Generative Artificial Intelligence

Teaching in the Age of Gen AI

Introduction

Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI) is everywhere, in homes, workplaces, and virtual spaces in between. Whether you love it or not, or sit somewhere in between, its adoption continues to grow and change. We encourage you to explore its uses and engage in campus conversations to determine how and when it makes sense for you and your students to use it in your class. 

The text below was written by HPU's Center for Teaching and Learning. While ChatGPT and Copilot were used to test prompting and output, none of the text below was generated or edited by Gen AI. 

Steps to Determine AI Use in a Course

If you have not already revised your course since Gen AI became widely available, we suggest focusing on one assignment in one class as a manageable start towards determining the role of AI in your course. Take the steps below to break down the assignment analysis into steps. Below each step you will find resources to aid in completing that step. 

1. Analyze your assignment

Identify the learning outcome(s) for the assignment and think through your current expectations of student learning. What do you expect students to learn from completing the assignment? How do you want students to apply what they learned from the resources and activities to the assignment? How will students apply what they learned in the field of study? How are students currently performing on the assignment? 

• Creating learning outcomes (Stanford Learning Commons)
• Aligning learning outcomes to resources, activities, and assessments in Course Mapping (HPU CTL)

2. Analyze how well Gen AI completes your assignment

Enter your assignment instructions into Copilot within HPU’s Microsoft 365*. Prompt the AI chatbot to complete the assignment and review the results/output. Prompt the AI chatbot to verify if the assignment is aligned with your outcome(s). Continue prompting until you get as close as possible to the work that would earn an “A” in your course (is this possible?). What do you think about the output? What have you learned about what Copilot can do for students?

• Anatomy of an Effective AI Prompt & Micro Tech Talks on Gen AI (HPU CTL)
  
• HPU Generative AI Policy (HPU HR)
  
• Microsoft 365 Support - Copilot 
• Samples: Prompt Library (UPenn - Wharton Gen AI Labs) 
• Deep dive: Prompt Engineering Guide (LearnPrompting.org)

3. If the assignment involves students submitting written work, determine whether writing is necessary to meet the assignment learning outcome(s)

If writing is not integral to the learning outcomes aligned to the assignment, consider alternative assignments, like oral presentations, classroom debates, or poster presentations. If writing is essential, consider asking students to write in class, or continue to have students submit written work after you have provided clear instructions on Gen AI use.

• Interactive Techniques (Kevin Yee via CTL webpage)
• Learning Activities (Stanford Learning Commons)

4. Consider incorporating Gen AI into resources, activities, or assignments in ways that preserve student learning but teach them to use the tools thoughtfully

Share with students how Gen AI is being used in your field of study, whether in academia and/or the workplace. Use a chatbot that serves as a thought partner or tutor. Incorporate Chat GPT in one portion of the assignment, like brainstorming ideas before choosing a topic or deconstructing the output and comparing it to the content delivered in the course. Alternatively, ask students to use an image generator to illustrate an idea.

• Distinguish between AI capabilities and distinctive human skills at Advancing meaningful learning in the age of AI (OSU eCampus) 

• AI Literacy in Teaching and Learning (student AI literacy, EDUCAUSE) 

• Blackboard Ultra Help Center - AI Conversation 

• AI Assignment Ideas (TX A&M) 

• Samples: 101 Creative Ideas to Use AI in Education (Dr. Margaret Korosec, UL, UK) & AI Assignment Library (UND Scholarly Commons) 

5. Edit your assignment

Be specific about how students may or may not use Gen AI. We also recommend using clear and transparent language to provide reasoning for your choices. If you incorporate Gen AI into the assignment, include instructions that teach students how to prompt and analyze output (or not, depending on your teaching and learning goals). Consider alternatives you might offer students if they refuse to use Gen AI.

• Transparency in Learning and Teaching (TILT) (Dr. Mary-Ann Winkelmes)
• Considerations: Incorporating AI vs Deterring AI (UD - scroll down to these sections)
• Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

6. Craft an AI Use Policy for the course.

Once you complete this process for one assignment, you are ready to review all course activities and assignments. When this is complete, write an AI Use Policy for your course to provide clear guidance to students on how they may, or may not, use Gen AI. We suggest talking to students directly or via video for online courses to introduce and explain your course AI policy and listen to what students share with you about their experiences with Gen AI.

• HPU Academic Integrity Policy 
• Course Policy Approaches (UD CTL) 
• How to cite ChatGPT (APA.org) 
• Samples: Syllabi Policies for AI Generative Tools (crowdsources list compiled by Dr. Lance Eaton, Northeastern)  

Please reach out to us at ctl@hpu.edu if you have any questions or would like additional resources.

* Microsoft Copilot and OpenAI ChatGPT are both built on OpenAI technology and large language models. When you open MS Copilot from within HPU’s Microsoft 365 enterprise account, and click on the green shield icon, you can read about the entrprise data protection.