Teaching with Generative AI

As we experiment with and learn more about generative AI, we think it is important to consider a few things:  

• Communicate with your students about your decision to include or exclude, the use of generative AI in your classroom. Be explicit and direct. Sample Syllabus Statements are available, but supplementing the syllabus with classroom discussion about this topic is important for students to understand generative AI’s limits and possibilities. Be sure to speak about it often and be clear about the use of generative AI tools before each assessment.
• If you allow your students to use generative AI tools, ensure they know how to properly cite the use of generative AI tools in their work.  
• Consider asking students to demonstrate their research process (e.g., detail library research history, provide a mind map of working through the assignment) and reflect on it (e.g., describe what they learned at each step, their thoughts on the overall experience). 
• Consider creating AI classroom guidelines, perhaps in collaboration with your students. 
• Engage students in critiquing any information a generative AI tool produces. We should never assume that the information is correct or accurate. Judith Pöe (Professor Emerita, Chemistry, UTM), had students analyze an answer to her prompt and identify the errors. This task opened up the conversation on using generative AI for learning and reinforced the idea that the students might know more on the subject than the ‘bot’.