Tips for Promoting Innovation in Higher Education

I'm working on a cheat sheet for educators who are new to AI and feeling a bit overwhelmed. Here it is. I'm posting in the spirit of #BuildingInPublic because I genuinely want your feedback. As educators, instructional designers, and learning professionals, what resonates with you? What falls flat? What's missing? == Sanity Cheat Sheet for Educators == 1. Breathe! It's okay to be wary of AI. It's new, and it's a lot. Take it one step at a time. 2. Get curious. AI is a tool, like any other technology. Explore what you can do with ChatGPT or other AI platforms. The more you play, the more comfortable you'll get. 3. Connect with colleagues. Talk to other instructors or staff who seem excited about AI. What are they doing? What's working well? Let their enthusiasm inspire you. 4. Start small. Pick one simple way to try AI - like generating a writing prompt or making a quiz. Tiny wins build confidence. 5. Know your "why." Before diving in, clarify how AI could help you and your students. What problem could it solve, or what opportunity could it open up? 6. Teach your students to use AI smartly. Help them see it as a tool to enhance their learning, not a shortcut to skip it. Talk about things like academic integrity and how to attribute AI-generated content. 7. Keep humans in the loop. AI isn't replacing you! Use your judgment, give feedback, and add the "human touch" to whatever AI spits out. 8. Monitor your workload. AI should make your life easier, not create more work. If something's not saving you time or effort, ditch it. 9. Stay flexible. The AI landscape is changing fast. Be ready to adapt your approach as you and the college learn what works best. 10. Remember your value. AI cannot replicate your wisdom, experience, and personal connection with students. You've got this! == End Cheatsheat== I'm especially curious to know: • Does the tone and style work for you? Is it too casual or just right? • Are there any key tips or points that I've missed? What else would you add to help AI-wary educators feel more confident and prepared? • If you've introduced AI to educators before, what strategies or approaches have you found most effective? Any success stories or cautionary tales to share? Please don't hold back - I'm here to learn and improve! 🙏 Your comments, reactions, and shares are all valuable data points as I refine this resource. And hey, if you know any educators currently grappling with AI integration, feel free to tag them or share this post and say "Hit on this!" The more perspectives, the better. Thanks in advance for your help. Together, we can make the AI journey less daunting for our fellow educators. #GenerativeAI #Feedback #Teaching

Embracing the future of Artificial Intelligence in the classroom: the relevance of AI literacy, prompt engineering, and critical thinking in modern education (published in International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education by Springer Nature Group) The present discussion examines the transformative impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in educational settings, focusing on the necessity for AI literacy, prompt engineering proficiency, and enhanced critical thinking skills. AI literacy is identified as crucial, encompassing an understanding of AI technologies and their broader societal impacts. Prompt engineering is highlighted as a key skill for eliciting specific responses from AI systems, thereby enriching educational experiences and promoting critical thinking. This is discussed through a case-study based on a Swiss university and a narrative literature review, followed by practical suggestions of how to implement AI in the classroom. 💡 Key Ideas: 1. #AILiteracy is crucial for students and teachers to understand AI capabilities, limitations, and societal impacts. This knowledge enables responsible and effective use of AI in education. 2. #Prompt engineering skills allow educators to strategically design prompts that elicit desired behaviors and critical thinking from AI systems. This transforms AI into an interactive pedagogical tool. 3. #Fostering #CriticalThinking skills through AI use is vital, enabling analysis of information, evaluation of perspectives, and reasoned arguments within AI environments. This prepares students for an AI-driven world. 4. #Continuous AI #training and support for teachers is essential as rapid advancements can otherwise outpace educator knowledge, causing classroom management issues. Keeping teachers updated enables successful AI integration. 5. Addressing #AI #bias through diverse and inclusive training data is important to prevent inequities. Educator training in recognizing biases is also necessary to avoid perpetuating prejudices. 🔧 Recommendations: 1. Develop comprehensive AI literacy courses and integrate AI ethics discussions across subjects to promote responsible use. 2. Provide regular AI training workshops for teachers on prompt engineering, bias recognition, and pedagogical integration to close knowledge gaps. 3. Fund programs that increase equitable access to AI education tools, targeting underprivileged schools and diverse learners. 4. Encourage critical analysis of real-world AI case studies to highlight societal impacts and ethical considerations. 5. Foster an institutional culture of open AI communication through forums and collaborations. This enables continuous learning and innovation. https://lnkd.in/e4xhDdg2

Interesting article by Brandolon Barnett on using AI for innovation with some simple, practical examples. After you have developed your acceptable use policy and considered the ethics and responsible use, it is time to think about use-cases for generative AI (ChatGPT), but always with a co-bot approach and with human review as the last step. What I like about generative AI tools like chatGPT is that to use them well, you need to think about your work flow and processes, whether for personal productivity or that of your team. If you are using a writing tool, think about writing tasks related to your work that cause pain and just take a long time. We all have our own strengths and things to improve when do writing at work, so think about that ... do you need a thought partner to help you develop an outline or the first crappy sentence or do need an assistant who do some light editing for brevity. Or do, do need a writing coach to critique a first draft? Another approach is think about ChatGPT or other generative AI in the one of the following persona roles: a) administrative assistant; b) thought partner; c) coach. In the first persona, think about repetitive time consuming tasks (like formatting and lightly editing a meeting transcript, or organizing information into a different way). The second persona, think of it as a work buddy to get a second opinion to brainstorm ideas, answer questions about what you might not already know, give you some step-by-steps, or generate an outline. The third persona might be used to give you feedback on your first draft. You, as the human, should always have the last word. The secret is in the way you construct your prompts - you need to provide role, context, format, and the task - and be specific. Also, don't expect magic or perfection in the first response. I've found the real power of using this, especially for the persona of thought partner, is the iteration and back and forth. #generativeAI #nonprofits #innovation https://lnkd.in/gQ_DJFtk

Adding AI to a college doesn't make it innovative. It makes it trendy. Any college can: → Throw some AI into courses → Add some AI features to an LMS → Do a quick tutorial on AI Literacy → Hold an open forum on AI These are great. And necessary. But not sufficient. True innovation comes with: ➢ Creating a strategy ➢ Planning for multiple futures. ➢ Putting AI Literacy into practice ➢ Co-creating policies with students ➢ Consistent training of students and faculty ➢ Sharing ideas with a larger community of practice And above all... ► Experimenting, experimenting, experimenting ◄ If colleges want to innovate... AI can't do the heavy lifting... Humans need to.