Sure, Use ChatGPT.” And Other Famous Last Words
What happens when you tell students they can use AI and then actually mean it? In this candid case study, Nicholas Husbye, associate professor in Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education, shares what happened when he redesigned his course to position AI as a partner in learning rather than a problem to police. Spoiler: it didn’t all go perfectly, but it went a lot better than expected.
Learn how students used AI to build knowledge, practice new skills, and reflect on their professional growth as future teachers, and as people navigating a world where AI is already here. This AI Skill Sharing Learning Community session is on Oct. 24 from 12-1 p.m. on Zoom. On Dec. 5, we will focus on building bots. Register online for one or both sessions to be added to the calendar invite.
Building a Disciplinary Foundation for AI Use: A Defense of Making Students Memorize Concepts
AI critics are concerned at the possible fallout of what will happen to cognitive abilities if students start relying on AI too much or too early. In this workshop, we will dig into the science behind human cognition and memory, including a historical look at what happened when similar technologies were introduced in the past. Participants will leave with a better understanding of how cognitive abilities develop over time, which will help them make more informed decisions about the circumstances under which it may or may not be appropriate to integrate AI into the curriculum.
This Oct. 28 workshop will be in person in Caroline Pope Edwards Hall Room 115 from 2-3:30 p.m. There will be no Zoom option offered, and the workshop will not be recorded. Register online.
Give a listen: Peer and AI Review of Student Writing
In the most recent podcast of Intentional Teaching hosted by Derek Bruff features Marit MacArthur and Anna Mills discussing the PAIRR Project, an approach to AI and writing instruction. PAIRR has been used by many instructors at a variety of institutions in California.
Hands-on AI deep dive with José Bowen concluded Joint Teaching Excellence Series
On Oct. 14, José Bowen, author of Teaching with AI, facilitated two workshops as part of the final Joint Teaching Excellence Series for Fall 2025.
In the first workshop, he focused on the future of work, highlighting how although experts are still better than AI in most fields, AI is already impacting entry-level jobs in two ways. First, in some industries, entry-level positions are being eliminated because humans with more expertise can leverage AI to do most tasks done by entry-level personnel. Second, to secure an entry-level position, interviewees need to be able to speak to their use of AI and how they would leverage it in the role. Explore Bowen’s prompts for business to get a better idea of how AI can be used in industry, or perhaps in higher education administration.
The second session emphasized using AI as part of teaching and learning. According to Bowen, prompting is writing, and effective prompts require extensive critical thinking as well as creativity. To explore ideas Bowen has for using AI to improve teaching, support learning with feedback, or to build an assignment, visit his website.
The Joint Teaching Excellence Series for Fall 2025 was a collaboration among Center for Transformative Teaching, the College of Business Teaching and Learning Center, and the Engineering and Computing Education Core.