Sample Syllabus Statements and Activities for Using AI in School
More than 300 educators engaged in thought-provoking conversations surrounding AI’s role in teaching and learning during Course Hero’s AI Academy. A central theme among participants as the program progressed was a growing acceptance of AI in education. Educators familiarized themselves with AI tools and became more comfortable introducing these tools to students.?
Educator Douglas Anderson says, “Now that I have several months of experience with ChatGPT and other AI generators, my understanding and attitude toward these applications has changed. Whereas I was opposed to their introduction and use in the classroom, now I am accepting them with open arms, though hedged with certain parameters that depend upon the subject matter and type of class.”
As part of their final project in AI Academy, participants created AI statements to include in their syllabi. If you need guidance on how to talk to your students about AI, use the sample statements from participants below and adapt them for your own syllabus.
Defining Generative?AI for the Classroom
Below, educators Lisa Young, Stephen Strain, and Lana Mett share clear descriptions of GenAI and AI-related concepts:
Generative Artificial Intelligence is a category of artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms that generate new outputs based on the data they have been trained on. (World Economic Forum). Unlike traditional AI systems that are designed to recognize patterns and make predictions, generative AI creates new content in the form of images, text, audio, and more.?
Examples of generative AI tools include:?
AI Literacy is defined as a set of competencies that enable individuals to critically evaluate AI technologies; communicate and collaborate effectively with AI; and use AI as a tool online, at home, and in the workplace. (Long & Magerko, 2020).
AI systems and tools are able to perform human-like tasks such as answering unstructured questions and requests, analyzing information and drawing conclusions, and solving problems. To achieve these tasks, AI processes large amounts of input data to find patterns, which can be used to generate insights.?
Using AI is an effective way to improve productivity, stimulate creativity, create?new solutions, improve communication, and promote critical thinking and lifelong learning.?
4 Suggestions for?Student GenAI Use
Educator Beth Case shares the following AI use cases with students through a formal AI syllabus statement:
1. Ask For Examples to Clarify Confusing Concepts:? For example, in a psychology course, you might ask for examples to help you understand the difference between classical and operant conditioning.?
2. Copy and Paste Sections of Peer-Reviewed Articles to Get Summaries In Layman’s Terms: Some of the articles you will be asked to read are complex and include academic jargon. GenAI can simplify the language to make it easier to understand.?
3. Get Suggestions to Improve Your Writing: After you have written a draft, you can ask GenAI for suggestions on organization, sentence structure, or clarity.
4. Brainstorm Topics: If you have trouble thinking of a topic for your research paper, GenAI can provide a list of possible ideas. Be sure to make sure their suggestions are appropriate for the assignment.
Educator Brandon McHenry says, “Try This: Have the students research AI apps and figure out what each app does, how it works, and what are its uses for school. Apps to research include ChatGPT, Bard, Course Hero, GPTZero, Quillbot, Dall-e 2, Microsoft Bing Image Creator, and Craiyon. Here is an AI App Organizer template for this activity.”
General Principles for?Student GenAI Use
Educator Bridget Trusty outlines the following guidelines for students using GenAI in her courses:
?? Attribution is of the Utmost Importance: Citing the work of other humans is a morally valuable and legally required principle that academia upholds. This principle is equally important as it relates to the transfer of content that is generated by AI tools. There are organizations, such as MLA and APA, that have created guidelines on how to cite such content. Here is the link for MLA style and APA style.
?? You are Responsible for Your Content: Generative AI tools can sometimes produce factually incorrect, biased, and potentially harmful information. As the author of your content, it is YOUR responsibility to verify that any content you use from these tools for factual correctness, bias, and potential for social harm.
??? Documenting Your Work is Key: If asked, you should be able to demonstrate how much of your work was done by you, and what role generative AI played in assisting you. How you choose to demonstrate your process is your choice. Some suggestions for documenting your process may include: sharing transcripts of your ChatGPT chats using the share feature or adding statements regarding AI use at the end of your submissions.
?? Reflect on Your Experiences: When you are using AI tools, try and reflect on your experiences. Here are some questions to reflect upon as you document your experiences:
You may want to incorporate these reflective questions into your documentation process as well.
?? Challenging These Principles is Highly Encouraged: As we proceed with the use of generative AI in the classroom, we will continue to refine our principles to meet our needs. It is important to remember that we are all in the early stages of experimenting with generative AI, so I encourage you to challenge these principles based on your experiences and share your thoughts about how they should be revised, if needed.
Ethical Reminders for?Student AI Use
Educator Ashley Evans shares the following reminders with students regarding ethical AI use:
?? Think Critically. AI is not infallible—it’s not 100% right, 100% of the time. We must evaluate its responses for accuracy and correctness. We must also consider whether we have gotten the wrong answer from AI, or if we have asked it the wrong question.
?? Use AI as a Tool, Not a Crutch. Merely copying and pasting AI’s suggestions is not genuine learning. If you sidestep understanding core concepts, your performance will suffer, which will put your course success at risk.
?? Analyze Bias in AI. Large language models draw from diverse human-authored content, which may contain biases. It’s our duty to be cognizant of these biases when interpreting AI responses.
? Confirm Accuracy. There was a time (early 2000s) when people would use Wikipedia as a credible source of information. Now, we all know that it’s not. An AI-generated response is not to be considered accurate and trustworthy by default. You should perform additional analysis and research to confirm what AI is telling you.
?? Respect Privacy. Once you enter information into any AI platform, it’s no longer private information. Refrain from feeding personal details, especially pertaining to peers or educators, into any AI system.
?? Be Transparent. If you used AI to help complete an AI-approved assignment, indicate how and where you used it within your assignment submission.
? Uphold Academic Integrity. If you have been explicitly told not to use AI for an assignment, quiz, or exam - don’t use it. These assessments are designed to see what YOU know, not what ChatGPT knows. Even with the introduction of AI into our daily lives, humans will never stop needing to know how and why things work.
Helpful Graphics for?GenAI and Ethics
Educator Kristie-Ann Opaleski shares graphics with her students to help them understand ethical vs. unethical use of AI:
Image Content: Kristie-Ann Opaleski
Ways for Students to Avoid Inappropriate AI Use
Educator Beth Case helps her students avoid improper use of AI with the following checklist:?
1. Ask the GenAI for suggestions and advice on how to improve your writing but not to give a rewritten example. You can request help with sentence structure, grammar, or style, but don't ask the AI to provide verbatim paragraphs for your paper.
2. Never copy and paste anything from the GenAI tool. Always rephrase the information obtained from the AI in your own words and properly cite any sources used.
3. Get feedback and then close the GenAI tool before revising your paper. After receiving assistance from the AI, make sure to revise and edit your work independently.
4. If you use GenAI for a written assignment, include a paragraph at the end explaining how you used it and evaluate its usefulness. If GenAI use is suspected and not acknowledged, you may be asked to rewrite the assignment. GenAI is not allowed for essay test questions.
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Addressing GenAI Concerns
Educator Rene Peralta highlights AI concerns in his syllabus statement to ensure students remain aware when using AI:
??Hallucinations: OpenAI says ChatGPT sometimes writes plausible sounding but incorrect or nonsensical answers. This is an expected behavior of large language models.?
??Accuracy: ChatGPT has limited knowledge of events that occurred after 2021.
??Socio-Cultural Bias: As of December 2022, ChatGPT is prohibited from expressing political opinions or engaging in political activism. However, research suggests that ChatGPT exhibits a pro-environmental, left-libertarian orientation when prompted to take a stance on political statements from two established voting advice applications.
??Algorithmic Bias: ChatGPT demonstrates algorithmic bias—systematic and repeatable errors in a computer system that create unfair outcomes, such as one category over another in ways different from the intended function of the algorithm.
Discussion Questions for?Addressing AI?with Your Students
Educator Douglas Anderson poses discussion questions in his AI statement to ensure students think critically about AI use:?
?? Inclusivity and Bias
?? Privacy and Data Security
?? Dependency and Autonomy
?? Transparency and Accountability
??? Societal Impacts
?? Regulation
?? Pedagogical Implications
Educator David O’Neil says, “I want to equip my students with the essential skills needed to harness AI effectively and ethically rather than spend my time policing inappropriate uses. A unit on effective and ethical AI would begin with a thorough exploration of AI, its capabilities, and the terminology that underpins it. Moving forward, I would introduce my students to AI writing assistants, offering them hands-on experiences in using these tools to augment their writing.”
Sample AI Statements for?Your Syllabus
Educators Dax Parcells and Bryant Lazenby share the following syllabus statements with their students:
Dax Parcell’s Syllabus Statement?
Welcome to this course, where we embrace the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a tool for enhancing your educational experience. To ensure its ethical use, I have outlined the following principles that will guide your engagement with AI throughout the course:
In this course, AI may be used in specific assignments as a tutor, debate companion, or a creative exploration tool for topics relevant to the curriculum. It is important to use AI judiciously, adhering to the ethical guidelines outlined above.
As a tutor, AI can assist in understanding course content and providing additional explanations, but it should not replace your active engagement in learning. When used as a debate companion, AI can help you gather information and arguments, but it is essential to critically assess and refine the content generated by the AI. When exploring topics creatively, AI can be a source of inspiration, but your originality and insights remain central to the creative process.
By following these ethical guidelines, you will harness the power of AI to enhance your learning experience while maintaining the integrity of your education. I encourage you to embrace AI as a valuable tool in your academic journey but always remember that your unique intellectual contributions are the heart of your education.
Bryant Lazenby’s Syllabus Statement?
In this course, we embrace the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance your learning experience. AI, in this context, refers to computer systems and algorithms designed to mimic human intelligence. AI comes in various forms, from rule-based systems to machine learning algorithms, and it can be a valuable tool to aid your studies.
Our Goals and Expectations
Our primary goal is to empower you with the skills to leverage AI effectively in your academic journey. We want you to feel comfortable using AI as a supportive tool to kickstart assignments and enhance your learning process. We believe that AI should be accessible to all, regardless of your prior experience with the technology.
Diverse AI Applications
Throughout this course, you will be introduced to a diverse range of AI applications relevant to our discipline. These applications may include natural language processing tools for text analysis, machine learning algorithms for data analysis, and AI-based virtual assistants for research and information retrieval.?
By integrating AI into our daily teaching and curriculum, you will gain hands-on experience, bridging the gap between theory and real-world application. AI tools that may be helpful include:
What You'll Gain
We are confident that by incorporating AI into your learning experience, you will not only learn how to use AI tools effectively but also develop critical thinking skills. You will learn when and how AI can provide value in our field and be better prepared for an AI-driven future.
Ethical Use of AI
Responsible and ethical AI use is a priority. You will be expected to cite your AI usage in your assignments, including the prompts and tools used. This promotes transparency and encourages thoughtful decision-making when using AI in your coursework.
We are excited to embark on this journey of integrating AI into your learning experience. AI has the potential to enhance your problem-solving abilities, foster digital literacy, and prepare you for an AI-powered future. We believe that AI can be a powerful ally in your educational journey, and we are here to guide you every step of the way.
Knowledge is the?Antidote to Fear
Course Hero’s AI Academy gave educators the opportunity to explore AI tools for their own pedagogical use and determine how students might use these tools in the classroom. By broadening their knowledge, participants felt less afraid of AI, and it became easier to address AI with their students.
Bridget Trusty says, “I am shouting from the rooftops because applying what I am learning is taking the sting out of all of the overwhelm regarding AI. I truly believe that the more we learn and apply what we've learned, we will realize that AI is a great assistant for us as educators and it gives us so much time back to give to our students in making sure they receive the best possible learning experience.”
Contributors
Subject Matter Expert in Cultural Anthropology and Philosophy, and Lead Instructor, Cultural Anthropology, College of Graduate and Professional Studies, University of New England, UNE Online
1 个月It's imperative that educators become thoroughly conversant with AI tools and applications to better serve the needs of their students!