TIP: The Quickening Pace of Change
Between semesters is the perfect time to recharge and reconsider teaching strategies in an era of rapid AI integration.
The break between fall and spring semesters has arrived once more, along with the strange feeling that so much has changed in our classrooms over the past year - the acceleration of AI integration across higher ed being perhaps the most notable shift. It feels like a very different world than the one we said goodbye to at this time last year.
As we entered 2023, some faculty were just beginning to pilot basic AI applications, like chatbots and text summarizers, while wrestling with concerns over academic integrity. Now, a year after most of us started to become aware of AI tools, these tools have advanced tremendously and become ubiquitous. Campus debates have largely shifted from "should we use AI?" to more complex questions around ethics, job automation, and redefining learning outcomes. For many instructors, integrating these new tools has fundamentally altered teaching workflows and changed the role of the professor. For our students, navigating this AI-powered landscape has also been a major transition. With the click of a button, they can now generate entire essays, solve complex math problems, code full programs, and more. Making responsible choices about how and when to leverage these tools is a key learning curve.
A Time to Pause and Reflect
With so much changing so rapidly, winter break 2023 feels like an especially valuable moment to pause and reflect. Here are a few suggestions on how to make the most of this downtime:
Take an AI inventory: Review all the AI programs and platforms you currently use in your teaching. Consider which have been most and least beneficial for your students’ learning. Are any raising concerns about academic integrity or student overreliance? Make notes on what’s working well versus what requires more oversight going forward.
Re-evaluate course learning goals: Do your current course learning outcomes still make sense given how easily AI can now complete certain tasks for students? Do they need to shift focus more toward higher-order skills like critical thinking, communication, analysis, and evaluation? You may find you want to update outcomes and assignments accordingly.
Experiment with new tools: Winter break is the perfect low-stakes time to try out an AI application you’ve been curious about. Kick the tires on a new video/image generator, writing assistant, tutor bot, or other emerging teaching tool. Having hands-on experience will allow you to make informed choices about integration next semester. The excellent Substack, Wondertools, has a dedicated section to AI tools that is well worth exploring
Prioritize human connection: With all the hype around artificial intelligence lately, we mustn’t lose sight of the irreplaceable value of human relationships in learning. As you plan for spring 2023, think about ways you can emphasize meaningful student-teacher interactions and discussion-based learning, while thoughtfully incorporating AI where appropriate.
The Irreplaceable Value of Feedback for Deeper Learning
Feedback remains crucially important for building meaningful faculty-student relationships, even as AI proliferates. While AI tools can generate content, they cannot replicate authentic human connection and understanding. With students relying more heavily on AI to complete assignments, instructors may worry their feedback is not being well received or applied. However, when done thoughtfully, feedback shows students their work is being carefully read and reflects caring effort from the professor. The key is framing feedback around deeper learning skills - critical thinking, coherent arguments, novel insights - rather than just correcting surface issues. This emphasizes that the professor values the student’s intellect and voice over rote content creation. Share feedback as a fellow thinker and writer, not just as a grader. Additionally, while AI can produce rapid essay feedback, the quality is often mediocre and generic. Students yearn for feedback grounded in knowing them as individuals - their strengths, growth areas, and passions. We alone can provide this level of insight. In an era of information overload, receiving personalized attention signals to students that they are seen. The goal of faculty feedback should be forging these meaning-rich, mentoring relationships that AI can never replicate. Even in an increasingly automated education landscape, developing strong connections through caring, personalized feedback remains one of the most impactful things we educators can offer students now and into the future. Our feedback - flawed and human as it might be - has intrinsic value AI can never replace when it comes from a place of sincerity.
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The dizzying pace of change in higher ed over this past year can leave us feeling off balance, as it seems like both an eternity and no time at all that we have had AI tools at our fingertips. My hope is we can all use the coming weeks to ground ourselves and prepare for the opportunities and challenges ahead in 2024. Wishing everyone rest, inspiration and community this season!
