Academic Technology Solutions, the Chicago Center for Teaching and Learning (CCTL), and the UChicago Library have collaborated to provide faculty and instructors with a unified resource with key information and ideas to support them in thinking through the teaching and learning implications of generative artificial intelligence (GAI). This open-enrollment, self-paced Canvas site, based on the annual program Teaching in the Generative AI Landscape, provides resources such as a technical overview of GAI, a pedagogical deep dive with examples from UChicago instructors, academic integrity guidance from the Office of College Community Standards (OCCS), and more. This course is fully self-guided, and instructors are welcome to go through it sequentially or go directly to modules that interest them as needed.
Modules included in the course are:
- A Basic Pedagogical Response
- This overview gives instructors a series of steps to promote a learning-focused environment amidst the current technological and social shifts. These include considering learning goals, communicating with students about the nature of learning, setting a clear AI use policy, and adaptations to respond to these changes.
- A Teaching-Focused Primer on GAI Tools
- This module explains how AI works, describes some of the major tools now available, and outlines how generative AI can be prompted in helpful ways (as well as ways that you may want to avoid in a learning context). It also provides a preview of some of the newest trends in AI tools, so that instructors can be aware of what these tools can or will soon be able to do, which can be useful whether you’re planning to adopt or avoid those uses.
- Pedagogical Challenges
- This module delves into research on the way these tools can produce inaccurate or low-quality outputs that interfere with novice learners’ development of expertise. This research helps articulate the long-term stakes of learning interrupted by AI, and it can help communicate the value of effective learning habits to students
- Pedagogical Opportunities
- For those instructors who may be interested in folding AI into the work of their courses in a thoughtful way that mitigates the hazards presented in the previous module, this module breaks down some of the major decisions involved and provides examples from UChicago instructors who have already done such experimentation.
- Legal and Privacy Issues
- This module provides a primer on the basics of copyright, as well as insights on the questions AI is currently raising in this area. It also offers information on the privacy and ethical concerns raised by AI and useful resources for both instructors and students to think through the issues AI raises.
- Using the Library to Promote Information Literacy
- This module explains the importance of information literacy as well as the kinds of difficulties in this area that may drive students to seek assistance from generative AI, even when it’s not the best option. It also details the kinds of support and resources the library offers to help students find high-quality information and build good academic habits.
- Communicating with Students: Syllabus Policy and Academic Integrity
- This module details the features that make up an effective AI policy for your syllabus, as well as discussion topics that promote a positive class dynamic around this issue. You’ll find sample policies that cover a range of outlooks about AI, from prohibition, to specifically permitted uses, to citation requirements. Finally, you’ll also find in this module a guide to addressing academic integrity concerns, with clear steps provided by the Office of College Community Standards (OCCS).
- Perspectives from UChicago Instructors on AI in Teaching and Learning
- This module includes insights from instructors across UChicago about how they approach generative AI in their classes. The range of instructor outlooks, presented in both a video recording of a faculty panel and several blog posts, offers useful examples of learning design and student communication both for those who seek to avoid AI in their course and those who wish to allow it in some way.
- UChicago Resources and Guidance
- This final module provides information about and access to UChicago’s own generative AI tool, PhoenixAI, a directory of offices around the university that can help you plan for and address various AI-related issues, and a handy glossary of terms to help you navigate the sometimes overwhelming amount of jargon in the world of AI.
Instructors can access these resources by self-enrolling in the Canvas site. Subscribe to ATS’ blog and newsletter for updates on new resources related to AI in teaching. For individual assistance, you can visit our office hours, book a consultation with an instructional designer, or email academictech@uchicago.edu. For a list of our upcoming ATS workshops, please visit our workshop schedule for events that fit your schedule.
(Cover Photo by Sam Jotham Sutharson from Pixabay)
