AI Resources

Faculty Perspectives

As the capabilities of AI tools grow and these tools become ubiquitous, additional creative uses of the tools are being employed in higher education as well as in the workforce. This will move us to new starting points and horizons in education. With these possibilities, come responsibilities and the need for an ongoing dialogue about the purposes of learning.

A good starting point is to explore some AI tools such as ChatGPT and consider how such tools could be used in your courses. Input from colleagues and students about these tools can be valuable. For example, see a Liberal Arts Perspective on AI in Education by Dan Faltesek. Instructors will have differing opinions about whether and how students should use ChatGPT. These types of apps are not going away and will no doubt proliferate in the future. However, we can help prepare students for the real world by encouraging critical thinking when using them.

The following strategies may help you revisit course design, policies, teaching techniques, and assessments in light of AI tools:

• Include students in dialogue about course policies regarding AI use, and help them develop an awareness of their own learning processes. Consider providing low-stakes formative assessments, building in feedback loops, and developing activities that provide student reflection. Transparency and discussion with students about the structure of your course, reasons behind course activities, and methods of evaluation, etc. can help them make connections between their learning and the importance of completing all processes and steps in assignments.
• Consider redesigning assignments that are easily completed with AI tools. For example, ask students to apply concepts, solve problems, or analyze case studies in ways that integrate class discussions, lectures, lived experience, and specific course readings.
• Build students’ critical thinking skills and commitment to lifelong learning, while keeping in mind the importance of digital literacies and the potential impact of AI on the learning process.

The following subpages will hopefully provide additional context and structure for faculty to help students learn how to ethically use these new resources.