AI and Teaching - Recommended Practices
As we enter the age of widely available Artificial Intelligence the AI in "large language models" (LLMS) is transforming the teaching and learning landscape.
Below are a set of recommended practices for faculty and instructors, with links to AI tools provided and supported at Tufts.
These links will take you to each section:
- Understand the basics of how AI tools work
- Consider how AI might help with basic aspects of course design
- Clarify your expectations for your students around AI
- Deter AI misuse with the observational writing tool, Rumi
- Deter AI use with the proctoring tool, LockDown Browser
- Stay mindful of privacy and FERPA issues with AI
Understand the basics of how AI tools work
To better understand the strengths and limitations of AI tools like Copilot, it helps to understand the basics of the technology.
Consider how AI might help with basic aspects of course design
Educators and AI experts Eddie Watson and Jose Bowen of the American Association of Colleges and Universities offer this summary of what AI is good at:
AI is not an answer machine —
Instead, use it to:
- Generate examples
- Explore possibilities
- Stimulate reflection
Tufts Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching (CELT) has a great set of resources around AI and teaching.
Clarify your expectations for your students around AI
In your syllabus and lectures, spell out for your student how you expect them to use and / or avoid using AI. Let them know which tools are available to them for free through their Tufts accounts.
A thoughtful way to ensure your students read your AI policy is to add it to Canvas as an Assignment using a social annotation tool such as Perusall or Hypothesis (both available at Tufts).
These tools allow you to field questions your students may have as well as generate deeper discussions about the use of AI in learning and higher education.
Deter AI misuse with the essay writing tool, Rumi
Rumi helps you deter students' misuse of AI by providing a layer of observation and analysis.
Rumi requires students to write their assignments in the tool and records and analyzes their writing behavior. Suspicious behavior is flagged alerting faculty to review the students' writing process.
See: Rumi - Knowledge Hub
And here are instructions for adding Rumi to a Canvas course:
Deter AI use with the proctoring tool, LockDown Browser
LockDown Browser can be used in a classroom setting to "lockdown" each students' laptop so that the only thing available on screen is a Canvas quiz. All other browser tabs and apps are prevented from opening.
An additional feature called Respondus Monitor can be used when exams are taken remotely. It records the students screen and webcam, and offers simple flagging of events that may need to be reviewed.
Stay mindful of privacy and FERPA issues with AI
Remember that if you use AI tools not vetted by Tufts, there's a possibility that content put into those tools by you or your students may be incorporated into future AI data sets, or may be used in other ways that compromise privacy.