Since late 2022, AI-based tools capable of generating the following have become widely available:
- Text (e.g., ChatGPT)
- Code (e.g., GitHub, Copilot)
- Images (e.g., MidJourney, Dall-E, Stable Diffusion)
- Music (e.g., Amper, Aiva)
- Video (e.g., Pictory, Synthesia, Deepbrain)
These tools offer great potential for supporting student learning and assisting teachers in their work. Because they facilitate the creation of text, images, computer code, music, and video, it is possible to design more ambitious classroom activities and raise expectations for student work.
More realistic and complex examples and exercises can be generated, and students’ critical evaluation skills can be developed, as they must review the outputs of these tools, which in some cases are prone to errors.1
Just as we have previously incorporated calculators, videos, simulations, online resources, and, more recently, remote learning into our courses, we must now assess the impact of these new tools on teaching and learning. It is important to integrate generative tools into our teaching, not only because of their potential to enhance learning, but also because they will influence many tasks and professions in various ways.
As a university, we want to encourage and support our faculty in exploring these generative tools and experimenting with them. Potential uses include streamlining lesson planning, creating assessments, and producing instructional materials to support classroom instruction, among many other possibilities.
As an academic community, we offer some general guidelines for educators regarding the use of generative artificial intelligence in teaching:
- Discuss with students the potential value of these tools for reflection, understanding new concepts, and learning—not merely for searching for or producing content. We must emphasize that learning is not the same as quickly finding information. Learning involves intellectually internalizing that information and using it as a framework for developing new ideas, concepts, and theories; learning is about transforming oneself, not merely acquiring information.
- Take steps to ensure that students’ use of these tools does not compromise the academic integrity of the learning process, particularly during assessments; this involves clearly explaining to students the legitimate uses of these tools. It also involves designing assessments that are not based solely on memorization, writing, or image production, and that place greater value on creativity and personal expression. It is particularly important to review assessments based on written essays, computer programs, or other outputs that can be automatically generated by generative tools.
- Learn about and test the available technologies to determine whether a text or other type of content was generated by one of these tools.
- Experiment with these tools on your own and select the ones that are most reliable and appropriate for the subject you teach; the university’s technical teams can provide the necessary guidance and support.
- Ensure that all students have access to the tools selected by teachers and know how to use them. In particular, it is important to show students that the results they can obtain from these tools depend on the prompts they are given and the conversational contexts in which they are used.
- Warn students that these tools may generate outputs that appear correct at first glance but may contain significant errors or omissions. Students are responsible for the information they provide in class or for assessments, and they should cross-check the results obtained from these tools with those from other reliable sources. In particular, it is important to warn students about the phenomenon of “hallucinations.”2 In this context, it is important to assign students educational activities that involve verifying, critiquing, or evaluating the outputs generated by these tools. For example, have students consult these tools in different ways and compare the results, or compare the responses from these tools with those from books or archives.
- Define how students should acknowledge or cite the use of generative tools in assignments submitted for grading, specifying which tools were used and for what purpose, as well as the prompts used to obtain the results.3
The Center for Higher Education Development (CAES) will offer workshops and other activities to help participants effectively explore these new possibilities.
We would like to thank you in advance for your efforts in implementing these innovations, which continue our university’s long tradition of educational innovation.
Documents
- The Use of Generative AI Tools in Education - April 2023
- Assessing Learning in the Context of Generative AI: Recommendations and Suggestions for Teachers - June 29, 2023
1. This article summarizes some of the main uses of generative tools, particularly those with text-based interfaceshttps://txt.cohere.ai/llm-use-cases/
2.https://arxiv.org/pdf/2202.03629.pdf
3.https://library.port.ac.uk/referencing