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Here’s How Higher Ed Educators Can Lean Into Today’s Best Hack Generative AI

Here’s How Higher Ed Educators Can Lean Into Today’s Best Hack Generative AI

Daniel Pfaltzgraf

October 02, 2023

I’ve always wanted to create a learning experience that minimizes the delta between theory and practice, where students understand the why of what they learn. I aim to inspire students by giving them the hacks, tips, and frameworks that will allow them to leverage what they learn in class to further their lives and careers outside of it.

And right now, there’s no better hack than generative AI.

Our daily lives are impacted by AI, which detects patterns and generates insights. If I’m a kid playing chess against the computer, AI takes the data from the game to determine the best next move. When I watch Netflix, AI similarly connects the dots to say, “If you liked that, you may like this.” The newest iteration of this is generative AI. Rather than just connecting the dots between data, generative AI is creative, imaginative, and responsive.

Generative AI inspires a full range of emotions. We as educators often jump to the negative implications of new technology—namely, the potential for plagiarism and dishonesty. But if we view generative AI solely as a threat, we miss the opportunities it presents us in the classroom.

Benefits and Watchpoints of Generative AI

I teach at The University of Toledo in their College of Business and Innovation. My courses span the disciplines of business, from management and marketing to technology and innovation. I was an management consultant for four years, where I helped companies like Hilton, Verizon, and American Airlines develop and execute their strategies. I’m on the younger side of the instructor spectrum, and in addition to teaching, I’m also active in the industry. Maybe this background is why I have an enthusiastic perspective around generative AI.

Social share: Generative AI doesn’t have to be the downfall of higher education. It can give students a study buddy, help educators create better lesson plans, and shine light on a diversity of viewpoints. 

Generative AI doesn’t have to be the downfall of higher education. A tool like ChatGPT is an accelerant, and it—along with other platforms to come—can give students a study buddy, help educators create better lesson plans, and shine a light on diverse viewpoints.

But first, educators have to lean in. Instead of implementing a blanket ban, let’s think of this as another tool in our toolbox as educators. We can consider these watchpoints and benefits:

  • ChatGPT can potentially foster academic dishonesty, which is why some educators have tried to ban it outright, often including a “Don’t use ChatGPT” line on their syllabi. But academic dishonesty is a whack-a-mole game that educators have been playing forever. Students sneak notes into exams, buy essays, and hire another student to take an online course. We can’t ignore its existence because we fear the potential for “cheating.”
  • On the other hand, we as educators can help our students think critically about the use—and limitations—of generative AI. In the following sections, I will detail how I try this in my classroom.
  • Generative AI can automate some more tedious academic tasks, giving us more time to focus on where we are truly needed. 
  • AI can offer granular, robust feedback. 
  • It can multiply our presence as educators.

Rather than be on the defensive and argue with students about its use—our students will use these tools anyway—educators should go on the offensive. If we learn about these tools, we can better engage our students by showing them how to employ generative AI the right way.

How I Teach Students to Use, and Think Critically About, Artificial Intelligence

I’m not the first to say that generative AI can accelerate the learning process. It can certainly help students get to a good first draft. But it’s important to remember that a good first draft is not an executable business strategy, viral marketing campaign, or an amazing app, and it’s far from A+ work. Transforming a first draft into a stellar project or something of value in the business world requires revision, curiosity, critical thinking, and the savvy to know when to use what tool for the job.

I encourage students in my classes to use ChatGPT as a research assistant to find facts, answer questions, or simplify an idea. Starting with the prompt “Explain the concept of globalization as if I’m 5,” will yield a surprisingly good answer. You can also use ChatGPT to challenge a conventional narrative and solicit a different point of view. I teach my students to engage with these tools critically, the same as I expect them to think critically about any material.

In my marketing class, for example, I have students draft value propositions. They’ll use ChatGPT to start, but we then refine those value propositions in class and deconstruct whether ChatGPT’s output was valuable, what we liked, and what we didn’t. We go through a similar process for drafting targeting and buyer personas. I can ask ChatGPT for three potential buyer personas for a quick-service restaurant targeted toward young professionals. We then evaluate the prompt and results and refine them further. Using a value proposition from ChatGPT isn’t enough; if you’re sitting in a meeting with stakeholders, you must be able to explain why you’re leading with one value proposition over another. Students have to learn the logic and reasoning behind decisions, and we practice doing that in class.

Social share: Generative AI will always be there to help, but people still have to think, apply their knowledge, and tap into the human element.

There’s no question that generative AI is disruptive. But educators can’t tell students, “You’re never going to use generative AI in the real world,” because that’s simply not true. Generative AI will always be there to help, but we are still in a moment where people have to think, apply their knowledge, and bring the human element into decisions. As educators, it’s our responsibility to teach students how to use these tools smartly.

Wiley Helps Stretch the Knowledge of Students and Educators 

Not everyone shares my view on generative AI, but I love to engage with my peers in discussions on this and other topics. Discussion and dialogue have always been like oxygen to education, and never more so than in the last few years as the pandemic and technology threw the field of education into a tailspin. Dialogue makes better students and better teachers, and I use the Wiley instructor community as a forum to communicate, collaborate, co-think, and share knowledge with educators across disciplines and universities.

I joined this community when I started using WileyPLUS in 2020. I provided feedback on a new Wiley textbook, which led me to adopt the platform for my courses. WileyPLUS offers great content that enables students to learn better and sometimes even faster. Rather than creating a slide deck and doing a song and dance at the front of the room, I might start a lesson in WileyPLUS before class with an adaptive assignment to ensure students have at least some familiarity with the concepts. In class, we will break down those concepts, watch a video, discuss a case study, or I can share personal stories of what I’ve seen in professional settings. After class, I might use WileyPLUS to lock in that learning with a quick assessment.

WileyPLUS enables me to draft pre-built courses for marketing and international business strategy. I often use these courses in WileyPLUS as a backstop for students to support their learning. Through mini-simulations, adaptive learning, or discussion boards, we can stretch our knowledge in different ways.

Encountering the wide range of perspectives in the Wiley instructor community—whether through message boards, webinars, or panels—is empowering. I’m reminded of that Thomas Huxley quote: “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” I’m inspired by the best practices of my fellow educators, and there’s always something I can apply to my teaching, such as a new way to connect with a student or an exciting idea for an assignment.

Through discussions with other educators at the university and in the Wiley instructor community, I’ve been able to share my optimism and excitement for generative AI, hopefully removing some of the fear or apprehension around it. As more people continue to navigate using ChatGPT, the more ideas we can all share and take back to our respective classrooms.

My Challenge to Fellow Educators: Let’s Learn to Put Generative AI to Good Use

Yes, we have a new tool in our toolbox, but let’s also look at what hasn’t changed. This revolution is just an evolution of instructional practices we’ve used for decades. Learning isn’t about a select few having better answers; it’s about all of us asking better questions. And guess what? Generative AI is based on asking a question. And by asking better questions, we receive better answers.

Social share: Learning isn’t about a select few having better answers; it’s about all of us asking better questions.

Students buy into learning when they see how it applies to their future. Generative AI is a new capability that students will need in their working lives, and students who aren’t competent will be left behind. Imagine taking 10 hours to draft a strategic plan when someone else can get to a first draft in five minutes and a refined version in an hour or two. Students who put their time and effort in the wrong places are disadvantaged. 

Higher education enrollment is down. Curriculum is often outdated, and people are questioning the value of that education (and rightfully so). But we’re in a new era now, and I’m having conversations at the university about what the Technological Revolution will mean for the evolution of our curriculum. We need to move faster to stay relevant. Instead of shutting the door on this tool (which students will use anyway), educators can engage students, update our methodology, and get into the work of deeper thinking faster. 

I challenge all university administrators and professors to be the learners we are trying to create in our students by leaning into generative AI, and modernizing our existing perspectives and practices. Let’s go!