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Faculty Guide to AI Literacy in the Age of ChatGPT

Faculty can use this guide to explore issues surrounding teaching and generative artificial intelligence

What is AI Literacy

AI literacy is the ability to:

  • critically evaluate AI technologies
  • communicate and collaborate effectively with AI
  • use AI as a tool, online, at home, and in the workplace.

From a 2020 paper, by Long and Magerko, who synthesized a variety of interdisciplinary literature into a set of core competencies.

AI and Pedagogy

Thinking about ChatGPT as a pedagogy problem, rather than a plagiarism problem, is a way to approach teaching generatively.

For example, scaffolding mitigates library anxiety, imposter syndrome, and accidental plagiarism. Therefore, rather than assigning a big, summative paper or project at the end of the course, breaking it up into stages with student reflection reinforces original work and a growth mindset that can reduce the perceived need for students using a tool such as ChatGPT.

Getting Started

To get started, you may want to check out this Featured Resource by Daniel Stanford, award-winning learning experience designer:

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Read All About It

Is Using Generative AI Considered Cheating?

Does MJC have a policy on using AI tools?

MJC has an Academic Freedom & Integrity policy that defines the unauthorized use of AI as plagiarism. In addition, you should have your own policies on how ChatGPT or other AI may or may not be used in classroom assignments. 
 

Tips for talking about generative AI

Because learning to use AI appropriately and ethically is now part of information literacy, you should talk with students about it and its use often throughout the class. The ASCCC tells us that "For students to be successful and ethical in the use of AI, expectations need to be clear. We must help students understand the appropriate use, limitations, biases, and effective techniques of using AI efficiently" (2).
 

Be specific in how you allow use of generative AI

Will you allow students to use AI to help brainstorm ideas or come up with a topic for an assignment? Will you allow them to use it to summarize or explain complex concepts? Will you allow them to use it for writing and editing? Will you allow them to use AI at all? If you do not allow the use of AI, know that your students will probably use it anyway without the benefit of having learned how to use it effectively and ethically. 
 

Make sure students know how to give credit

APA Style, MLA Style, and Chicago Style all have guidelines for citing generative AI. See Citing Generative AI.

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ASCCC Educational Policies Committee. "Academic Integrity Policies in the Age of Artificial  Intelligence (AI) Resource Document." Spring 2024. 

Academic Senate for California Community Colleges, asccc.org/. Accessed 23 Oct. 2024. 

Syllabus Statements

Since generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools are still relatively new to higher education, many students may be unaware of what is allowed or not allowed in a particular course. Since there is no general college policy on AI use, the rules might differ from one course to the next.

Dispel ambiguity or uncertainty by communicating clearly with students

Consider, for example:

  • Including a statement in your syllabus that outlines whether (or not) and how AI tools can be used in your course. See examples below.
  • Having conversations as a class about appropriate and inappropriate uses of AI tools in the course or disciplinary context.
  • Asking students to sign and adhere to an "honor statement" or code of conduct based on key course/institutional policies.
  • Constructing a "group agreements" document with your class that can be amended and referred back to throughout the semester.
  • Sharing examples from your discipline of how inappropriate use of AI led to negative consequences.
  • Sharing examples of how generative AI tools are changing your discipline or creating new opportunities for innovation.
  • Clarifying learning outcomes in the course so that students understand which essential skills they need to be able to demonstrate without the use of AI.

Attribution: "Syllabus Statements" by Camosun College Library is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0


The links below give you examples that you can use in our courses:

General Guidance

Use these tools below to learn more about issues and ways to incorporate AI in your pedagogy.