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Using AI in the Higher Education Classroom

Woman taking notes in front of a computer

The fast-evolving field of AI brings continuous innovation to higher education, with generative AI tools boosting instructor productivity by freeing up time to focus on creative, complex student-focused goals as well as research. Recent updates have expanded users’ ability to customize texts and multimodal content for various audiences, enhancing student engagement and productivity (Fauzi et al., 2023).

The term “Generative AI” refers to computational techniques that generate meaningful content such as text, images, or audio from training data (Feuerriegel, 2023). These models make use of pre-existing information and create outputs that can be both creative and functional and can support us with daily tasks. A tool for creativity and accommodation, Generative AI can also lead to innovation in teaching and learning (Strzelecki, 2023).

Use Cases

Surveys have found that 22 percent of around 3000 instructors use Generative AI (Shaw et al., 2023). Amongst them:

  • 43 percent use it to understand how students use the tools.
  • 35 percent use it in their teaching.
  • 29 percent use it for in-class activities.
  • Some also use it to customize complex texts and generate summaries that cater to students’ diverse comprehension skillsets.

According to Langreo (2024), educators have also leveraged Generative AI tools to:

  • Create lesson plans
  • Provide students with feedback
  • Build grading rubrics
  • Compose emails
  • Write letters of recommendation
  • Incorporate AI into assignments to upskill students’ abilities

Teaching Implications for Generative AI

Gen AI can enhance teaching and learning in the higher education classroom and help students stay engaged with the course material (Fuchs, 2023). For example, instructors can design writing assignments in which students actively analyze the tool’s strengths and limitations. By engaging students and exploring the tool together, instructors can introduce students to the importance of ethics and the dangers of plagiarism in the writing

process. That process can help reduce shallow learning and raise awareness about misinformation (Wang et al., 2023). Gen AI can also be used as a powerful writing tool. Generating multiple versions of the same written text can help students evaluate and critique rhetoric and grammar and familiarize themselves with different writing styles (Beck & Levine, 2023).

To discourage plagiarism, graded assignments can include oral presentations, group projects, and hands-on activities that require students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills in a more interactive and engaging way (King, 2023).

Overall, as students show themselves to be enthusiastic about AI tools, it is important for instructors to address the use of these in the classroom (Joyce, 2023). Despite the general enthusiasm, it is also important to note there have been drastic measures taken at some educational institutions due to the fear of the unknown (Lampropoulos, Ferdig, Kaplan-Rakowski, 2023).

Uses

ChatGPT Can Be Used To...

  • Teach students critical thinking and writing (Strzelecki, 2023)
  • Help developing writers with strategic guidance from teachers (Beck & Levine, 2023)
  • Offer students judgment-free assistance when facing a blank page (Beck & Levine, 2023)
  • Educate students about ethical concerns and responsible AI use (Okaiyeto et al., 2023)

Instructors Can...

  • Adapt their curriculum to include new technological advancements (Wang et al., 2023)
  • Provide more inclusive teaching that aligns with a transformative relationship with knowledge (Strzelecki, 2023)
  • Shift to a more didactic approach supporting critical thinking, creativity, and real-world application (Fesenmeier, Wöbel, 2023).
  • Utilize the tool to differentiate correct from incorrect information by encouraging critical thinking (Joyce, 2023)
  • Incorporate ChatGPT in their coursework to prepare graduates who are competitive and adaptable in the evolving job market (Okaiyeto et al., 2023)

ChatGPT Can Help Instructors...

  • Write writing prompts (Beck & Levine, 2023)
  • Encourage classroom discussion about the benefits and drawbacks of using AI tools (Joyce, 2023)
  • Assist students with real-time feedback and personalized learning environments (Wang et al., 2023)
  • Utilize AI tools to illustrate these impacts through scenario-based examples, thus shaping students’ mental models of AI tool usage (Wang et al., 2023)
  • Enhance productivity (Okaiyeto et al., 2023)
  • Manage work-related stress and task accomplishment due to its time-saving features (Bin-Nashwan et al., 2023)

Designing Generative AI into your syllabus

A potential first step toward incorporating AI technology into the higher education classroom is a transparent syllabus. A syllabus that provides guidance on the proper utilization of technology can create a learning environment that is inclusive and supportive of both the student and the instructor. In practice, this might mean creating learning objectives using Bloom’s Taxonomy for working with technologies such as ChatGPT. Syllabus verbiage can emphasize successful learning behaviors and strategies in general.

Instructors are implementing policies in syllabi that range from guiding ChatGPT use in academic work to limiting its use. Overarching guidelines around syllabus language include:

  • Setting clear guidelines for the use of ChatGPT on assignments (Tyson, 2023)
  • Being honest about the time assignments take
  • Offering a choice between AI and non-AI assignments

Microsoft CoPilot

Microsoft’s Copilot is an advanced generative AI chatbot that can be a productive ally and personal assistant to instructors. In addition to improving efficiency, summarizing information, and automating repetitive tasks, instructors can easily draw specific and detailed information from Bing, the search engine, and the Microsoft operating system. Moreover, faculty might find some versions of Copilot compelling as it can instantly generate images, seamlessly animate slides and insert tables and more (Microsoft, 2023). UNT’s license with Copilot also protects faculty members’ intellectual property.

Resources for Instructors

  • AI Text Generators Sources: to Stimulate Discussion Among Teachers
  • AI Tool List for Educators
  • AI Generative Tool Student Survey
  • AI in Education Resource Directory
  • How to cite ChatGPT

References

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