Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Generative AI

Seven Goals Regarding Teaching and Learning

“Generative AI” refers to artificial intelligence systems capable of creating new content, such as text, images, or music, based on patterns learned from existing data. It is transforming higher education by providing advanced tools for personalized learning, automating administrative tasks, and enabling innovative research methodologies. This technological shift invites college faculty to formulate new goals for teaching and learning, emphasizing critical thinking, ethical considerations, and the integration of AI-driven resources to enhance educational outcomes.

Benedictine University recognizes the faculty’s content expertise and academic freedom in the classroom but understands that many instructors lack knowledge about the benefits and pitfalls of AI. This document aims to provide guiding principles for the use of generative AI across campus for academic purposes. Drafted in the Summer of 2024 by a volunteer team of interested faculty and staff, it is intended to help coordinate and enrich our University’s engagement with this transformative technology.

• Enrich Teaching & Learning – Encourage students and faculty to utilize generative AI to enrich teaching and learning. For example, faculty can use AI to help design course materials, assignments, and accessible lessons, and to inform their feedback on student work. Students can use AI to enhance their problem-solving skills and creativity across academic disciplines.
• Improve Learning Experiences and Assessments – Encourage faculty to improve teaching, learning, and assessment in myriad ways, including by utilizing generative AI to create personalized learning experiences, generate diverse instructional materials, and design adaptive assessments that provide immediate feedback and insights into student progress.
• Protect Data and Intellectual Property – Encourage students and faculty to be vigilant about protecting data and respecting intellectual property when using generative AI. Vigilance is imperative to ensure the privacy and security of sensitive information. Urge students and faculty to respect the integrity of original work, and so to foster a trustworthy and legally compliant academic environment.
• Advance Accessibility and Equity – Encourage faculty to improve accessibility and equity for college students by utilizing generative AI to customize learning materials and create adaptive resources that cater to diverse needs and learning styles, ensuring all students have equal opportunities to succeed. At the same time, alert students and faculty to AI’s potential to generate racist, sexist, and other kinds of biased responses and to promote such biases. Alert them as well to accessibility barriers for students with disabilities, and unfair advantages for students who can afford access to premium generative AI tools.
• Discuss Course Expectations and Academic Integrity with Students – Encourage faculty to communicate the expectations for AI usage early and often, with clear examples of where it can and cannot be used.
• Address Potential Misconduct Using Established Policies and Processes – Encourage faculty to advance teaching and learning in adherence to the University’s Academic Honesty Policy. Recognize the limits of AI detectors, which have a history of false positive results and bias, especially against non-native English speakers.
• Enhance Career Prospects – Encourage faculty to explore ways that the integration of AI tools into college curricula can equip students with in-demand skills, enhancing their job prospects across various industries. Familiarity with AI technologies prepare students for competitive roles, bridging the gap between academic knowledge and practical application in the workplace.