There is no denying that the advances in generative artificial intelligence (AI) in the last year have forced educators to step up their game. The Martha Bradley Evans Center for Teaching Excellence (MBECTE) has gathered resources for U of U instructors to use in considering how AI may influence their teaching practices. The resources described below are included on MBECTE’s Generative AI webpage.
Level 1: Be prepared
Are you just getting started learning about generative AI? MBECTE recommends that all faculty include a statement on their syllabus explicitly stating that misrepresenting content generated by AI as your own work represents academic misconduct.
CTE’s suggested Academic Honesty Syllabus Statement
It is expected that students adhere to University of Utah policies regarding academic honesty, including but not limited to refraining from cheating, plagiarizing, misrepresenting one’s work, and/or inappropriately collaborating. This includes the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools without citation, documentation, or authorization. Students are expected to adhere to the prescribed professional and ethical standards of the profession/discipline for which they are preparing. Any student who engages in academic dishonesty or who violates the professional and ethical standards for their profession/discipline may be subject to academic sanctions as per the University of Utah’s Student Code: https://regulations.utah.edu/academics/6-410.php
Assessment guidelines
For assignments and assessments that will be completed outside the classroom, we recommend using assignments that require students to do more than just produce an answer to a question. For example, students may be required to reflect upon, analyze, integrate, or critique information presented in class or within the course materials. Or they may be asked to respond in an alternative format, such as creating a video response or a poster presentation. Requiring students to include citations or documentation in a manner that would be difficult for an AI generator is another strategy we suggest. We have included several examples of instructional responses to AI on our website.
Popular AI tools
Familiarize yourself with popular AI tools and the kinds of responses they may produce to your assignment prompts. These include ChatGPT, Google’s Bard, and Perplexity. More recently developed tools include tools to search research papers or interact with PDFs and text to image generators.
AI Detection Tools
Canvas is equipped with Turnitin, a plagiarism tool, that also produces an AI Originality score (representing the percentage of content may have been generated by AI). However, in spring 2023 semester, MBECTE recommended that faculty not rely on Turnitin’s Originality score to detect all AI usage due to reported reliability issues. Faculty are encouraged to explore independent AI detection tools, such as ZeroGPT, or Writer. EWeek recently released a chart of the Top 10 AI Detection Tools.
Level 2: Learn, explore, and stay informed
Maybe you are ready to take your knowledge and application of AI in teaching to the next level. We encourage you to attend talks on AI and stay updated on the latest developments.
Upcoming events
MBECTE’s Annual Teaching Symposium on August 14 will feature two presentations on how instructors can integrate AI into their classroom practice. MBECTE will also hold a campuswide workshop on AI and Writing on November 30. Registration for the Annual Teaching Symposium and workshops are free for all U of U faculty, graduate students, postdocs, and staff. You can also join the MBECTE team in attending the national AI X Education Conference on August 5-6 (free, online).
Stay updated on AI developments
Because of the rapid development of AI technology and its many applications to different fields, we recommend faculty stay abreast of developments in their own field. Outlets that report on AI developments relevant to education include the AI Tool Report, The Rundown, and AI Education News. For specific ideas about how to AI may affect educational practice, consider reading Derek Bruff’s Agile Learning blog, One Useful Thing, or the Hechinger Report.
Level 3: Deep dive into AI
You’ve read the news and tried the tools and gone to webinars. What’s next? Level up with self-paced courses on AI. Fortune recently published a list of 5 Free Online AI Classes from top tech firms and universities, or consider the online AI classes taught by Google and Stanford U experts. You can also take a Machine Learning and AI Micro Bootcamp offered by U of U Professional Education. There are also free online Intro to AI courses offered by Udacity and Coursera.
The MBECTE Team is excited about the possibilities that generative AI brings to higher education teaching practices. We look forward to learning and working with you this year!