Generative AI
Welcome to University West's pages on Generative AI (GenAI). Here are three steps to get started with GenAI and you can read about three different ways to relate to GenAI in your teaching: ban, allow or demand. Here you can also immerse yourself in how GenAI tools can be used in teaching and examination. On a regular basis, Akademus offers workshops and other activities related to GenAI that you can book in for.
Three steps to get started with GenAI
1. Try it out and do your homework - be curious!
As a first step, you need to understand how generative AI tools (GenAI) work and how they can be used in teaching and examination. There are a variety of GenAI tools that can be used in higher education, for example, to generate or review text and code, or generate images. A suitable tool to start with is Copilot, which all staff and students at University West have access to. Can you perhaps work more efficiently with the help of GenAI?
Also, try to keep up to date with what is being written about GenAI: how is GenAI used in your discipline, nationally and internationally? How is GenAI used in the workplaces where students can look for work after completing their education? Is there a common policy for your department or programme? How do your colleagues at University West do?
If you want an introduction together with colleagues at HV, you can book a workshop with us at Akademus.
2. Consider whether GenAI can promote learning and communicate clearly
Think about how you and your students can use GenAI. Look at course syllabi; Maybe they need to be updated? Can GenAI help students achieve the learning outcomes? Also, remember to be clear under the heading Use of Generative AI in the course memo so that students know:
1) if they are allowed to use GenAI
2) when they are allowed to use GenAI
3) how they are allowed to use GenAI.
3. Use and evaluate
There are many different ways for students to use GenAI to support their learning. For example, they can use GenAI
- as an extra teacher who never tires of defining and explaining concepts, giving yet another example and who can interrogate them on the content
- such as a proofreader who finds spelling and grammatical errors, or a writing tutor who can explain how the text can be more academic in tone
- as an idea to get the creative juices flowing
- to translate and summarise texts.
Feel free to use GenAI tools together with the students. Show them how you do it and think out loud to give them a model of how they can do it. Maybe you can also get help from students who have started with GenAI? How do they use the tools? What strengths and weaknesses do they see?
Next, evaluate how GenAI has affected your teaching and student learning, and consider whether student learning benefits from having access to GenAI in examinations as well.
