Navigating Teaching and Learning during the Advent of Generative AI (GenAI)

Nicole Gonzales Howell is an Associate Professor in the Department of Rhetoric and Language. In this ETS faculty spotlight, Nicole discusses the integration of generative AI in higher education teaching, its potential impact on academic integrity, and the need for guidelines and faculty learning communities to help manage these changes.

Instructional Challenges

Nicole shared the instructional challenges she experienced related to the integration of generative AI in higher education teaching. Her first knowledge of generative AI was through a colleague’s social media share. Nicole underscored how GenAI could impact the teaching of writing and other subjects, prompting her to start researching and following related posts. By April of 2023, she recognized the potential broader impact of GenAI on education and decided to develop guidelines to manage the instructional changes needed in classrooms.

Nicole spoke of the development of guidelines for her faculty colleagues in Rhetoric in light of academic integrity and pedagogical approach to grading and learning. She emphasized the importance of reflecting on the purpose of these policies and the attitudes towards students in the classroom. Nicole also highlighted the need to understand the technology being used and the potential risks to students who may not have proficiency in writing. She shared her exploration of resources from Lance Cummings to assist with the development of a comprehensive AI policy.

Instructional Solutions

Nicole discussed the use and implications of AI in education. She emphasized the need for educators to be mindful and critical of AI's role in their classrooms, acknowledging its potential as a tool but also its potential to perpetuate cultural perspectives and inequalities. Nicole developed guidelines to address these complexities, highlighting the importance of supporting educators in teaching AI-related skills, as many faculty members were not trained in pedagogy. She pointed out that simply assigning a paper to demonstrate content knowledge was no longer an adequate teaching approach. She also spoke of the importance of ongoing learning and revision in the field of AI education.

Nicole emphasized the challenges of teaching, particularly in cognitively demanding areas, and the need to better equip teachers with appropriate tools for success. She suggested that the pressure of grading written assignments, such as papers or research assignments, might be discouraging students from challenging themselves effectively.

Working with Professor Chris Brooks, Computer Science, she helped to organize a faculty learning community (FLC) through USF’s Center for Teaching Effectivelness (CTE) to further GenAI discussion and collaboration with other faculty. The FLC ran through the 2024 academic school year.

Lessons Learned

Nicole continues to explore the role of AI in education, the importance of critical reflection, and the challenges of teaching in cognitively demanding areas. She acknowledges the need to equip teachers with the appropriate tools for success and the importance of ongoing learning and revision in the field of AI education.

Nicole continues to research and curate information on AI tools and their implications for teaching and learning. The faculty learning community will finalize and disseminate guidelines and resources to help faculty navigate the ethical use of AI tools in their classrooms. Nicole and the FLC will explore ways to provide ongoing support and professional development opportunities for faculty on integrating AI tools into their pedagogy.