Reflecting on AI Use Across a Scaffolded Research Project
Objectives
This assignment was developed for the third-year course, DHU 334: Innovation Through a Digital Lens. Students work on a scaffolded research project — selecting an innovation to study across two papers of increasing length — culminating in a website built using Omeka.net.
The objective is to encourage students to honestly document and examine their AI practices at each stage of the writing process, developing habits of critical evaluation, source verification, and metacognitive reflection on AI’s affordances and limitations. The culminating discussion activity extends individual reflection into peer and whole-class learning.
Process
The assignment was designed as a scaffolded, iterative approach to AI reflection embedded across the research writing sequence. The steps included:
Step 1: AI Reflection on Paper 1 (Week 4)
- Students append a 1–2 page reflection to their first research paper addressing: whether they used AI and why (including which tool); the specific prompts they entered; how they verified the accuracy of AI-generated information; and what they learned — what was helpful and what wasn’t.
- The paper is graded before Professor Fischer reads the reflection.
- The reflection itself is ungraded, though students lose 2 points for omitting it. This design encourages honest, low-stakes documentation rather than performative compliance.
Step 2: AI Reflection on Paper 2 (Week 8)
- Students repeat the same reflection process for their second, longer research paper.
- Completing the reflection twice allows students to notice shifts in how they approach AI tools across the term.
Step 3: In-Class Small Group and Discussion Activity (Week 9)
- In groups of three, students share and compare their reflection responses with peers.
- As a large group, the class works through the reflection questions together, pooling observations, insights, and concerns.
- Professor Fischer closes with three deeper discussion prompts:
- In what ways is AI “progress” — and in what ways might it be a “progress trap”?
- How would students feel if their instructor used AI to evaluate their work?
- What advice would they give first-year students about AI use?
Future-Focused Skill Development
This assignment aligns well with the University of Calgary’s STRIVE model, particularly in how it supports equity and responsibility. By creating a low-stakes, ungraded space for students to document their AI use honestly, the assignment acknowledges that students arrive with very different prior experiences with these tools, and meets them where they are rather than assuming a baseline. This supports equity by making AI engagement visible and discussable, without penalizing students for how they choose to use or not use these tools.
The iterative reflection process also builds responsibility by asking students to consider how they verified AI-generated information and what they learned from each attempt. The culminating peer discussion extends this further, inviting students to collectively work through the ethical dimensions of AI use in research and writing.
Student Feedback
Professor Fischer shares: “These activities create a space for students to experiment with AI (if they choose) without fear of penalty, thus enabling them to critically evaluate AI on their own. On-going class discussions create transparency. We draw upon the “wisdom of the crowd” regarding potential problems and potential benefits of using AI.”