AI in the Classroom
It’s easy to feel lost in a world where Artificial Intelligence is the new normal, especially for educators.
While AI has plenty of obvious applications for technology gurus and businesses, it seems to create problems for college classrooms.
By incorporating AI into coursework, are we inciting plagiarism? Are we teaching students NOT to think?
And even if the above is true…by failing to teach students AI, does that leave them unprepared to face today’s job market, where AI competence will be a competitive advantage?
Fortunately, there are ways to responsibly incorporate AI in the classroom in a way that keeps students thinking critically. Additionally, AI can powerfully support you as an educator.
AI Benefits for Educators
From course prep to creating test questions, there are many aspects of professor life that feel a little too much like manual labor.
These are perfect instances to use generative AI. If your students are struggling with a concept, and you suddenly need new quizzes to help them master the material, AI can save you hours. Enter the questions from your original test and request that it generate 30 new short answer questions.
If you’re creating a PowerPoint presentation for a new course, you can generate the information for your slides. The possibilities are endless.
Of course, you should never copy and paste from AI with blind faith. The information might not even be accurate. However, it is far easier to edit than to create, and AI can save you from creating that time-consuming first draft.
Concerns about AI
Elephant in the room: plagiarism.
Unfortunately, it is impossible to definitively tell if something has been copied out of AI.
However, the quality of AI’s output directly corresponds to the quality of the input. In other words, you need a significant amount of critical thinking to create a prompt detailed enough to capture a well-”thought,” human-sounding assignment.
The students resorting to AI plagiarism are not likely the ones creating such thorough prompts.
If you’re not in the habit of awarding good grades to sub-par assignments, AI probably won’t make much of a difference to a student’s overall performance.
HOW to Use AI in the Classroom
One of the easiest ways to keep students from using AI inappropriately is to take the mystery out of it. Address it directly, and put parameters on its use. Just like in math course, require them to “show their work” if they use AI, providing the screenshots of the prompts they used and the following interactions.
This helps students develop competency, preparing them for future employment, while keeping you abreast of when it is and isn’t being used. You may be surprised how seldom students actually use AI once you allow it.
As for its applications, it can minimize the length of time students stare at a blank canvas. AI can help students brainstorm, get started on research, generate concept ideas, etc.
You can also show students how to use AI as a personal tutor. If they’re struggling with course topics, they can prompt AI to generate multiple problems or short-answer questions to work through. Then, they can plug their answers back into AI for feedback.
AI tutor prompts are something you can include in your syllabus at the beginning of the semester (don’t know how to write those prompts? You can ask AI!).
Security
Always stress to your students that they should never enter sensitive/private information into AI.
AI companies are working to improve security policies, etc., but the breeches that have occurred have been severe. The technology is so new that it’s difficult to say with confidence that one’s information will be kept safe.
When it comes to personal data (or sensitive student/institutional data, if you’re using it yourself), it is far better to be safe than sorry.
Prepared for Tomorrow
When calculators came out, educators worried that students would use them to cheat. The question then, as it is now, is “Will we bar students from using a new tool, or will we prepare them for a world where this tool is part of their daily life?”
If you haven’t explored AI yet, it is far less intelligent than you would think. Spend some time with it. This will help you understand its strengths and limitations, removing the fearful element of mystery.
Ultimately, we want students to be prepared to use AI in an ethical way. As an educator, you have the privilege of helping to shape how the next generation interacts with the tools they have been given.
Conclusion
AI is a tool. Just like a computer. Just like a calculator. Rather than being a hurdle to overcome, it can improve and personalize your students’ learning experience.
The first step is educating yourself. When you take the opportunity to learn and grow, then share that experience with your students, you’ll remind them that change is not something to fear, but a new strength to embrace with responsibility and curiosity.
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