Integrating AI into your curriculum and assignments

Are you planning to integrate AI literacy into your course, redesign an assignment with an AI-aware approach, or communicate guidelines around AI use to students? We can provide further resources, assistance, and guidance on the intersection of AI with teaching and learning.

AI policy in your classes

It is good teaching practice to be clear and transparent about the purpose, task, and criteria for assignments and learning activities. This includes communicating with students about what is and is not allowed with regard to the use of AI in classes and for course assignments. We recommend that you include an AI statement in the syllabus and discuss it with your students on the first day of class. You may also consider co-creating course guidelines for the acceptable use of generative AI with your students. The Faculty Senate recommends the inclusion of an AI statement in course syllabi (and in assignment descriptions and instructions) and has developed sample syllabus language that you can adapt and adopt.

Illustration on a dark blue background showing a computer monitor with a human head and circuit brain graphic on the left, a classroom with desks and desktop computers in the center, and a monitor displaying a bar graph on the right. Circuit-like lines connect the elements, symbolizing AI integration into classroom learning.

Using AI as a teaching partner/assistant

Generative AI can be used to help with teaching preparation, saving the time spent on tasks such as creating course materials, writing assignments and examples, and generating rubrics for grading. Note that the quality of the work generated by AI depends on the prompts you provide and the tools you use. The more specific and detailed the prompt, the better the output.

AI for content design, assignment and assessment design

Content design:

Creating and enhancing course content
Developing course materials
Generating learning outcomes and objectives
Suggesting ways to improve the course content
Creating lecture notes

Example prompts for content design:

You are an expert in [name of the field]. You are going to teach a course in [course title] to [student level]. Develop an outline of the course, including a general overview of the course, student learning outcomes, 12 learning modules and their learning objectives, the learning activities and how students will be assessed.
You are an instructor teaching [the course title] to [student level]. Create a lesson plan that covers [insert a specific topic]. The lesson plan should include learning objectives, an engaging activity and assessment criteria.

Assignment/Assessment design:

(Re-)Design assignments
Generating (low stakes) quiz questions
Generating multiple versions of assessment questions
Generate in-class discussion questions
How to improve assignment instructions
Write scenarios for case studies
Creating rubrics

Example prompts for assignment/assessment design:

[Describe/Copy-paste an existing assignment and the learning goal or upload the word file containing the description of the assignment.] Provide five different ways I could make this assignment align better with the learning goal. Include a rubric for this assignment.
You are an expert in [course title and level]. Create a quiz with 10 questions to test the following topics [list the topics] for [course level and student]. Include 8 multiple choice questions and 2 short answer questions. For each question, provide correct answers and write feedback to students about the correct and incorrect answer choices.

We recommend that you try the prompts in different Gen AI tools and compare the output they produce. All the major AI tools (e.g. ChatGPT, Gemini, CoPilot) can be used for these tasks. In addition to these tools, we recommend that you try out AI Teaching Assistant Pro as it was designed as an instructor aid for higher education (by Contact North, Canada). Visit Prompts for Instructors at More Useful Things by Ethan Mollick for more detailed prompt examples.

Using AI as a tutor

Generative AI has the potential to be a personal tutor for students. For AI to be an effective tutor, an interactive dialogue between students and AI is needed. A well-crafted prompt helps create a dialogue between students and AI, guiding students through learning. Although students may use any generative AI tools, AI Tutoring Pro is a tool specifically designed for this purpose. Students can either “grow knowledge and skills on any topic” or “check my knowledge and skills on any topic”. In addition, this tool is anonymous, requiring no registration.

AI for roleplay (for interviews, debates, etc.)

Generative AI can be used as a roleplay partner. Students can use it for a mock interview, as a teammate to generate ideas or counterpoint or debate.

Example prompt:

You are a debate partner of mine. We will be debating [debate topic]. Ask me to state a position. Then challenge my perspective with alternate views and data. Only take your side and do not prompt me with potential arguments I could make. Keep your responses similar in length to mine. (Adopted from Bowen & Watson, Teaching with AI)
You are a [subject area] studying for your exam. Generate a set of flashcards on [a specific topic] based on the text below [copy-paste the lecture notes].

Advancements in Teaching Excellence

Partners with faculty to enhance student learning and provides consultations, workshops, learning communities, and teaching resources, including those on incorporating generative AI into teaching and learning, redesigning assignments, and writing syllabus statements.

Faculty Liaison for Academic Standards

Assists faculty with the Academic Standards process as established in UAM 6,502. They serve as an impartial and informal resource for faculty and can provide information, guidance, and assistance in addressing academic standards violations.

Office of Digital Learning

The Instructional Design and Educational Technology Team provides assistance and guidance on AI integration in teaching and educational technology.

Writing and Speaking in the Disciplines

Collaborates with faculty to integrate writing and speaking assignments and activities and provides consultations and workshops and on topics such as assignment design, writing assignment guidelines, and giving effective feedback to students.