Sample Assignments for Different Approaches to GAI Use

In a previous CATL article, we recommended using the traffic light model to guide students on the appropriate use of generative AI (GAI) in assignments and course activities. Assuming you’ve already included a policy on GAI in your syllabus, it’s also important to provide clear instructions in your assignment descriptions. Below are some examples of assignment descriptions, using the traffic light approach and graphic. Instructors will vary on whether they want to use that visual or simply explain in words. If you choose to use the stoplight visuals, please be sure to provide an accompanying description of what that means for your specific assignment. While tailored to specific subjects, these samples share common strategies.

Consider the following general suggestions when designing your assignments:

  • Be clear and specific about GAI use in your syllabi and assignments. Clearly outline when and how GAI can be used for assignments and activities. Avoid ambiguity so students know exactly what’s expected. For example, if brainstorming is allowed but not writing, specify that distinction.
  • Include GAI usage disclaimers in assignment directions. Regularly remind students by adding a GAI disclaimer at the beginning of assignment instructions. This will make them accustomed to looking for guidance on AI use before starting their work.
  • Explain the rational for AI use or nonuse. Help students understand the reasoning behind when GAI can or cannot be used. This can reinforce the learning objectives and clarify the purposes behind your guidelines.
  • Clarify the criteria for evaluating AI collaboration. Specify how assignments will be graded concerning AI use. If students need to acknowledge or cite their AI usage, provide specific instructions on how they should do so.
  • Define which AI tools students can use. Should students stick to Microsoft Copilot (available to them with their UWGB account, so they don’t have to provide personal information to a third party or pay a subscription fee) or can they use others like ChatGPT?
  • Use the TILT framework. Leading with transparent design for assignments and activities helps students clearly understand the purpose, tasks, and assessment criteria. This framework can also help instructors clarify how GAI should be used and assessed in assignments.

Sample Assignment Instructions on AI Use

Red Light Approach: No GAI Use Permitted Assignment Example

The example below is for a writing emphasis course and the assignment purpose is to evaluate students’ own writing. For this assignment, GAI tools are not allowed. The instructor includes an explanation of this description to further clarify the assignment’s purpose.

Yellow Light Approach: GAI Use Permitted for Specific Tasks/Tools Examples

The yellow-light approach can be hard to define depending on what you want students to practice and develop for a given assignment. We’ve provided two samples below that each take a slightly different approach, but all clearly label what tools and for what tasks AI can be used and why.

Green Light Approach: All GAI Use Permitted

Instructors may choose to take a green light approach to AI for all assignments or allow AI use for selected assignments. The example below takes a low-stakes approach, permitting full AI use to encourage experimentation. Even with this method, instructors should provide clear assignment expectations.

Learn More

Explore even more CATL resources related to AI in education.

Call for New Co-Directors for OPID’s Wisconsin Teaching Fellows and Scholars Program (Applications Due Nov. 4, 2024)

The UW System’s Office of Professional and Instructional Development (OPID) is seeking two new Co-Directors for the Wisconsin Teaching Fellows & Scholars (WTFS) Program. The Co-Directors will ideally include one person with expertise in quantitative methods and another with a strong background in qualitative methodologies. Together they will create a year-long community of practice and lead participants through the design and execution of a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) project, culminating in a public presentation of abstracts at the OPID Spring Conference.

Successful completion of the WTFS program or a comparable equivalent is strongly preferred in interested applicants, who are also expected to be tenured faculty or instructors in the UW System. Co-Directors will travel to four OPID events during the year. Information regarding how to apply and the annual stipend for the position is available below and on OPID’s website. Applications are due to OPID, Monday, Nov. 4, 2024. 

 

Call for 2025-26 Wisconsin Teaching Fellows and Scholars Program (Applications Due Monday, Nov. 4, 2024)

The UWGB Provost Office and the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning, on behalf of the UW System’s Office of Professional and Instructional Development (OPID), invite faculty and instructional academic staff to apply for the 2025-2026 cohort of the Wisconsin Teaching Fellows and Scholars (WTFS) Program.

This program is designed to provide time (one year) to systematically reflect with peers in a supportive and open-minded community, and, ultimately, to move from “scholarly teaching” to the “scholarship of teaching.” Administered by OPID and directed by UW faculty, the WTFS Program is grounded in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL).

Universities provide a $4,000 summer stipend (paid before the Fall semester), and cover travel, lodging, meals, and incidentals for their WTFS participants. To learn more about the program and the stipend, read the full call on OPID’s website.

How to Apply

Interested applicants should submit items 1-3 below as separate attachments to one email message. This email should be sent to CATL (CATL@uwgb.edu) with the subject line “WTFS Application.” The reference letter should be submitted directly to the CATL email by your Department Chair or Dean by Monday, Nov. 4, 2024. The full list of required materials is below:

  1. A letter stating your interest and qualifications for the WFTS Program (two-page maximum);
  2. A teaching & learning philosophy as it intersects with equity, diversity, and inclusion (three-page maximum);
  3. An abbreviated curriculum vitae (two-page maximum);
  4. A reference letter from your Department Chair or Dean (can be directly emailed to CATL@uwgb.edu).

As always, let us know if you have any questions via email: CATL@uwgb.edu

CATL Workshop: Create Interactive Video with PlayPosit

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Do you ever feel like students aren’t watching your class videos? Or, even if they are watching, the information is going in one ear and out the other? CATL has a solution for that! Using PlayPosit to make your videos interactive increases engagement and retention. PlayPosit integrates with Canvas and your Kaltura My Media library, allowing you to quickly add predictive exercises, comprehension checks, reflective prompts, and more to class videos.

Join our one-hour virtual workshop at 8:15am on Thursday, October 17 to experience what it’s like to interact with PlayPosit and to build your first interactive video. Attendees are encouraged to have a Kaltura or public YouTube video in mind that they want to add interactive elements to when joining the session. Register below to receive a Zoom link and calendar invite.

Ride the Active Learning Train: A Wacky Wednesday Follow-Up

At CATL’s most recent Wacky Wednesday event on September 25, we embarked on a cross-continental ride aboard the active learning train with the engaging board game “Ticket to Ride.” This hands-on session gave us a chance to “lay the tracks” for active learning strategies that can improve student retention and success in any discipline.

Active learning shifts the focus from passively receiving information to actively engaging with the materials. Research shows that engaging your students in this way improves retention, critical thinking, and success across various disciplines. Plus, active learning doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming for instructors to implement. If you’d like to get a 1-on-1 demonstration of active learning, reach out to CATL and we will be happy to meet with you.

Our Wacky Wednesday events are a fun, casual way to see these methods in action. If you missed the ride, don’t worry – there will be plenty more stops on the active learning line! We hope to see you onboard for future sessions, where we’ll continue to experiment and have fun with innovative teaching techniques.

Mark your Calendars!

Make sure to save the date for our next Wacky Wednesday on Nov. 20, 2024. More details to come.