During the last week of August, teams from the Searle Center for Advancing Learning and Teaching and Northwestern IT Teaching and Learning Technologies co-presented three workshops on generative artificial intelligence (AI) in the Northwestern classroom. Kicked off by a keynote from Ethan Mollick, a thought leader on the intersection of AI and education, the week included insights from students and recent alums, deep dives into assessment re-tooling, instructor hacks, and an overview of major ethical and pedagogical concerns on this evolving technology.
What should you do for the fall quarter?
- No matter your specific course policy or expectations regarding generative AI, explicitly outline them in your syllabus. The Office of the Provost website will be updated throughout the fall to reflect the changing needs of instructors and students on this topic.
- Take time early in the term to discuss generative AI and its place in the course with your students. Keep an open mind during these discussions and talk with students about the various uses of AI that are appropriate or inappropriate for your course assignments and goals.
- If you haven’t already, start using at least one generative AI tool to understand some of their capabilities.
Not sure how to try it out?
Knowing how generative AI tools work is the first step to grappling with its impact on our research and teaching. Here are some ideas for becoming familiar with the capabilities of some of the large language model generative AI tools.
Begin by logging into a chat tool like Claude or ChatGPT 3.5. Try several of the following prompts to see what the tools can produce. Please note that these tools are public, and you have no assurance of data privacy, information protection, or intellectual property rights.
- Ask for a major concept from your field to be defined and explained at a specific level. For example, “Define and explain string theory with two specific examples at a high school level.”
- Refine your prompt by:
- Changing the role: “I am an instructor. Help me explain string theory at a high school level.”
- Changing the level: “Define and explain string theory at a third-grade level.”
- Changing the tone: “Define and explain string theory in a casual (or silly, with jokes, for an academic audience) style.”
- Asking for more details on a specific part of the answer: “I don’t understand the first example. Can you explain in more detail?”
- Request more information on any inaccuracies or odd parts of the response: “Cite an article that says Thomas Edison arrived at M-Theory.”
- Ask for an email to be written to your auto insurance to contest their rejection of your claim.
- Ask for an outline of a three to five-page research paper with citations on the topic of circadian rhythms (or a topic in your field of interest).
After interacting with a generative AI tool, reflect on your experience.
- What did you learn about the tools’ capabilities and their limitations?
- Where can students use some of these capabilities to extend their learning in your course?
- How can you and your students critically engage with what is generated?
Further Resources
During the week of workshops, students, instructors, and staff at Northwestern engaged in idea-sharing and conversation on generative AI’s undeniable impacts on teaching and learning. Consider exploring the following resources that surfaced during the week:
- Video Playlist – Practical AI for Teachers and Students
- Mollick, Ethan R. and Mollick, Lilach, Using AI to Implement Effective Teaching Strategies in Classrooms: Five Strategies, Including Prompts (March 17, 2023)
- University of Sydney student co-created General Principles for Use of Generative AI
- Friendly Tutor Prompt – a prompt developed by Ethan Mollick for turning ChatGPT into a tutor for students
- Artificial Intelligence at Northwestern website – sharing ongoing work by the Northwestern community on AI in theory and practice
Links to recordings and resources from the week of workshops will soon be available on the Office of the Provost website.