The Student-Centered AI Syllabus
Creating a syllabus in the age of AI is not fundamentally different from doing so at any other time, but there are some considerations specific to this rapidly changing technological landscape. Understanding The Role of AI in Today’s Educational Landscape is key. A creative and innovative syllabus sets the stage for an inspiring learning journey. The following strategies can make your syllabus visually appealing, relevant, and interactive while taking advantage of AI and other modern technologies.
Content
Make Your Syllabus Interactive. Create a digital and interactive syllabus using platforms like Canva, Adobe Express, or Prezi. Incorporate multimedia elements such as:
- Videos
- Infographics
- Interactive links
Keep it Fresh and Relevant: Make sure your course material is updated to include discussions or examples involving AI where applicable. Even if the course is not about AI, considering its influence in various fields is beneficial.
Focus on Skills: Given that AI and automation are changing job landscapes, consider incorporating modules that teach skills that are complementary to AI, such as critical thinking, creativity, and emotional intelligence.
Help Build Interdisciplinary Connections: AI impacts multiple fields, from ethics to medicine, to art. If possible, include interdisciplinary perspectives in your syllabus.
Create Visual Learning Pathways. Provide students with a visual representation of the course’s learning pathways. This can be in the form of flowcharts, mind maps, or timelines, helping students understand how topics connect and progress throughout the semester.
Highlight Guest Speakers and Events. If applicable, include a section that highlights any guest speakers, workshops, or special events that will take place during the course. This adds excitement and shows the range of opportunities available.
Pedagogical Strategies
Blended Learning: Consider combining traditional teaching methods with AI-driven tools like intelligent tutoring systems or automated grading systems to improve pedagogy.
Adaptive Learning Paths: Use AI-driven analytics to offer adaptive learning paths. Provide extra resources for those who are lagging and advanced modules for those who are ahead.
Engagement: Utilize AI to analyze student engagement and adapt your teaching methods accordingly.
Provide Flexibility. Be open to adjusting the syllabus based on students’ needs and interests. Allow room for flexibility and adaptation throughout the course to ensure it remains relevant and engaging.
Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Options. Offer students different assignment options that cater to their interests or skill sets. Allowing them to choose from various creative projects that may or may not have them engage with AI encourages a sense of ownership in their learning journey.
Gamification Elements. Use AI to Integrate gamification elements into the syllabus to increase student motivation and engagement. Use badges, points, or levels to reward students for completing certain milestones or demonstrating exceptional effort.
You can explore additional ways to include AI in your classes in Ethan Mollick’s Article “Assigning AI: Seven Ways of Using AI in Class” in the “One Useful Thing” newsletter or in the Collection of “101 Creative Ideas to Use AI in Education”.
Accessibility
Universal Design: Make sure all AI tools used are accessible to students with disabilities.
Multi-Modality: Use AI to offer content in multiple formats (text, audio, visual) to cater to different learning styles.
Communication
Student-Generated Content. Involve students in the syllabus creation process by allowing them to contribute to certain sections. This can include suggesting relevant resources, co-creating assignment guidelines, or even helping design the syllabus layout.
Transparency: Clearly explain how AI tools will be used in the course, their benefits, and limitations.
Feedback Loops: Use AI tools to facilitate regular feedback between students and instructors.
Addressing Academic Integrity and Artificial Intelligence in the Syllabus:
Crafting a syllabus in the age of AI offers opportunities to enhance teaching and learning but requires thoughtful consideration of how these tools fit within educational goals and ethical frameworks.
The exponential growth of Generative AI (GenAI) brings with it possibilities and considerations for your classroom. When preparing your syllabus, take time to reflect on learning goals and teaching practices in light of emerging applications like ChatGPT, Google Bard, and Microsoft Bing. You might also find that Generative AI can help you refresh your syllabus. Mitchell Weiss offers four easy ways ChatGPT can help you update your syllabus and course.
The inclusion of an academic integrity statement is an essential part of any syllabus (Should You Add an AI Policy to Your Syllabus?), and in the age of AI, it’s important to tailor this section to address the specific challenges and opportunities that technology presents. The statement can cover issues ranging from plagiarism detection software to the ethical use of AI tools in academic work. You might adapt a traditional academic integrity statement to include considerations related to AI or create an additional statement to add to your syllabus. You can explore examples of AI syllabus statements in the Collaborative Classroom Policies for Generative AI Tools you can also use the Honorlock tool and template to create your syllabus statement.
Zamudio-Suarez, F. (2023, July 7). 5 weeks to a better semester.
Zamudio-Suarez, F. (2023, July 23). 5 weeks to a better semester.