This website offers faculty resources and recommendations to address the use of generative AI tools in your course(s), in addition to language for you to consider adding your syllabus.
What is Generative AI?
Generative AI refers to artificial intelligence or machine learning tools such as ChatGPT or Dall-E 2 that can create sophisticated novel text, images, poems, and other types of writing samples by drawing on massive amounts of data. The responses that are generated sound natural as though they were written by a human, however, responses often include inaccuracies.
Syllabus Language
Your expectations should be clearly communicated with your students. In general, the use of generative artificial intelligence tools must be consistent with the instructor’s stated course policy. For more details, including one approach for inclusion in syllabi, see Academic Integrity for Syllabi.
How does it work?
Generative AI is generally accessed from a website, allowing the user to request the generation of text or imagery on a variety of topics or parameters. The more advanced sites allow users to specify formatting and length, and produce detailed responses with proper sourcing.
These responses are generally unique with each request, meaning the exact phrasing or details will change with each request and over time as the site updates its code.
Some sites, like Caktus.ai, offer paid services to generate academic works and others allow users to paraphrase text, creating additional challenges for text-based detection.
As technology improves, the ability to discern machine-generated text from human-generated text will diminish and will therefore require a different approach to address in academia.
Tips for Designing Assessments
- Start with learning objectives (backwards design)
- Design assignments that provide opportunities for students to get feedback from you or peers and apply it to improve on the work
- Develop a rubric and make it available to students with the assessment
- Ask students to write a paper that incorporates aspects from the live class discussion
- Ask students to reflect and share their process by either giving a presentation or creating some form of multimedia (e.g. video). Build in time to allow both you and other students to ask questions.
- Require students to submit written assignments using Google Docs. Every Google Doc maintains its own revision history so the process of completing the assignment is transparent (via the time stamps) to both faculty and students.
How are Hofstra faculty redesigning their assessments?
Below are some suggestions from Hofstra faculty you may want to consider incorporating into the design of your assessments.
Real-Life Experiences and Making Connections
- Reflecting on real-life experiences, students can describe their feelings or share how they might approach a situation differently.
- Relating content with current events (e.g. articles) and highlighting points that stood out to them.
- Expressing their opinions, making predictions, and playing devil’s advocate to expand on current thought.
Annotated Works
- Asking students to document their process for an assignment (e.g. research or opinion paper) and citing sources, including details such as page/article numbers.
Creative Submissions
- Giving students options to submit learning artifacts in various formats such as audio files, multimedia projects, diagrams, etc.
Peer Discussion
- Commenting on thoughts and discussing any misconceptions they may have in a peer discussion.
- Assignments that may ask students to draw on class conversations
Reflect on the Process of Learning and Critical Thinking
- Ask students to generate an outline and then critique it.
- Submit a program or line of code then ask students to evaluate the response
- Give students an opportunity to reflect on what they learned from a reading or other learning resource and reflect on how they see it enhancing their knowledge
- A bigger assignment is broken down into smaller pieces so students can submit along the way and receive feedback
Have a suggestion or tip to add? Click the button below to share it with us.
Resources for Teaching
- You’ve Checked Out the New AI Tools. Now What? by Michelle Miller, Chronicle of Higher Education
- 4 Steps to Help You Plan for ChatGPT in Your Classroom by Flower Darby, Chronicle of Higher Education
- Practical Responses to ChatGPT by the Office for Faculty Excellence, Montclair State University
- Three Things to Know about AI Tools and Teaching by Derek Bruff
- Artificial Intelligence Writing by Karen L. Smith, Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning
- Embrace the Bot: Designing Writing Assignments in the Face of AI by Eric Prochaska, Faculty Focus
- Inspiring Your Students to Write, Cite, and Avoid Plagiarism by Matthew J. Samuel, Faculty Focus
- How to Create Compelling Writing Assignments in a ChatGPT Age by James M. Lang, Chronicle of Higher Education
Resource for Promoting Academic Integrity
Guided by Suzanne Pike, Associate Provost for Academic Affairs and the Administrative Chair of Hofstra's Honor Board, this online workshop reviews the teaching approaches and digital tools you can use to promote academic honesty in your courses.
A Luddite's Guide to ChatGPT
Recording of the event from Wednesday, February 22, 2023 featuring panelists Chris Eliot, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Vimala Pasupathi, Associate Professor of English, and Krishnan Pillaipakkamnatt, Professor of Computer Science.
A Guide to AI Chatbots: A Panel Discussion for Students
Recording of the event from Wednesday, April 26, 2023 featuring panelists Joseph Bartolotta, Associate Professor, Writing Studies and Composition, Russel Chun, Associate Profssor, Journalism, Media Studies, & Public Relations, Lincoln Anniballi, Student Government Association, Political Science Major, and Lila Campbell, Student Government Association, Psychology Major.