Strategies for Evaluating and Creating with AI

• Prompting AI

AI tools appear to be very good at creating, however, they are reliant on the prompts they receive from the user.  Outputs will be determined by the inputs.  Learning to effectively communicate with AI is an emerging skill we all need to develop.  Having students create prompts along with requiring evaluation of outputs based on prompts allows students to engage in higher-order thinking skills while engaging with AI tools. 

Hold a Prompt Competition (Watkins, 2022)

Identify a major question that ChatGPT could write about, preferably a question with no single right answer and ask students to write prompts and criteria for the AI response. Ask students to judge the prompts and responses using the criteria they created and rate from best to worst.

• Co-Creating

Asssignments can be constructed to promote interaction with AI through co-creating with students and AI taking turns to build together.  This interaction may expand the thinking of students and will also promote the development of effective AI prompting skills.  

Strategies for Applying & Analyzing with AI 

• Compare & Contrast

Using AI tools for teaching and learning provide multiple opportunities for implementing opportunities for students to analyze AI inputs and outputs.  Comparing and contrasting their own work with the work of the AI and/or analyzing various iterations or an AI product are two examples of activities where students can think analytically.  

Reflect and Improve (Watkins, 2022)

Identify a challenging question about your course and prompt ChatGPT to write about it.  Ask students to reflect on the response to identify what is correct, what is incorrect, and parts they are not sure whether is correct or not. Require students to use other references to verify, correct, and rewrite the ChatGPT response.

• Prompting AI

Assignments can be created in such a way as the prompts used to guide the AI tool in the creation of the product would be the demonstration of the knowledge.  AI tools are very sensitive to the prompts they receive.  When students are providing guidance for AI generation, they are drawing upon and aplying their knowledge to communicate effectively with the tool.  

Strategies for Remembering & Understanding with AI Tools

• Knowledge Acquisition

AI tools can be helpful for students in gathering information.  AI tools are able to function as personalized tutors for students and have a great ability to locate vast amounts of information and to provide opportunities for students to learn beyond the classroom.  AI tutors are able to provide direct instruction on a topic (Mollick & Mollick (2023).  

• Quizzing & Reviewing

AI tools can be used as study partners by students.  AI tools have the ability to quiz students and help them prepare for assessments. 

Image Credit:  Pixabay

AI is expanding rapidly, and there is much for everyone on Earth to learn about the capacities and impacts of AI on teaching and learning.  Unfortunately, Chat GPT is Here But Most Faculty Lack Policies..  While we continue to navigate the emergence of generative AI, students will need clear guidance on teacher expectations for the use of generative artificial intelligence tools within learning experiences. 

What level of generative AI usage is allowed in your course?

The first step in developing a course policy to outline expectations for student AI usage begins with identifying your own standpoint regarding the use of artificial intelligence by students, which may vary across courses and within different contexts as well as in relationships to teacher comfort level with incorporating generative AI tools into teaching and student learning. 

Sample Course Policy Statements by Usage Level

No Use of Generative AILimited Use of Generative AIExtensive Use of Generative AI

No Use of Generative AI

Banning the use of all Artificial Intelligence application is not a practical solution given the widespread utilization of AI within everyday applications, such as learning management systems, texting and e.mail programs, etc...

Generative AI, however, is not as widely adopted currently, and choosing to ban the use of generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT, which are able to evaluate, justify, and create may be an option to consider temporarily until you are able to adapt course materials and gain information about the impacts of the use of generative AI on student learning within specific course content.  

Generative AI tools will become mainstream, so it is important to begin learning how to teach students about how to utilize the tools while maintaining academic integrity. 

Sample Course Policy

The use of generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT, is not allowed for any phase of assignment completion, including collaboration, brainstorming, researching, etc., or any phase of the writing process, such as drafting, even when properly attributed.  Work completed with the assistance of generative AI tools will be considered an academic integrity violation. 

Limited Use of Generative AI

When students are allowed to utilize generative AI tools for specific course activities, assignments, etc.  it will be very important to provide detailed instructions as to how and when generative AI tools should be used, as well as guidance on how to cite work generated by generative AI tools.  

Explicit guidance should be provided for students to ensure generative AI use aligns to academic integrity, as well as data privacy and safety, policies.  

Sample Course Policy

Academic work relies on a high level of mutual trust regarding the integrity of academic work.  AI is not a replacement for your own thinking and original thought, research, production, etc.  Any work considered original should be completed without the use of assistance from artificial intelligence and all contributions from other sources (including AI) must be credited and appropriately cited.

There will be specific opportunities within this course for the use of generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT.  Specific guidance will be provided as to which assignments/tasks will include options for using generative AI tools, as well as guidance on how to properly cite and attribute AI sources.  Any non-specified use of generative AI tools for the completion of coursework will be considered an academic integrity violation

Extensive Use of Generative AI

Promoting and/or expecting student use of generative AI may create opportunities for relevant and timely learning about how to use generative AI technologies in the workplace, community, and academic settings.  This level of use may require explicit instruction for students on how to access, evaluate, and defend AI generated content within different contexts.  Given the emergence of AI, opening usage will likely involve collaborative learning between both teacher and student and may provide opportunities for conversation around future ways of working within an AI-integrated world.  

Explicit guidance should be provided for students to ensure generative AI use aligns to academic integrity, as well as data privacy and safety, policies.  

Sample Course Policy

The use of generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT are encouraged in this course with appropriate attribution.  When generative AI tools are used, students must provide information about how the tools were used and how AI-generated citations and information was validated.  Students accept responsibility for evaluating the accuracy of AI-generated content.  Using ChatGPT or other generative AI tools without appropriate attribution is not allowed and would be considered an academic violation.  Guidance will be provided on how to properly cite AI-generated content.

Resources

Identify the knowledge and skills that each assignment is intended to help students develop. The use of an AI tool should not replace or duplicate student work but rather support their learning. A constructive use of AI may be to generate ideas, build an outline, or collect multiple perspectives on a topic.

This helps to break projects down into smaller steps and provides opportunities for feedback and instructor guidance. Frequent feedback and instructor intervention are good strategies to deter students from taking shortcuts and using generative AI inappropriately.

Require students to find and verify referenced sources before writing and indicate the database where they found the resource. Requiring this prior to writing may help to encourage student use of library databases.

Ask students to reflect on an assignment, what they learned from it, and how they might approach it differently in the future.

Data Privacy

Ethics

• Promote academic integrity

 

Create Course Policy 

Be clear about your expectations and let students know why you have decided not to use generative AI in the course. They may be working or in other environments where AI tools are already a part of their everyday lives.  Clearly communicate how your expectations align with the course objectives and scholarly values of your course. See above for sample wording for course policies. 

Learn As much as you can

Reflect on course materials and talk with students. 

Throughout the semester remain open and think about where the use of these tools might benefit your students. Talk with your students and collect ideas on how they are using these tools, what they see as the benefits, and what might be the appeal of using these tools. You may find the appeal is not to get out of doing work but rather a way to explore a topic more deeply or to improve the quality of their work.

Get involved in learning opportunities. 

• Become familiar with generative AI tools and see how they work.
• Talk with other instructors and read about constructive ways to use generative AI in the classroom, there are some useful resources listed below.
• Participate in professional development opportunities on generative AI in teaching and learning or take part in one of the learning communities and conversations that are going on around campus on this topic.

ChatGPT is not the only generative AI tool!

There are conversational tools, chatbots, and text generators, but there are also tools capable of generating creative works like artwork, music, and video.  AI tools can be used to automate processes used for planning, designing, and creating.  

Generative AI Applications

• ChatGPT
• Chatsonic
• OpenArt.ai
• Jasper Chat
• Google Bard
• Dall-E 2
• Stable Diffusion 
• Lumen5 
• QuillBot
• Soundraw 
• OpenAI Codex 
• Canva Magic Design
• LaMDA
• YouChat

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Discipline-specific generative AI teaching and learning resources by CTAL University of Delaware. Available at: http://www.udel.edu/0010896

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Image Credit: Pixabay, PencilParker

Jacobs, H. & Fisher, M. (2003, June 26). Prompt literacy: A key for AI-based learning. ASCD (80) 9.

Mollick, E. R. (2023, January 17). All my classes suddenly became AI classes. One Useful Thing.

Mollick, E. R. & Mollick, L. (2023, March 24). Using AI to implement effective teaching strategies in classrooms: Five strategies, including prompts. Social Science Research Network.

Mollick, E. R. & Mollick, L. (2023, June 21). Assigning AI: Seven approaches for students, with prompts. Social Science Research Network.

Schroeder, R. (2023, July 5). This fall, how will you integrate gen AI into your university work? Inside Higher Ed. Stanford, D. (2021, July 12). Incorporating AI in teaching: Practical examples for busy instructors. Daniel Stanford’s Substack.

Trust, T. (2023, August 2 & 4). Essential considerations for addressing the possibility of AI-driven cheating (Part 1) (Part 2). Faculty Focus.

United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO):   ChatGPT and Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education:  Quick Start Guide (2023)

United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO):  Reccomendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence (2022)

United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO):  AI and Education:  Guidance for Policy Makers (2021)

Villasenor, J. (2023).  How ChatGPT Can Improve Education, Not Threaten It.  

Watkins, R. (2022, December 18). Update your course syllabus for ChatGPT. Medium.

Young, J. R. (2023, July 27). Instructors rush to do ‘assignment makeovers’ to respond to ChatGPT. EdSurge.