Category Archives: For Instructors

Save The Date for the 2025 Celebrating Teaching and Learning Conference! 

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The Celebrating Teaching and Learning Conference (CTL) will take place on May 21st, 2025 from 8:30am to 4:30pm in-person at the University Center. Open to all UW-Whitewater faculty and staff, the conference aims to cultivate a collaborative space for sharing ideas, methods, and innovations that enrich classroom experiences and support student success.

Three ways to participate in the (free!) conference: 

  1. Attend: Registration details coming soon!
  2. Present: Call for proposals will be live shortly! 
  3. Apply: The Cisco/Presidio Teaching with Technology Innovator Honorarium will soon be open for applications! 

Questions, comments, or ideas can be sent to the LTC! Can’t wait until May? Check out our 2024 Keynote Speaker, Tammy Lind on AI and Universal Design or browse last year’s breakout sessions.

Welcome (back) Ethan Kirkpatrick to the LTC/LEARN Center!

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The LTC/LEARN Center is excited to announce the appointment of UWW alumnus Ethan Kirkpatrick (BA’24) as our new Instructional Technologist!

As a student in Media Arts and Game Design (MAGD), Ethan worked for the LTC and ITS Media Lab. In his new role, Ethan will be responsible for supporting digital media initiatives for teaching and learning. He will be coordinating LEARN/LTC recording and distribution services, managing digital resources, and exploring new technology applications to enhance educational experiences. He will work closely with faculty and staff to create meaningful learning environments supported by appropriate technology.

Ethan started Monday, December 2nd. Please say hello when you see him back on campus! 

AI Scripting: How to Write Prompts Workshop Summary

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Students work with Assistant Professor Hamid Vakilzadeh in their Accounting Information Systems (354) class in Hyland Hall. (UW-Whitewater photo/Craig Schreiner)

As AI has become increasingly integrated into the education space, many instructors, and others across college campuses, are left to wonder how to use AI in a meaningful way. The first step to determining how AI may fit into a workflow is to learn how to use it; that is, understanding how to craft precise and purposeful prompts, as prompting is the core foundation of chat-bot-style AI.

Thoughtfully designed prompts not only ensure that AI tools provide meaningful and relevant outputs but also allow instructors to save time, foster creativity, and address diverse educational needs. By mastering this skill, educators can transform AI from a generic tool into a personalized assistant that aligns with their teaching philosophy and supports innovative learning experiences.

Key Takeaways

  • The Importance of Specificity: A well-crafted AI prompt is clear, concise, and specific. Effective prompts include the desired outcome, necessary context, and well-defined boundaries to ensure AI responses meet expectations. For example, when asking AI to draft a discussion question, specifying the topic, audience, and desired complexity can significantly improve the relevance of the output.
  • Iterative Refinement: Crafting the perfect prompt is rarely a one-step process. Testing prompts, evaluating AI responses, and making adjustments are key to achieving the desired results. This iterative approach ensures instructors can fine-tune their prompts to better align with their instructional objectives.
  • Application in Educational Contexts: AI tools offer a range of practical applications for educators, such as generating lesson plans, creating content outlines, and building rubrics. During the workshop, participants explored how tailored prompts can help align AI outputs with pedagogical goals, enhancing both classroom efficiency and student engagement.
  • Ethical Considerations: When using AI, instructors must remain mindful of ethical implications. Prompts should be designed to minimize bias, promote inclusivity, and reflect a commitment to responsible AI use. These considerations are critical for fostering trust and transparency in AI-supported education.

Supplemental Resources

As we continue to explore the possibilities of AI in education, thoughtful and intentional use will be key to creating impactful learning experiences. The LTC is here to support you on this journey—reach out to share your successes or challenges as we navigate this evolving landscape together!

Have questions or want to share how you are using AI in your teaching and learning? Contact the LTC—we would love to hear from you!

*Updated* No Tricks, Just Treats: AI Tips to Sweeten Your Semester! 

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*A former version of this post lacked specificity surrounding AI and grading. The LTC is committed to providing accurate, appropriate information about AI to the campus community. We apologize for the error and have since updated the post to include expanded explanations. This serves as an important reminder that AI use is continually changing and adapting as AI tools expand and become integrated into daily life; if you have additional questions or concerns about grading, FERPA, and how these interplay with AI, please reach out to the LTC. 

With AI playing a growing role in education, it’s the perfect time to explore its capabilities! In this post, we will unwrap some advanced AI tips to streamline your workload, your students more engaged, and your time more productive. Whether you’re looking for shortcuts or delightful ways to enhance your classroom experience, these AI “tricks” and “treats” will give you something sweet to work with.

Writing Assistance 

Trick: AI isn’t just for brainstorming anymore—it can help you draft full lesson plans or emails. Tools like GPT-4 can “ghostwrite” introductory materials or tricky concepts, saving you hours of planning. 

Treat: You can customize the tone and detail, ensuring that the content matches your style. Don’t forget to double-check for accuracy, though—AI still needs a guiding hand to avoid any spooky surprises!

Example Prompt for lesson plan generation: “Create a 60-minute lesson plan for a college-level biology course on the topic of cell division, including an introduction, main points, in-class activities, and discussion questions.”

Creative Prompts 

Trick: When it comes to sparking creativity, AI can conjure up thought-provoking prompts for discussions, writing assignments, or even projects. Platforms like ChatGPT can generate unique questions or perspectives that challenge students to think beyond the standard syllabus. 

Treat: This keeps content fresh and engaging without you having to brainstorm constantly. Plus, it can be tailored to any subject area or difficulty level, making your lessons more dynamic.

Example Prompt for writing prompts: “Create a thought-provoking prompt for a reflective essay on the role of technology in modern education.”

Speeding Up Feedback

Trick: Give students the option to submit a rough draft of their work to be scored against a rubric you built. It can offer an initial analysis and provide a rough score that students can use as feedback to improve their assignment. **If student work for a grade is submitted to AI platforms without their knowledge, it may be considered a FERPA violation; exercise caution when using AI and ensure student privacy is protected. 

Treat: You maintain control and add the human touch when grading!

Example Prompt for rough draft feedback: “Use the following rubric to evaluate this research paper: [insert rubric and paper]. Provide a score and brief explanation for each section.”

AI Magic for Engagement 

Trick: Looking to increase student engagement in hybrid or online courses? Use AI-driven chatbots or discussion board assistants to keep conversations lively outside of class hours. These AI assistants can help moderate discussions, answer common questions, or prompt students to delve deeper into the content. 

Treat: This keeps your students engaged around the clock, and you can track interaction patterns to adjust your teaching strategies where needed.

Example Prompt for discussion board moderation: “Generate three follow-up questions to stimulate discussion on a student’s post about AI in healthcare.”

Enhanced Accessibility 

Trick: AI-powered tools like auto-captioning services and transcription software make your content more accessible to all learners, including those with disabilities. 

Treat: These features ensure inclusivity in your classroom, offering all students a treat by making sure educational materials are engaging and accessible for everyone.

Example Prompt for generating captions: “Transcribe and generate accurate captions for this video lecture on ancient history: [insert video/audio].”

Whether you’re summoning AI to handle mundane tasks or conjuring up creative ideas, there’s no shortage of treats when it comes to using AI in the classroom. Keep experimenting, and let these tricks make your teaching magical! Happy Halloween!

AI Detection and Prevention Workshop Summary

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Some students may be tempted by the allure of AI to shortcut the learning process. (Image created using DALLE-3.)

As AI tools become ingrained in daily life, understanding how to detect and prevent its misuse is becoming a priority for institutions. During our recent workshop on AI Detection and Prevention, we discussed strategies to help educators identify AI misuse in academic settings and prevent it from happening in the first place. Below are some key takeaways from the session.

Key Takeaways

  • Understanding the Scope of AI Misuse: AI misuse often manifests in academic dishonesty, with students using generative AI for unauthorized tasks like writing essays or solving problems. While we primarily focus on AI in the classroom, misuse is a global problem, extending into areas such as bank fraud and creation of mis-informative content. 
  • Proactive Prevention Strategies: As acceptable AI use can vary from course to course, semester to semester, it is vital to establish clear policies and educate students about acceptable AI use specific to each course. By fostering a culture of transparency, communication, and accountability, students are less likely to misuse AI tools.
    • Teaching students about the ethical implications of AI use not only reduces misuse but encourages responsible and innovative applications of these technologies in academic work.
  • Available Detection Tools: Turnitin has AI detection and is available to all UWW instructors through Canvas. As of this workshop, Turnitin is only campus supported tool. While sometimes effective, these tools are not foolproof and should be used in conjunction with other strategies.
  • Limitations of Detection Tool: While detection technologies are advancing, they are behind current AI models and can falsely report text as AI-generated. A nuanced approach that considers the specific context of assignments is recommended.
    • Given the limitations of Turnitin, instructors may opt to run student submissions through a third-party detection service. This requires several careful considerations:
      • As per UW-System legal, students must be informed of their instructor’s intent to use a third-party detector and given the chance to provide explicit consent. Doing otherwise may constitute a FERPA violation.  
      • The LTC and ITS cannot provide support for individual or department purchased detection tools.
  • Human Review is Essential: Detection tools can help identify potential misuse, but human judgment remains critical in verifying suspicious activity. Educators should combine AI detection with careful analysis of student work.
  • Building a Supportive Educational Environment: Create a learning environment that encourages creativity and reduces the pressure to misuse AI. Offering students resources, such as AI usage guidelines, can help prevent academic misconduct.

Supplemental Resources

Upcoming AI Workshops

AI Detection and Prevention

  • Wednesday, October 16; 3:15 pm – 4:15 pm – McGraw 19A / Webex

Teaching AI Scripting: How to Write Prompts

  • Wednesday, October 30; 3:15 pm – 4:15 pm – McGraw 19A / Webex

Have more questions or want to schedule a workshop for your department or unit? Reach out to the LTC! 

Introduction to Artificial Intelligence Workshop Summary

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This workshop focused on building foundational AI literacy, regardless of AI experience level or user acceptance. It provided a comprehensive overview of generative AI, including its core concepts, opportunities, limitations, and ethical considerations. Participants learned about the importance of responsible AI implementation, along with strategies for fostering transparent communication with students and colleagues. By discussing these approaches, the session aimed to promote an environment of trust and clarity around AI usage.

Key Takeaways:

  • AI as it is used today is referring to generative AI; that is, AI that creates media content, text, images, sound, and videos.
  • The current AI models are trained on massive amounts of data, which can lead to biases and coherence issues.
  • AI can assist with idea generation, editing text, creating lectures and study guides, and summarizing information.
    • AI can be beneficial in tasks such as medical diagnosis, where it can catch trends or concerning things that humans may miss.
  • Models often hallucinate, and respond with nonsensical answers. Models can be trained to “forget” certain information, but it is difficult to remove it entirely and models can be manipulated by bad actors.
  • Microsoft and other companies are investing billions of dollars in AI, which may lead to increased prices and potential equity issues.
  • Basic AI literacy is important for both faculty/staff and students.
  • Education and regulation are necessary to ensure responsible and transparent use of AI, especially in academic settings.
  • AI is not a substitute for learning or creativity, but can be used as an augmentative tool in certain situations.
  • Be transparent, communicate often, and practice accountability when using AI.

Supplemental Resources:

Upcoming AI Workshops

AI Detection and Prevention

Wednesday, September 11; 3:15 pm – 4:15 pm – McGraw 19A / Webex

Wednesday, October 16; 3:15 pm – 4:15 pm – McGraw 19A / Webex

Teaching AI Scripting: How to Write Prompts

Wednesday, October 30; 3:15 pm – 4:15 pm – McGraw 19A / Webex

Essential Tips for Teaching With (or Without) AI in Fall 2024

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AI is an augmentative tool, not a replacement for learning. (Created using DALLE-3.)

As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to evolve at an unprecedented pace, it’s becoming increasingly important for educators to stay informed about the latest developments. Whether you are beginning to explore AI or you are already integrating it into your teaching, understanding the most recent trends and tools can greatly enhance your approach to education. This post will break down essential things you need to know if you’re new to AI, tips for those already experienced, highlight some AI updates, and how to stay updated on all things AI at UW-Whitewater. 

3 Tips if You Are New to AI:

  1. AI is a Tool, Not a Replacement: AI has the potential to enhance your teaching methods, not replace them. It is able to automate repetitive tasks, offer personalized learning experiences, and provide insights based on data, allowing you to focus more on student engagement and instruction. It does not replace teaching, creating, or learning.
  1. Start Small and Be Patient: Begin with simple AI tools like AI-driven chatbots for answering common student questions. These can help you get comfortable with AI without feeling overwhelmed. Popular AI scholar Prof. Ethan Mollick states that becoming proficient with AI platforms like ChatGPT takes approximately 10 hours. If you find that prompts you are trying aren’t working, keep trying! And reach out to the LTC for help. 
  1. Ethical Considerations are Crucial: As you explore AI, it’s essential to be aware of the ethical implications, including data privacy, bias in AI algorithms, and the impact on student learning. AI platforms are businesses, and in the end, are looking for ways to monetize their products, which includes gathering user data to train models, fine tune responses, and improve model output. Always be cautious of sharing private information.

3 Tips if You Are Experienced With AI:

  1. Evaluate AI Effectiveness Regularly: Continuously assess the effectiveness of the AI tools and strategies you are using. Collect feedback from students and analyze how these tools are impacting learning outcomes. Be prepared to adjust, remove, or replace tools if they’re not meeting your goals or if better alternatives become available.
  1. Balance AI and Human Interaction: While AI can greatly enhance efficiency and provide valuable insights, it’s important to maintain a balance between AI and human interaction. Ensure that AI tools complement rather than replace personal engagement, and continue be open and transparent with students about how AI is used in your course.
  1. Understand Pay-to-Play Models’ Effect on Student Equity: As AI tools advance, premium features will become part of a subscription model, often times a repeated monthly fee. While some students may be readily able to cover this cost, other students may struggle to maintain access, or may even be limited by the system they are using; for example, tablets or other mobile devices versus laptops. Ensure that AI tools you are using are accessible to all students. 

3 Ways to Stay Updated on AI 

  1. Attend or watch a recording of an LTC workshop: Workshops are a great way to meet other instructors with similar AI interests and stay on top of the best AI practices. The LTC developed an AI Workshop Series that is meant to meet individuals wherever they are on their AI journey; workshops are interrelated, not serial, so sign up for as many or as few as you are interested in! New for this semester, AI sessions will include a brief time for participants to ask questions and provide insights, as part of the LTC’s bid to build an AI Community of Practice. 
  1. Subscribe to the LTC Blog: The LTC is committed to providing accurate, timely information that affects instructors, students, and the campus community. The blog is often the first place that new information is posted, including updates to previously held workshops. Make sure to subscribe! 
  1. Utilize Campus Resources: There are an endless number of professional development resources available to instructors but the LTC curated a list of campus resources:
    1. LinkedIn Learning built an AI Learning Path that develops user’s skills for understanding and apply AI to their work. 
    2. The EDUCAUSE Showcase Series just released AI…Friend or Foe?, which focuses on a deep dive of AI policy, objectives and frameworks. 
    3. EDUCAUSE maintains and AI Community Group where instructors, instructional designers, researchers, or just those curious about AI can post questions and discuss. 

Have a different AI question or looking a one-on-one discussion? Email the LTC!

The AI Dilemma: Protecting Academic Integrity in a Digital Age

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In the age of AI, content is not always what it seems. Created using DALLE-3.

While students and instructors may have enjoyed a summer break, AI certainly did not take time off! It continues to advance rapidly, with innovations like AI-powered podcasts leading the charge. As these developments unfold, higher education remains deeply invested in the intersection of AI use and academic integrity. While AI has the potential to support and enhance learning, it also presents the risk of being misused as a shortcut in the educational process. The challenge of accurately detecting AI-generated content is growing, prompting educators to rethink traditional assignments. To maintain academic rigor, courses may need to evolve, incorporating tasks that are less easily completed by AI and more focused on critical thinking and original analysis. The post serves an introductory guide to detection but also offers insights into how to prevent AI misuse. 

To begin the discussion surrounding appropriate AI use in the classroom, the LTC has built a set of recommendations, outlined below. These recommendations serve as a guideline for open and transparent communication about AI and are not exhaustive; your course policies should suit your teaching!  

  • Plainly stating how AI may be used and expressly state this position in your syllabus.
  • Provide context for your decision; providing an explanation as to why you do or do not feel AI is appropriate for your course will help students to understand why using it or not using it is a part of the learning process.
  • Explain how you grade and what is considered cheating or misuse in your course 
  • Ensuring students know how to provide documentary evidence of their work; having copies of outlines, rough drafts, or methodology statements.

Instructors have detection tools at their disposal to identify students that may have inappropriately used AI to generate text for an assignment or failed to cite AI as part of their creative process. While detection tools may seem like an easy solution to the improper use of AI, detection tools come with their own misuse concerns. 

  • Detection software is more likely to flag authentic student content as AI generated when the student may be a non-native English speaker or have a disability.
  • Grammar and spell check programs are AI; hence, they can trigger a detector even if the ideas and content were genuinely created. 
  • As AI technology continues to evolve, detection software will remain behind the improvement cycles of generative AI. It has already become more difficult to detect AI generated text through use of “humanizing” applications; software that is able to make writing appear less generic and formulaic, typical indicators of AI. 

UW-Whitewater instructors have access to AI detection through Turnitin, which can be integrated with Canvas. A few tips to use the Turnitin detector successfully: 

  • Only long format prose can be submitted for detection. Bullet points, incomplete sentences, or short paragraph answers cannot be evaluated. 
  • Detection is only available in English. 
  • The AI indicator is located inside the Similarity Report in Turnitin. Students are not able to see the AI indicator, even if you allow students to view their Similarity Score immediately after submission. 
  • If the document was evaluated successfully, the AI indicator box will be blue. If it is red, the submission was not able to be evaluated. If it is grey, there was an error with the document, such as incorrect file type, size, or over 15,000 words. 
  • The AI indicator displays a score between 0 and 100. The displayed percentage indicates the amount of qualifying text in the submission that was determined to be generated by AI. Not all text within a submission can be considered; i.e., a bulleted list. Hence, a score of 100% does not mean the document was 100% AI generated, but rather, 100% of the highlighted text was likely to be AI generated.
    • There is no target score; always use the indicator percentage as a starting point for a discussion with the student. 
  • Turnitin is capable of false positives. In company provided documentation, the error rate has been reported as 1%. In practice, the error rate has been reported as high as 4%.

Given the limitations of Turnitin, instructors may opt to run student submissions through a third-party detection service. This requires several careful considerations: 

  • As per UW-System legal, students must be informed of their instructor’s intent to use a third-party detector and given the chance to provide explicit consent. Doing otherwise may consitute a FERPA violation.  
  • The LTC and ITS cannot provide support for individual or department purchased detection tools. 

In short, AI detection remains a nuanced conversation that requires open communication between instructors and students with expectations clearly defined. The LTC welcomes questions, ideas, and concerns about AI; we are here to help! 

Looking for more? Join the LTC for a series of workshops on AI! Or browse our summaries from past events.

The Year of AI: A Review

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The Learning Technology Center (LTC) is committed to providing reliable, accurate information about generative AI as it develops. The last year has a been whirlwind of change, with many advancements in technological scope, bringing nuanced challenges to the front of higher education.

Created using DALLE-3, image generation has greatly improved over the last year.

Summaries of Key Events

The LTC ran a multitude of generative AI workshops, both in the fall and spring semesters, with a focus on supporting faculty, instructors, and staff on their AI journey. Please note that the listed sessions, while interrelated, are not serial; feel free to view them in any order as they suit your needs!

Other Resources:

Key Takeaways

  • The realm of generative AI continues to be rapidly changing; models are continuously updated with improvements in features, responses, and scope. AI companies are incentivized to make these updates in a rush to monetize. Be wary of services, both free and paid, and check with ITS and the LTC for supported technology and best practices.
  • UW System is exploring the legal challenges with potential enterprise solutions, such as Microsoft Copilot, so that University data and users remain protected and secure. The LTC will provide updates as they become available. 
  • AI remains an evolving legal landscape, with AI companies not required to share training data or methods. Hence, responsible use is up to the user; continue being cautious in what personal, identifying, or sensitive information is shared with AI, particularly concerning students’ work and information.
  • AI literacy remains a crucial goal; the LTC is committed to providing the entire campus with the support needed to make decisions about the appropriate use of AI for each individual case.

Looking Ahead

The discussion around AI, particularly its use in the classroom and the resulting ethical implications, remains nuanced and complex, and the LTC pledges to continue to carefully monitor updates and changes, whilst maintaining a framework of best practices. 

Anticipated Future Programming for 2024-2025

As always, the LTC welcomes questions, comments, or suggestions about AI or other learning technology; please reach out to us at ltc@uww.edu!

COMING SOON! Canvas Discussions Redesign Deployment

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In Summer 2024, Canvas Discussions will be undergoing a visual refresh and additional features as part of Instructure’s “Discussions Redesign”.  While Discussions will still function primarily in the same manner and offers all of the features currently available, additional new features will include:

  • Anonymous posting
  • @Mentions
  • Instructor tag
  • New thread viewing options

If you are interested in a brief video overview, please watch this short video from Instructure.

To prevent this change from happening while summer courses are active, UW-Whitewater will be turning on the Discussions Redesign after grades are due on Tuesday, May 14, 2024. On this date, all discussions will automatically upgrade to the redesign with no action needed from instructors.

While we recognize the best way to get use to a tool is to spend time working with it, we recommend the Instructor Guide – Discussions Redesign and Student Guide – Discussions Redesign guides for supplemental support.

Of the changes being made, the one we here on the UWW campus are most excited for is still on the horizon. This new tool will be adding “Checkpoints”, which would allow instructors to set a separate date for when an initial post needs to be made, and when the discussion is due. Sadly, this feature is not yet implemented, but stay tuned for details to come!

If you have any questions or concerns about this update, or even just curious about how it can help you, please contact UW-W Canvas Support.