Bloom's Sixth

Mahdis Mousavi, UnsplashBy Doug WardA new survey from the Association of American Colleges and Universities emphasizes the challenges instructors face in handling generative artificial intelligence in their classes.Large percentages of faculty express concern about student overreliance on generative AI, diminishment of student skills, decreased attention spans, and an increase in cheating. The sample for the survey is not representative of all faculty, but it captures many of the concerns I have heard from instructors over the past…

 By Doug WardI talk frequently about the need for faculty members to experiment with and adapt their teaching to generative artificial intelligence.During a CTE session last week, an instructor mentioned how difficult that was, saying that “the landscape of AI is changing so rapidly that it seems impossible to keep up with.”I agree. Not only that, but the rapid changes in generative AI seem to increase the pace of life. Daniel Burrus writes that “the world has shifted from a time of rapid…

By Doug WardThe phrase “humans in the loop" has become a cliché for the importance of overseeing the processes and output of generative artificial intelligence.The rapid changes that generative AI have brought about, though, often make us feel like we are caught in an endless digital loop. Since the release of ChatGPT 3.5 three years ago, a bombardment of announcements and changes have made it hard to cut through the noise and gain clarity about the direction of this new AI-fueled world. ChatGPT and competing AI models have improved with head-spinning speed, new tools have been released…

 By Doug WardTeaching tools in CopilotMicrosoft has recently added Copilot tools specifically for teachers.You will find the tools under the “Teach” link on the lower left toolbar in Copilot, Microsoft’s generative AI chatbot. (Make sure you log in with your KU credentials.) Here’s an overview of the new tools. Lesson plan creatorYou start by selecting a subject, a grade level (it has a setting for higher…

By Doug WardResearch about learning and artificial intelligence mostly reinforces what instructors had suspected: Generative AI can extend students’ abilities, but it can’t replace the hard work of learning. Students who use generative AI to avoid early course material eventually struggle with deeper learning and more complex tasks. On the other hand, AI can improve learning among motivated students, it can assist creativity, and it can help students accomplish tasks they might never have tried on their own.Keep in mind that nearly all the research over the past three years focuses on AI…

 By Doug WardThe KU version of Copilot now allows the creation of agents, which means you can customize Copilot and give it instructions on what you want it to do, how you want it to respond, and what format its output should follow. An agent still uses Copilot’s foundational training, but the instructions can reduce the need for long, complex prompts and speed up tasks you perform regularly. You can also direct the agent to websites you would like it to draw on, and create starter prompts for users.Copilot has also gained another…

By Doug WardThe shock has worn off, but the questions about how to handle generative artificial intelligence in teaching and learning seem only to grow.Those questions lack easy answers, but there are concrete steps you can take as we head into the third year of a ChatGPT world:Create a clear policy about generative AI use in your class.Talk with students about generative AI frequently. Encourage questions.Talk frequently about the skills students gain in your class. Explain why those skills are important and how students can use them. Do this early in the semester and then with each…

By Doug Ward Kansas ranks near the bottom in the percentage of schools offering foundational computer science education, according to a study by Code.org, the Computer Science Teacher Association, and the Expanding Computing Education Pathways Alliance. Nationwide, 57.5% of schools offered a computer science class in 2023. Kansas was more than 20 percentage points below that average, with 36% of schools offering a foundational course. Only three states had lower percentages: Louisiana (35%), Montana (34%) and Minnesota (28%). That has…

By Doug Ward As I prepared to speak to undergraduates about generative artificial intelligence last October, I struggled with analogies to explain large language models. Those models are central to the abilities of generative AI. They have analyzed billions of words, billions of lines of code, and hundreds of millions of images. That training allows them to predict sequences of words, generate computer code and images, and create coherent narratives at speeds humans cannot match. Even programmers don’t fully…

By Doug Ward We need to talk. Yes, the conversation will make you uncomfortable. It’s important, though. Your students need your guidance, and if you avoid talking about this, they will act anyway – usually in unsafe ways that could have embarrassing and potentially harmful consequences. So yes, we need to talk about generative artificial intelligence. Consider the conversation analogous to a parent’s conversation with a teenager about sex. Susan Marshall, a teaching professor in psychology, made that wonderful analogy recently in the CTE Online Working Group, and it seems to perfectly…