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Generative AI and Teaching for Fall 2024

Generative AI and Teaching for Fall 2024

August 20, 2024
Rachel Goc and Abby Rosensweig

The instructional practices shared in this article are ideas for exploration, not requirements for any instructor. They were developed by Northwestern IT Teaching and Learning Technologies in partnership with the Provost’s Generative AI Advisory Committee. Please note:

  • Accessing Copilot via your Northwestern credentials is the recommended path for accessing a generative AI tool. Questions about whether a risk assessment has been performed or an institutional contract exists for a specific AI tool can be directed to the Northwestern IT Information Security Office (security@northwestern.edu). Procurement of new AI tools should follow university processes and policies regarding licensing and third-party risk assessments.  
  • Output from large language models (LLMs) can include false or incorrect information. Verifying accuracy via other sources is a critical practice for instructors, students, and staff to engage in when using LLMs. 

While your feelings about generative AI could be anywhere between dread and joy, we know that AI is here to stay in higher education and beyond. Research shows that students are both using AI tools at an increasing rate and simultaneously articulating concerns about its accuracy, transparency, and privacy.  A recent Cengage Graduate Employability Report showed that “nearly two in three (62 percent) of employers believe candidates and employees should have foundational knowledge in Gen AI tools, with 58 percent being more likely to interview and hire those with AI experience.” When we asked Mark Presnell, Northwestern Career Advancement executive director, about the impact on life after college he said, "students should develop both skills – the ability to utilize AI in their work and the ability to do their work without AI." Simply put, there's a lot for instructors and students to consider.  

Over the last two years, Teaching and Learning Technologies staff have engaged with instructors and students about generative AI. Some students have the same concerns as their instructors about the ethical issues generative AI brings; some are focused on how they should navigate a technology that they see others using and worry about being left behind; all would benefit from discussion and engagement from their instructors on the topic. Whatever your academic specialty, your perspective and expertise add nuance and depth to students’ questions about using and not using generative AI. During this time of deep technological change, Northwestern instructors are critical to helping our students build the skills to understand, critique, and become leaders in the future of generative AI.  

This article includes information about a generative AI tool available to all students, faculty, and staff, ideas for next steps for learning, and Northwestern resources. The three following articles in this series were written by Teaching and Learning Technologies' graduate assistants, Jaz Thomasian, Crystal Camargo, and Emily Schwitzgebel, with support from Abby Rosensweig, senior learning technologist, and Rachel Goc, PhD and learning engineer. Jump directly to any of the articles via the links below or follow the whole series through the links at the bottom of the page.  

Video Resource

What are some ways AI is impacting education now and what are some priorities for our Northwestern teaching community?

 

 

 

 

 

 

From Northwestern Center for Advancing Safety of Machine Intelligence


A Licensed Generative AI Tool at No Cost to You

Through the University’s Microsoft license, Northwestern students, faculty, and staff can access Microsoft’s implementation of the GPT 4.0 large language model (LLM) through Microsoft Copilot (available only through a smartphone app or internet browser). Access to Copilot is important because when you are signed in with your Northwestern account, any data you put into the chat is covered by Northwestern’s contract with Microsoft for data protection, so that Microsoft does not use it for product improvement or to train their AI models. This is the closest interface to ChatGPT, but only provides data protections when signed in with a Northwestern Microsoft Account. 

When signed into Copilot, your data is governed by the agreement that Northwestern has in place with Microsoft. Even so, not all interactions are suitable for Bing. When considering whether to submit information to Bing for analysis, consider the Northwestern guidance on the use of generative AI. For more on privacy and data protection with generative AI tools, see the article, Generative AI on Your Terms: Data and Privacy 101. 


How Do I Sign Into Northwestern Microsoft Copilot?  

Microsoft makes Copilot available via several methods, though all require a sign-in to ensure appropriate data protection: 

  • Via an app. 

In all instances, users are free to interact with the tool, knowing their information and data are secure, as evidenced by the green shield that appears at the top of the page. (See the instructions from Northwestern IT’s announcement of access to Copilot in Bing

How Do I Start Interacting with Copilot?

Once you have signed into Copilot, try out some of these prompts to see what it can generate.  

For example, “Define and explain string theory with two specific examples at a high school level.” Refine your prompt by:

  • Changing the role: “I am an instructor. Help me explain string theory at a high-school level.” 
  • Changing the level: “Define and explain string theory at a third-grade level.” 
  • Changing the tone: “Define and explain string theory in a casual (or silly, with jokes, for an academic audience) style.” 
  • Asking for more details on a specific part of the answer: “I don’t understand the first example. Can you explain in more detail?”
  • Request more information on any inaccuracies or odd parts of the response: “Cite an article that says Thomas Edison arrived at M-Theory.” 

Ask for an outline of a three to five-page research paper with citations on the topic of circadian rhythms (or a topic in your field of interest).

Ask for an image in a specific art style that includes your favorite summer dessert.  

After interacting with Copilot, reflect on your experience.  

  • What did you learn about Copilot's capabilities and their limitations?  
  • Where can students use some of these capabilities to extend their learning in your course?  
  • How can you and your students critically engage with what is generated by Copilot?  

Want to Learn More?

  • September 9, 2–4 p.m.: Preparing Students for Life Beyond College: Embracing AI as Essential Learning. Hosted by the Searle Center for Advancing Learning and Teaching, this talk and reception brings in national expert on digital innovation in higher education, C. Edward Watson. The core focus of this keynote will be on concrete approaches and strategies higher education can adopt, both within the classroom and across larger curricular structures, to best prepare students for the life that awaits them after graduation. It will also detail the pedagogical possibilities regarding how AI can have a positive impact on student learning.

Register for Preparing Students for a Life Beyond College

Getting Help

  • Join Teaching and Learning Technologies in the fall for workshops that dive deeper into the topics from this newsletter. Register for either workshop via EventCat. Scroll down to see all workshops or select “Generative AI” from the Collections filter at the top of the page. 
    • October 11, 12–1 p.m.: Using Bing and Generative AI Tools on Your Terms  
    • October 25, 12–1 p.m.: Writing and Studying with Generative AI
Register on EventCat
  •  Request a consultation to talk through your questions or ideas around generative AI with someone from the Teaching and Learning Technologies team.  

Request a Consultation

Northwestern Resources