Many of us worry that generative AI will do students’ thinking for them. But what if the process of generating AI content—in this case, an image—actually forces a deeper level of critical analysis? To facilitate critical thinking skills about AI, we designed an assignment that
Feedback is one of the most important influences on learning, and providing it is one of an instructor’s most important duties. But it’s no secret that many, if not most, faculty consider providing students with feedback to be drudgery. AI provides a way to offload
Although a range of pedagogical methods use storytelling, evidence of their connection to academic outcomes in specific disciplines is lacking. We present a form of biographical storytelling with the potential to improve academic outcomes. It has five components: narrative structure, characters, emotional resonance, imagery and
While AI is being used to make self-tests, study aids, and a wide range of other learning materials, tutoring systems have arguably the most potential to improve student understanding and performance. Programmed to mimic human tutors, these systems engage in a Socratic dialogue with the
Teaching and learning scholars have widely recognized undergraduate research experiences (UREs) as high-impact practices that substantially influence student retention, learning, and professional outcomes (Lopatto, 2004; Williams & Xu, 2020). Though much research about UREs has focused on experiences in the sciences, UREs provide a foundation
Educators are always looking for ways to make learning more engaging and accessible. Thinglink is an interactive media platform that allows instructors to turn visual content into clickable interactive experiences. By adding “hot spots,” instructors can embed text, audio, video, or links to web resources.
AI has opened a world of new opportunities for student learning. I have discussed how instructors can easily add interactions to their learning material, tutors to their classroom, and digital laboratory simulations that allow students to test how a process changes with different inputs. But
During a recent interview for a longitudinal study on undergraduate writing and learning that I am conducting at my school, one student described a course he was currently taking with a professor he admired deeply. He spoke warmly about the instructor’s passion, clarity, and care
Large language models can explain concepts, summarize readings, and even generate practice problems. But developing professional expertise—the kind of strategic thinking, judgment, and problem-solving that distinguishes novices from experts—requires more than content delivery. It requires coaching. When we wanted to give students more access to
Faculty and institutions are using AI to create educational material and tutors that help students learn the material. These are text-based interactions. But AI can also build digital simulations that allow students to experiment with different variables to learn how they affect processes. This ability
