Digital Learning Blog

Refresh Your Assignments for the Next Term: Harnessing Gen AI for Enhanced Learning

August 06, 2024  / Digit  / Tags: AI, Digital Learning

As we gear up for the upcoming school term, it's the perfect time to revamp our assignments, whether you're introducing a new course or breathing fresh life into a familiar one. But what does this process have to do with Gen AI?

When updating your assignments in the world of Gen-AI, it's crucial to consider their purpose and alignment with your course objectives, student engagement and desired learning outcomes. To guide this reflective process, Derek Bruff, author of Assignment Makeovers in the AI Age and hose of the Intentional Teaching Newsletter and Podcast, suggests a set of insightful questions.

Key Questions to Revitalize Your Assignments:
TIP - Try popping these into Gen AI with your assignments!

1. Why does this assignment make sense for this course?
   Reflect on the relevance and contribution of the assignment to the overall course objectives
2. What are the specific learning objectives for this assignment?
   Clearly define what you want your students to learn and achieve through this task
3. How might students use Gen AI tools while working on this assignment?
   Identify potential Gen AI applications and consider how students might leverage them to complete their work
4. How might Gen AI undercut the goals of this assignment? How could you mitigate this?
   Assess the risks of Gen AI misuse and develop strategies to minimize these risks while maintaining the integrity of the assignment
5. How might Gen AI enhance the assignment? Where would students need help figuring that out?
   Explore opportunities for Gen AI to add value to the assignment and think about how you can support students in utilizing these tools effectively.

Steps to Implement Gen AI Insights:

• Experiment with AI Outputs: Utilize Gen AI tools to generate responses or solutions to the questions above about your assignments. Analyze these outputs to identify strengths and areas for improvement.
• Iterate and Innovate: Based on your observations and the Gen AI responses, refine your assignments to better align with your course goals and enhance the learning experience.
• Support and Guidance: Provide students with clear instructions on how to effectively use Gen AI tools, ensuring they understand both the benefits and limitations. Transparency is key!

By thoughtfully integrating Gen AI considerations into your assignment design, you can create more engaging, effective, and future, ready learning experiences for your students.

See Gen AI tackle these questions in the following examples:

Questions 1-3: https://chatgpt.com/share/04ce7f59-0dae-4ae2-83b0-a6ae539177fc

Questions 4 & 5: https://chatgpt.com/share/165a82a8-12bb-4035-83a1-0ec24d271f67

Reference:

Bruff, D. (2023). Assignment Makeovers in the AI Age: Essay Edition. Agile Learning https://derekbruff.org/?p=4105