Generative Artificial Intelligence: Updates and Articles for Instructors

Welcome to our GAI resource-sharing blog page! Here you’ll find some of the latest updates and articles on generative AI, curated especially for faculty and instructional staff. While there are numerous resources available out there, CATL will share a select, timely sample of articles and perspectives to help instructors stay informed about new changes in AI technology and education.

For more in-depth, instructor-focused articles on generative AI by CATL, explore our AI Toolbox Articles.

Table of Contents

Generative AI Tools

UWGB faculty, staff, and students have access to Microsoft Copilot. Microsoft Copilot is a University supported tool that can be used with your UWGB account. Learn more about using and signing into Copilot below!

Stay updated on the different AI tools being created and discover what your peers or fields might be using!

Monthly Resources for Educators

(Resources in this section are updated for each month)

September 2024

Tips for Teachers

  • On September 23, 2024, the Division of Student Access & Success at UWGB launched Phlash, a new AI bot designed to assist students by answering questions, providing resources, and offering support through SMS text messaging. We encourage you to familiarize yourself with how this tool can support your students and consider sharing it with them.

Latest Educational Updates

  • Must-Have Competencies and Skills in Our New AI World: A Synthesis for Educational Reform, September 17, 2024. This EDUCAUSE Review article explores educational reform strategies to equip students for an “AI-integrated world.” The article highlights key competencies that institutions could consider emphasizing like intelligent design, human interaction, and data management.
  • The Impact of AI in Advancing Accessibility for Learners with Disabilities, September 10, 2024. This EDUCAUSE Review article examines how AI technology could enhance accessibility, helping create more inclusive and equitable learning environments. The article discusses AI’s potential to remove educational barriers by providing tailored support for students with disabilities. It also offers examples of current and future AI applications aimed at improving accessibility in testing, content delivery, and personalized learning experiences.

Latest AI Tech Advancements

  • Ask Microsoft Accessibility is a new Bing AI-powered tool designed to help users find accessibility information for Microsoft products and services. Try it out the next time you are working in Microsoft 365 if you have questions on how to make your materials digitally accessible.
  • Additionally, Microsoft has released an update to Copilot so that it now provides precise information based on specific timeframes (e.g., yesterday, last month). Note: UWGB currently only has access to Microsoft Copilot through www.copilot.microsoft.com and does not have Copilot features in MS 365 products like Word, PowerPoint, or Excel.

August 2024

Tips for Teachers

  • Make sure your syllabus is ready for the upcoming semester! If you haven’t drafted an AI policy yet, now’s the time. Your students will have different experiences with generative AI—some may avoid it, while others are well-versed. Including a syllabus statement and a brief discussion on AI, even just 5 minutes, will help them understand your expectations.

Latest Educational Updates

July 2024

Tips for Teachers

  • Now that you’re signed into Copilot, give it a try with one of your assignments. You can ask Copilot to compare your assignments to the TILT framework, generate a prompt or activity with examples, or even see how well it completes the assignment and where it might miss the mark. This kind of practice will help build your confidence and comfort with using Copilot and might also offer new insights into your assignments.

Latest AI Tech Advancements

June 2024

Tips for Teachers

  • If you haven’t signed into Copilot with your UWGB account, now is the time! Microsoft Copilot, accessible through any browser and soon integrated into Windows 11, avoids using your personal email, which makes it a better alternative for classes. It doesn’t require providing, for example, a personal cellphone number for use, and it is available to all UWGB faculty, staff, and students with an institutional login and ID. Copilot also offers enhanced data protection when logged in using your UWGB account, although FERPA-protected and personally identifiable information should still not be entered. Watch this short video on how to log in. Remember, use any AI tool responsibly and always vet outputs for accuracy.

Latest Educational Updates

  • Latest AI Announcements Mean Another Big Adjustment for Educators, June 6, 2024. This article from EdSurge recaps some of the latest AI advancements that will heavily impact education and provides advice from instructors and ed tech experts on how to adapt.
  • AI Detectors Don’t Work. Here’s What to Do Instead, 2024. MIT’s Teaching & Learning Technologies Center critiques AI detection software and suggests better alternatives. The article advocates for clear guidelines, open dialogue, creative assignment design, and equitable assessment practices to effectively engage students and maintain academic standards.

May 2024

Tip for Teachers

  • Subscribe to the “One Useful Thing” blog by Ethan Mollick, an Associate Professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and Co-Director of the Generative AI Lab at Wharton.

Latest Educational Updates

Latest AI Tech Advancements

(Resources in this section are updated biannually)

May 2023 – June 2024

  • Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Teaching and Learning, May 2023. This report by the Office of Educational Technology provides insights on how AI can be integrated into education practices, and recommended responses for educators.
  • The AI Index Report: Measuring trends in AI, April 2024. Created by the Institute for Human-Centered AI at Stanford University, this report provides an analysis of AI trends and metrics, including important insights into the current state and future direction of AI for educators grappling with the rapidly evolving technology and what it means for their teaching practices.
  • AI in 2024: Major Developments & Innovations, Jan. 3, 2024. This article provides a timeline of AI developments during 2023 and newest updates in 2024.
  • 2024 AI Business Predictions, 2024. This report by PwC describes how businesses are preparing for and incorporating AI, with predictions on future trends and AI strategies in the corporate world.

A collection of colorful frames displayed

UWGB Canvas Gallery: A Virtual Exhibition of Teaching

About the Exhibition

Have you developed standout strategies in your Canvas course that could inspire or benefit your colleagues? The “UWGB Canvas Gallery: A Virtual Exhibition of Teaching,” hosted by the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning (CATL), is the perfect platform to share your innovative teaching and design approaches with fellow instructors. To participate in this showcase, we invite you to submit some of the materials you’ve developed in Canvas. They should be materials you already have, making the workload minimal, and they can be from a Canvas site for any course modality: in-person, online, virtual classroom, and more! Accepted work will be displayed in a virtual Canvas course gallery where others on campus can engage and view your work. This virtual gallery-style exhibition is more than just showcasing your work; it is about building a community where educators across UW-Green Bay can learn from one another by sharing the creative strategies that often only students see.

Call for Submissions

We are looking for submissions that highlight a range of teaching and design strategies that use Canvas effectively. You can submit a single Canvas item, such as an assignment, page, quiz, or discussion, or share an entire module that demonstrates effective teaching practices and supports student success. Examples of what you might share include:

  • A welcoming course introduction Canvas module that sets students up for success
  • Creative Canvas discussion boards that foster deep, meaningful dialogue
  • Innovative assessments that challenge traditional formats, such as project-based learning or peer feedback in Canvas
  • Thoughtfully designed group activities that encourage collaboration and active participation and use Canvas Groups to set up effective teamwork and communication
  • Gamified elements that motivate and reward student achievement such as using mastery paths or badging in Canvas
  • Visual and interactive elements that simplify complex concepts and enhance learning shared in Canvas
  • Effective use of module pre-requisites to scaffold learning
  • Well-written instructions for more complicated tasks in Canvas, such as the use of PlayPosit

In your submission, consider how your materials might:

  • Demonstrate inclusive teaching and digital accessibility
  • Foster student engagement and success
  • Support students in achieving course learning outcomes
  • Promote transparency or reduce invisible curriculum
  • Facilitate students’ ability to succeed in an online learning environment
  • Incorporate evidence-based teaching strategies, such as scaffolded assignments or use of the TiLT framework

The deadline to apply is Monday, November 4, 2024.

How to Apply

To apply, complete the submission form by November 4, 2024. You’ll be asked to provide details about your Canvas course materials, along with a program-ready abstract explaining how your submission demonstrates effective or innovative teaching strategies. Make sure to highlight the benefits your Canvas use and design offers to both your students and your teaching practice.

With your consent, CATL will access the Canvas material you highlight. A CATL committee will review all submissions based on your survey responses, abstract, and any accompanying Canvas materials. Once submissions are reviewed, CATL will follow up with you. Accepted submissions will be featured in a Canvas course which will be available to UWGB instructors to view in January.

We look forward to seeing your contributions and showcasing the excellent work of our UW-Green Bay instructors!

Graphic with pink background and purple computer keyboard and the title Open Lab on Accessibility

Workshop Wednesday: Open Lab on Accessibility (Oct. 9, 3:00 – 4:30)

In recognition of National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning (CATL) and Student Accessibility Services (SAS) are hosting an open computer lab session to explore the topic of accessibility. Join us on Oct. 9 from 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. in Laboratory Sciences 102 (LS 102) for a hands-on opportunity to experiment with accessibility tools and learn how to create and share accessible digital resources in Canvas and in common Microsoft applications. Both faculty and staff are invited to bring their course materials and other documents to ask accessibility questions and learn more about how our two teams can support you!  

Want to get an Outlook event invitation for this workshop? Send an email to CATL and we’ll send you an invite to save on your Outlook calendar!

Fall 2024 Co-Writing Community (Tuesdays 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. & Fridays 8:30 – 9:30 a.m.)

Tara DaPra, one of CATL’s Instructional Development Consultants, will lead another “Co-Writing Community” this fall. A co-writing community is a zero-obligation, zero-preparation, zero-outside work activity. Use this time to work on creative or scholarly projects that might otherwise get pushed aside by the demands of teaching. All faculty and staff are welcome!

The co-writing community will run throughout the fall semester via Zoom from 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and 8:30 – 9:30 a.m. on Fridays. Feel free to join early or late, weekly, or when your schedule allows! Simply drop in with this Zoom link which will be reused for each session.

Please email daprat@uwgb.edu with any questions.

Wacky Wednesday: Ride the Active Learning Train (Sept 25, 3:00 p.m.)

You’ve got a ticket to ride the active learning train! Join the CATL team on Wednesday, Sept. 25, at 3 p.m. in CL 405 as we demonstrate active learning pedagogy through the board game “Ticket to Ride.” Active learning strategies can improve retention and success in most disciplines, and they don’t take much time to implement in your classes. Learn while you play in this participatory session on active learning. Sign up today and come and play!

Register