Conversations with AI: Supercharging the Course Design Process
Quicktip:
Try using voice-to-text with artificial intelligence (AI). I use the VoiceIn voice typing plugin for Google Chrome. This approach leads to a more natural conversation with AI, especially with OpenAI's ChatGPT. It provides the necessary context to make AI a useful tool. This technique was instrumental in transforming an 8-week Writing 102 course into a compact yet engaging 5-week version. Here's how.
The Quick Approach Didn’t Work
Initially, I attempted to directly convert an 8-week course into a 5-week format. The AI did its best, but the result was underwhelming. While I had ample content for the 8-week course, translating it into a meaningful, balanced 5-week course was challenging. So, I decided to start anew, utilizing the learning outcomes and assignments from the 8-week course as a model.
Start from Scratch, Sort of
The first step, as with any course design, was defining the overall objectives. The goal for this Writing 102 course was to enhance students' writing and research skills while engaging them with fandoms as discourse communities. I communicated these objectives to the AI, which helped guide the design. I had a collection of assignments from the previous course that already met the core objectives. Adding the theme of discourse communities to each assignment and scaffolding them accordingly became much easier with the help of AI.
Don’t be Afraid to Interrupt or Revise
AI, like ChatGPT, doesn't get upset when you interrupt it. If the AI is generating content that misses the mark, I tell it to stop and then provide more context. Sometimes, though, I find it easier to paste what the AI came up with into Google Docs, use voice typing to speak my notes where I think they're appropriate, and then ask the AI to revise them. This way, I can maintain an informal tone while refining the content.
Iterative Refinement of Modules and Assignments
With the course objectives defined, I moved on to the specifics: individual modules and assignments. Each task was designed to closely align with the course learning outcomes and module objectives. The assignments ranged from personal narratives, exploration of controversies, and comparative analysis essays, to creating annotated bibliographies. Throughout the process, there was a continuous back-and-forth with the AI to revise and refine each assignment prompt. The goal was to ensure clarity and provide detailed instructions that guided students toward fulfilling the learning outcomes.
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AI and the Future of Writing Education
As an educator who's taught writing for over 20 years, I've certainly seen my fair share of technological shake-ups. AI, however, is a game-changer, especially for composition. It felt a bit disingenuous to teach a writing course now without incorporating AI, but not all of my students have access to ChatGPT, nor do they know how to use it ethically.
I'm relying on tools we use at Pima Community College called Packback for discussions and their new Deep Dives tool, which helps with papers. They don't yet have a solution for peer review, but I'm told they're working on it. The way AI is incorporated into education reminds me of the graphing calculator revolution in the late 20th century. Just as graphing calculators were eventually integrated into math pedagogy, I believe AI will similarly become an integral part of writing education. My aim is to help students use AI ethically and effectively, enhancing their writing and critical thinking processes, rather than replacing them.
Addressing the Peer Review Problem
One particular challenge in this course was meaningful peer review in such a short timeframe. Traditional peer review is time-consuming and can feel monotonous. I asked the AI to generate a list of "lightning peer review" activities, a more engaging and time-efficient approach. From this list, I selected a few, sorted them from most to least scaffolded, and integrated them into the course. This way, students could learn to peer review naturally and efficiently.
The Final Result
The end product was a streamlined, engaging, 5-week Writing 102-course outline. While I still have to put it all together in the Learning Management System and fine-tune it, using AI greatly sped up the course design process. It took away some of the time pressure and allowed me to focus on the more creative aspects of course design. The interaction with AI made the course design process not only more efficient but also more innovative.
Questions
If you're engaged in course design, I'd highly recommend considering AI as a co-designer. Have you tried using AI in your course design process? What other ways can AI be utilized in educational settings? I'd love to hear your thoughts!