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4 Tips (for the short-term)

Below I've outlined 4 Tips that might help us think about approaches to ChatGPT and Generative AI for this and the upcoming semester).

Tip 1 | "Permission and Acknowledgement" disclaimer.

EXAMPLE

  • “AI generators/programs such as ChatGPT, Grammarly, QuillBot, Spinbot, Dall-E, etc. should not be used for any work for this class without explicit permission of the instructor and appropriate attribution." -- from IUB College of Arts & Sciences, Office of Undergraduate Academic Affairs

Tip 2 | Repeat Policies Frequently

Students will have multiple classes this semester, each with some variation in GenAI/ChatGPT policy. To help students understand your expectations, be sure to:

  • Include the policy on your syllabus
  • Cover the policy in class
  • Repeat the policy regularly, and
  • Remind students of the policy for each relevant assignment by including it, in some form, on assignment handouts/guides and Canvas pages

Tip 3 | Focus on an Ethics of Practice

The simple truth is that students need to learn how to use these tools and to do so responsibly. Banning them outright is not only likely a losing battle, but may do students a disservice as they enter a working world where the use of these technologies are not only allowed but encouraged. There are some clear cases where banning these tools make sense (e.g., language acquisition courses), but leaning into the possibilities and helping students learn to ethically and responsibly use these technologies may pay greater dividends in the long run.

Generative AI | Ethics of Practice (PDF)
Generative AI | Ethics of Practice (PDF)

Tip 4 | Process over Perfection

Create a policy that you feel comfortable with at this moment.

  • Your policy is only for one semester. You can revise, edit, tweak, change next semester in ways that work better. But for now, be patient with yourself and your students.

Use Cases for Teaching and Learning

It's all in the prompt. There are lots of strategies for using ChatGPT (and other text generative AI tools in higher education). Ethan Mollick, a UPenn Wharton School professor has written quite a bit in recent months about generative AI and some of the examples below are adapted from his work. In particular, you may want to check out Mollick's posts "Using AI to make teaching easier & more impactful" and "How to use AI to do practical stuff: A new guide." More recently, he's written about how assignments can be designed to challenge students to learn the technology.

Create formative assessments

One of Mollick's prompts includes using ChatGPT to create low-stakes formative assessments to add to courses. His example instructions for ChatGPT is below:

Ethan Mollick, "Using AI to make teaching easier & more impactful"

Create hypotheticals, examples, and question variations

In many of classes, instructors use hypothetical examples to ask students to apply course concepts. Those examples can be time-consuming and difficult to develop. This is also the case when instructors want to create multiple versions of a question.

Example Prompt for ChatGPT: When learners encounter new ideas and concepts, especially complex ideas and concepts, having different examples can help them learn better. I want you to act like an example generator and create 3 different examples for Y-level students that demonstrate X in action. e.g. X = ethos; Y = Freshman College Students. (Mollick has a similar prompt).

You can also provide existing test questions and ask it to create variations. And keep tweaking until it's to your liking.

Write, revise, and edit

Generative AI tools can be used to write or help you write. 3 Quick Ways it functions in and around writing are:

  • Getting Started: Some see it as a draft creator and an easy place to get the writing started. It can help with writer's block by eliminating the paralysis of the blank page.
  • Peer Reviewer & Copy Editor: You can ask these tools to revise writing to make it more concise. Or to adapt tone for another kind of audience.
  • Rhetorical Invention: Tools like ChatGPT can also be used to come up with ideas, a lot of them, quickly. Most are just okay as far as ideas go, but there may occasionally be a diamond in there. Sometimes seeing a large set of ideas can also help with sparking one's own creativity.

It'll take a little work, but these can be incredibly useful in writing or other creative processes.

Example Statements & Other Resources

Excerpt from IUB COAS Policy Guidelines

To Instructors: If your syllabus does not currently include an academic integrity statement, we encourage you to incorporate the text below (feel free to modify the statement as needed). In addition, if there are specific policies that apply to your course (e.g., regarding group work, collaborative assignments, citation requirements for textbooks and/or class notes, etc.), these should be included in your statement.

Statement on Generative AI: According to the Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct, plagiarism is “presenting someone else’s work, including the work of other students, as the submitting student’s own. A student must not present ideas or materials taken from another source for either written or oral use without fully acknowledging the source, unless the information is common knowledge.” Cheating is “using, providing, or attempting to use or provide unauthorized assistance, materials, information, or study aids in any form.” (II: Responsibilities B,4,a and c) Your use of anyone else’s (or any AI system’s) words, graphic images, calculations, or ideas should be properly cited. AI generators/programs such as ChatGPT, Grammarly, QuillBot, Spinbot, Dall-E, etc. should not be used for any work for this class without explicit permission of the instructor and appropriate attribution. AI text generators should not be used for:

  • Creating or revising drafts
  • Editing your work
  • Reviewing a peer's work

The use of generative AI platforms will be considered plagiarism and/or cheating and will be reported to the Dean of Students (Office of Student Conduct) and handled according to University policies. Sanctions for academic misconduct in this course may include a failing grade on the assignment, a reduction in your final course grade, or a failing grade in the course, among other possibilities. Contact your instructor if you have questions.

Example Syllabi Policies and Statements

This resource, Classroom Policies for Generative AI Tools, is created / curated by Lance Eaton for the purposes of sharing and helping other instructors see the range of policies available. It is an open resource meant to help other educators in the development of their own policies and practices for navigating AI-Generative Tools (such as ChatGPT, MidJourney, Dall-E, etc).

Example Syllabi Statements/Policies | Curated by Lance Eaton

Additional Resources

There is much being written about these tools, including its role in teaching and learning. Below is a list of curated items put together by Adam Maksl (Manager for eLearning Innovation, UITS; Professor of Journalism, IU Southeast):

The following are articles and resources about this emerging technology were curated by Emily Oakes (Principle Unison IT Consultant, Indiana University) and shared with other universities that are members of Unizin (Unizin is a multi-university consortium of which IU is a founding member.)

Additional articles

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Justin Hodgson