Anna Cunningham loved playing teacher as a kid. Using an upturned laundry hamper as a lectern, she would spend summer breaks delivering lectures from the Encyclopedia Britannica to her cousins.
That passion for teaching never went away. Today, Cunningham serves as assistant director of teaching innovation at the WashU Center for Teaching and Learning and has taught science and technology courses at colleges across the nation.
But the encyclopedias? Long gone, displaced by the internet and, now, artificial intelligence (AI). Today, Cunningham helps WashU educators understand these new AI tools and determine how — and if — they can boost student learning.
“AI is a world-shaking tool, but effective pedagogy is still effective pedagogy,” said Cunningham, who has a PhD in microbiology from the University of Missouri and a master’s in learning design and technology from Arizona State University, where she served as co-director of teaching, innovation and excellence. “The first question every faculty member needs to ask is, ‘What do I really want students to learn from this class or assignment, and what is the best way for them to demonstrate that learning?’ How AI plays into that equation will vary depending on context. AI may play a valuable role in the learning process or it may detract from learning if applied incorrectly — or at all. Getting back to the roots of effective pedagogy — developing or redeveloping strong learning objectives and corresponding assessments — is how we can evaluate the role AI needs to play in our courses and assignments.”
During the summer, in partnership with the Digital Intelligence and Innovation Accelerator, WashU Information Technology and WashU Libraries, Cunningham and her colleagues in the Center for Teaching and Learning led the inaugural cohorts of the AI Curriculum Corps (AICC) for faculty who want to integrate or examine AI in their courses. As part of the ongoing AI Perspectives Week, AICC participants will present how they put that experience into action at the AI Curriculum Corps Showcase at 5 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 24, in Hillman Hall’s Clark-Fox Forum.
What were your goals of the inaugural AICC?
We designed this program to make space for faculty to learn no matter where they are on the AI spectrum. For some, AI is not a tool that they are using in the classroom, but a subject they are interrogating. Others wanted to think through how to effectively integrate AI in a way that increases — not detracts from — student learning. It was really important to us to have a mix of perspectives that we could all learn from. On the first day, I said, ‘You’re allowed to leave this experience hating AI, as long as you know about it. Your feelings about AI are valid no matter where they lay.’ The most important thing to me is not that people are using AI, but that they have a basic understanding of what it is and how it works.
We grounded the AI Curriculum Corps in strong pedagogy and investigated ways that AI might support those practices. Can a faculty member create a chatbot that allows for Socratic engagement? Can a student create a chatbot that personifies a historical figure? Can we incorporate more personalization in independent projects? AI tools are evolving so fast, but truly effective teaching is not fundamentally altered by AI. In fact, AI is challenging us to get back to the fundamentals of good pedagogical practices.
What was the end result?
Our Tier 2 participants integrated AI into a new course or revised an existing course, while our Tier 1 participants integrated AI into a single assignment. We developed a tool called the TILT-AI framework based on the TILT Higher Ed Transparent Assignment Template and the AI Assessment Scale. This tool prioritizes radically transparent communication within assignment guidelines, incorporating information about if, when and how AI should be used. This tool also asks faculty to consider and then communicate to their students how they want AI to be used on a task-by-task basis as well as the rationale for these decisions. For instance, if the learning objective is focused on writing, can AI be used for planning, idea development and research, but not drafting? Or, if the learning objective is focused on idea development/critical inquiry, can AI be used for drafting after the student engages in concept mapping, brainstorming and research without AI as a tool?
Are students using AI to off-load learning?
We’re told all the time that students are using AI to cheat. But, in reality, a lot of students share similar sentiments to faculty and have deep reservations about using AI, whether it be for ethical or environmental qualms or concerns with it negatively impacting their own critical-thinking skills. The truth is we don’t have any way to effectively measure how people are using it. Yes, we have had an increase in academic integrity violations. Yes, there are students who use it for cheating. And yes, that is a concern.
However, I think more than anything this highlights the importance of rethinking our assessments and how well they accurately measure our learning objectives, as well as considering our learning objectives in this new ‘AI-aware’ era. It also highlights the importance of engaging in conversations with students about this tool. We can investigate, co-create and model what responsible use looks like. We can discuss how these tools impact our thought processes and our society, arming students with the tools and knowledge they need to be future-ready decision-makers. Instead of trying to win a game of cat-and-mouse, my hope is that we use this critical moment to create meaningful learning opportunities that our students can take with them into the future.
What is the university’s stance on AI in the classroom?
WashU recognizes the importance of students understanding these tools and how they will be used in the workplace. To that end, WashU is asking new students to complete the ‘AI Literacy for the WashU Scholar’ Canvas module. Additionally, WashU provides free access to a number of tools and will be adding new resources as the technology evolves. For up-to-date information about tools, visit the WashU Artificial Intelligence webpage.
Most importantly, the university believes that faculty are the experts in their subject areas and have the academic freedom to decide whether and how they use AI in the classroom.
Isn’t that confusing for students — for AI to be allowed for some assignments, but not others?
It can be if not communicated effectively. AI is a tool and just like any other tool, its use is context-dependent. A calculator makes sense once you understand arithmetic, but it defeats the purpose if you’re still learning what a fraction is. In some classes, AI would short-circuit critical skills; in others, students have already built a foundation and are learning how to build on top of it. That is why it’s so important to communicate AI policies effectively, clearly, often, and not just in the syllabus, but also in assignment descriptions, in class discussions, etc.
Communicating the rationale for these policies is also critical. Students are hearing that AI is going to harm their critical thinking and steal their jobs, but also that they need to use it to be relevant in the future workforce. Therefore, when a faculty member asks them to use (or not use) AI, they need to understand why. Our students trust their professors, so if a faculty member is able to explain clearly why AI won’t interfere with their learning for one project but will in another assignment, they are more likely to engage it in the way that they’re supposed to.
The Center for Teaching and Learning has been a big part of AI Perspectives Week, which features about 40 workshops, lectures and panel discussions. What other AI programs does the CTL have planned for the upcoming year?
The CTL has a whole host of programming intended to support faculty planned for this year, and additional programming in development. We want to help faculty understand the basics of the tools; how to decide when/if to use AI in an assignment; how to create and communicate strong AI use guidelines; and how to have conversations with students about AI. We also always offer one-on-one consultations for individualized support and will be launching a call for the next round of the AI Curriculum Corps soon. All of our programming can be found on the CTL website, and additional AI support can be found on the WashU Artificial Intelligence webpage.
