyze the generated answers, or whether you should adjust your content.
2. Develop your class AI policy with your students: Work with your students to set clear expectations around use of AI. Ask them when they think it's appropriate to use and be transparent with your own reasoning.
3. Focus on process instead of product: If a lesson or assignment is intended to develop critical thinking, teach them a process, or engage any other cognitive skills, try having students explain their process, revise several drafts, peer-review other classmates' work, or write reflections.
4. Rethink the format of the final product: Have students turn in their work through presentations, videos, debates, or other creative formats instead of a paper.
5. Set clear expectations and parameters for assignments: What tools are they allowed to use? How are they allowed to use them? How do they cite or disclose use of AI?
6. Provide examples of appropriate use: The best way to let your students know how and when to use AI is to show them! Walk them through examples in class or provide a rubric.

Long-term Use & Adaptations

For you:

1. Use GenAI to aid your creativity: Brainstorm creative lesson plans, activities, assignments, and teaching approaches to help you get creative with your classes.
2. Create class materials: GenAI can be used to produce study guides, handouts, worksheets, or other types of supplemental material.
3. Generate questions or discussion prompts: Get assistance in creating assessment questions or effective discussion prompts that will encourage critical thinking.
4. Create slides and visuals: Use AI tools to create slide decks and images that will engage students and supplement your instruction.

For your students:

1. Study planners: Have your students create a study plan based on your course and their individual habits. They can ask AI for different ways to engage with course material depending on their style of learning.
2. Critical evaluation: AI tools are evolving all the time. Have your students continually reflect on the ethics of using AI, the efficacy of the outputs, and the role it played in their work. See Critically Evaluating AI for more information and guided discussion questions.
3. Prototypes or other creative deliverables: AI can be used to produce images, videos, audio, code, and large amounts of text that can be used to produce prototypes to test, demonstrate, or communicate their ideas.
4. Simulation and modeling: AI can be trained to simulate scenarios or interactions that could supplement learning and allow for interactive lessons.
5. Feedback from AI: Guide students in how they can use AI for feedback to help them evaluate or revise their work, or to help them most past a sticking point.
6. Brainstorming: Have students use AI to brainstorm topic ideas and get background information.

This information was adapted from Utah State University's AI in Teaching and Learning website.

"AI in Teaching and Learning". Utah State University. Accessed October 15, 2024. www.usu.edu/teach/help-topics/teaching-tips/ai-and-teaching.