As teachers, we often focus on the product of our work to the exclusion of the process of creating that product. That is, we talk about the objects our field studies—whether artworks, philosophical treatises, or physics theories—but not the thinking that went into producing those
After all, nearly every large language model (LLM) is good at summarizing readings, synthesizing large amounts of data and information across sources and culling it down to key points, and “remembering” foundational knowledge. So why memorize facts? Why practice applying concepts? Why learn to write?
As AI use continues to grow in the field of education, we are only beginning to discover potential uses to support faculty work. Most of the focus has been on tools for creating learning materials, such as lessons and assessments. But AI tools can assist
AI has become a part of nearly all facets of teaching, from lesson development to exam creation to answering student questions. But grading is the last bastion of education where it has yet to make meaningful inroads. This is partly due to the visceral reaction
We’ve long known that reading long blocks of text can lead to wandering minds and lower retention. It’s better to break up explanatory text with images, especially ones that summarize main points. This allows students to see the big picture, and the visual analog to
In a world of deepfakes, it’s not uncommon to see videos of famous celebrities saying or doing things that the real celebrity did not say or do. Stories also abound of individuals turning to AI companions for support, company, and even raunchy love affairs (Hill,
Many faculty members are focused on keeping AI out of the classroom. However, the real focus should be teaching students how to use it productively. Technology has always relieved humans of menial tasks to free them for higher-level ones. The calculator did not end the
Generative AI allows instructors to create interactive, self-directed review activities for their courses. The beauty of these activities is that unlike a traditional self-test, the instructor does not spend time setting up the questions and answers. The instructor only creates a prompt that tells the
The allure of the copy-and-paste approach to course design is ever present. Many of us, out of what often feels like sheer necessity, have fully embraced the comfort of teaching from muscle memory, recalling with ease the structure and rhythms of a course and therefore
Education once came through the total immersion technique. The apprentice worked with a master within the profession to learn the master’s craft, whether that profession was blacksmithing or soldiering. Students learned by doing within the setting of the job itself, which helped them get a
