Guide to Pedagogical Uses of AI
Introduction
AI is going to present teachers with incredible opportunities, but they will have to consider carefully how they are teaching and assessing students now that free platforms like ChatGPT are widely available. While AI can serve as a tool to help both teachers and students learn, it can not replace what is often the best part about higher education: the discussion, critical thinking, and mentorship that occurs in and out of a classroom. There is a history of tools that initially seemed threatening to education, but were later incorporated into instruction (e.g., calculators, Wikipedia, etc), and faculty would be well-served by approaching generative AI in a similar manner (Hicks, 2023).
While there is still debate about the extent that generative AI will transform education (Marcus, 2023; NeJame, et al., 2023; Office of Educational Technology, 2023),faculty will need to encourage students to learn how to balance the information they get from AI with their own perspectives or creative expressions. Students will need to learn how to use these tools because they might be required to master them in their jobs when they graduate. However, it is important to stress that using artificial intelligence is not the same as thinking, which is why this technology should not control curriculum or content. Instead, faculty should set expectations and policies about the use of AI so students have clear guidance.
It’s worth mentioning that AI tools can be incredibly helpful for faculty and staff – these changes don’t just affect our students. We can use this technology to create examples, quizzes, sample essays, in-class activities, discussion questions, study guides, or other resources for students. AI can be used for plagiarism detection, research assistance, or help give feedback on student work. However, just because you can use it doesn’t mean you always should. The Guide to Identifying and Evaluating AI Tools for Higher Education later in this document provides additional detail on some of the considerations to keep in mind when deciding if and when to use AI.
This chapter is divided into the following sections: how to help educators set expectations in their courses, how to include assessment and evaluation practices, how educators can use AI to promote learning and success, ways to incorporate AI literacy (and why that’s important), and how AI tools can help educators .
Other institutions are exploring the impact of AI in education. One useful resource is Cornell University’s CU Committee Report: Generative Artificial Intelligence for Education and Pedagogy which offers concrete examples of AI usage and policies.
