Digital Commons Network^™

19. Wrestling With A.I., Catherine J. Denial

Teaching and Generative AI: Pedagogical Possibilities and Productive Tensions

Generative AI has been sold to us at speed, promising quick resolutions to writing problems for students and demanding nimble responses from faculty. This essay suggests that instead of surrendering to a manufactured sense of urgency we take the time to fully grapple with the meaning of generative AI, and to respond to its challenges. By thinking through the ethical dimensions of AI in the classroom, and by gradually changing our assessment practices, we place humans back at the center of our common educational experiences.

14. Indigenous Futures In Generative Artificial Intelligence: The Paradox Of Participation, Rogelio E. Cardona-Rivera, J. Kaleo Alladin, Breanne K. Litts, Melissa Tehee

Teaching and Generative AI: Pedagogical Possibilities and Productive Tensions

As we work toward expanding and diversifying accurate representations of Indigenous peoples in classrooms, we must also consider the role of Native people in the construction of these technologies. Indigenous communities face the following paradox in the Generative Al space: in wanting to be represented by the Generative Al by sharing data representations their ways of knowing and being, they lose the agency to exert their rhetorical, technological, and data sovereignty over whatever is shared into the Generative Al system. Alternatively, not participating in the Generative Al space continues to perpetuate Western-centric biases and systemic racism built into the existing …

A Chat Analysis Of The Use Of Educational Video Games To Teach Physical Science To Middle School Girls, Stephen G. Petit

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

As students transition into middle school science courses, their interest and engagement in the subject declines. This decline is most significant among girls, particularly for topics in physical science. While several factors have been identified that contribute to the decline, one area that is emerging as a new way to help improve girls' view of science is the use of educational video games to improve engagement and interest in science content, particularly as video games have been steadily rising in popularity with girls. This study used Cultural Historical Activity Theory to understand how middle school girls engage with an educational …

Sixth Grade Music Ensemble Exploratories: Promoting Accessibility In Music Education, Michaela Marie Chybowski

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

School music ensemble participation has many benefits for students, including social well-being and improving academic performance; however, a variety of barriers, such as fear or lack of interest prevent many students from participating. To improve recruitment in music ensemble classes, Pittsburg Community Middle School created an exploratory class schedule that commenced with the 2022-2023 school year during which almost all sixth-grade students enrolled in three-week rotations of band, choir, and orchestra with the option to choose one option for the rest of the school year. This action research examined this new curriculum and the self-motivations of students who enrolled in …

Table Of Contents, Beth Buyserie, Travis N. Thurston

Teaching and Generative AI: Pedagogical Possibilities and Productive Tensions

No abstract provided.

31. Collaborative Writing And Ai: A Research Assignment For An Undergraduate Professional Communication Course, Beth Buyserie

Teaching and Generative AI: Pedagogical Possibilities and Productive Tensions

This chapter contextualizes and describes a collaborative Al research assignment for an in-person 2000-level Professional Communication general education course. This "Collaborative Writing and Al" assignment asks teams of students to 1) conduct their own secondary research on a specific topic connected to Al, 2) conduct primary research using Al itself, and 3) make recommendations to their peers and future colleagues in the profession or community on how to navigate and respond to a range of interdisciplinary conversations and perspectives on the technology. Within this chapter, the author provides a rationale for the assignment, includes suggestions for background readings included in …

30. Revising Llm Text To (Re)Discover Rhetoric In A Graduate Seminar, Clancy Ratliff

Teaching and Generative AI: Pedagogical Possibilities and Productive Tensions

In this essay, I share an assignment that asks students to engage in rhetorical revision of LLM text using a changelog table as a tool to document the revision. To demonstrate to the students what I was asking them to do, I did the assignment myself, and my example is included in this chapter as well. I argue that the style of generated text from LLMs calls for increased resistance to the norms and conventions of school writing and an embrace of writing that's more rhetorical: a bit more personal, risky, rule-breaking, creative, and experimental, intentionally centering purpose and audience. …

27. Pushing Past The First Draft: Exercises In Revision, Jacob Taylor

Teaching and Generative AI: Pedagogical Possibilities and Productive Tensions

This essay provides a series of global and local revision exercises for writing students to use while developing their revision processes. These revision exercises offer physical and digital possibilities, including opportunities to use Al learning models. Each of the included exercises can be done with or without the use of Al to accommodate individual preferences. The provided global revision strategies promote major structural and/or thematic revisions while requiring writing students to take risks. The local revision exercises help writing students tighten up sentences and improve minor stylistic elements while remaining focused on patterns they can begin to identify in future …

24. Revisioning A Bibliography Assignment To Center Discovery And Critical Source Engagement, Lillian Campbell, Jenna Green, Nicole Bungert

Teaching and Generative AI: Pedagogical Possibilities and Productive Tensions

This chapter shares context, assignment details, and impact of revisions of a research journal assignment in our first-year writing program at a mid-sized private university in the Midwest. With the rise of access to large language processing models like ChatGPT in Spring 2023, we reviewed our curriculum to consider what assignments might be most vulnerable to Al-generated writing. Our bibliography assignment was an obvious contender, since it focused on summary of individual sources. Thus, we worked with our research librarian liaison to reimagine this assignment, guided by a conversation about learning goals. After reviewing relevant scholarship on source use and …

Teaching And Generative Ai: Pedagogical Possibilities And Productive Tensions, Beth Buyserie, Travis N. Thurston, Adena Rivera-Dundas, Ali Söken, Belinda 'Ofakihevahanoa Fotu, Breanne K. Litts, Catherine J. Denial, Chris Mayer, Clancy Ratliff, Cora Alward, Daniel Frank, Daniel Hutchinson, Dory Rosenberg, Emma Mecham, Erin Jensen, Franziska Tsufim, Ha Nguyen, J. Kaleo Alladin, Jacob Morris, Jacob Taylor, Jenna Green, Jennifer Grewe, Jennifer K. Johnson, John Paul Tassoni, Josh Vogeler, Julia M. Gossard, Kolby Sanders, Kysa Nygreen, Lainie Pomerleau, Laura Dumin, Lillian Campbell, Lydia Peach, Lydia Wilkes, Maha Bali, Marc Watkins, Mary Lourdes Silva, Megan Hamilton, Melissa Tehee, Michael A. Christiansen, Mudasir Mustafa, Nicole Bungert, Parker Routt, Reba Wissner, Reed Hepler, Ritamarie Hensley, Rogelio E. Cardona-Rivera, Rosa Thornley, Ruth Li, Samantha K. Yoder, Susan Codone, Veronica Pulley, Walker P. Smith, Tazin Daniels

Teaching and Generative AI: Pedagogical Possibilities and Productive Tensions

With the rapid development of generative AI, teachers are experiencing a new pedagogical challenge, one that promises to forever change the way we approach teaching and learning. As a response to this unprecedented teaching context, this collection—Teaching and Generative AI: Pedagogical Possibilities and Productive Tensions—provides interdisciplinary teachers, librarians, and instructional designers with practical and thoughtful pedagogical resources for navigating the possibilities and challenges of teaching in an AI era. Because our goal with this edited collection is to present nuanced discussions of AI technologies across disciplines, the chapters collectively acknowledge or explore both possibilities and tensions—including the strengths, …

22. Examining Ways Of Using Ai To Better Support Teaching Faculty, Mitigate Burnout, And Increase Teaching Creativity, Jennifer Grewe

Teaching and Generative AI: Pedagogical Possibilities and Productive Tensions

Faculty burnout is a concern within academics particularly for the most student-centered teaching faculty. In attempts to support students, faculty can sometimes do so at the expense of their own time and energy that over time can become overwhelming. There exist many concerns within academia on the use of Al and yet this is a tool that could be helpful to teaching loads if utilized properly. This chapter explores ways in which Al might help alleviate some of the workload that teaching faculty experience, which is a start to addressing burnout issues. Ideas are shared in this chapter surrounding Al's …

21. My Summer With Chatgpt, Mary Lourdes Silva

Teaching and Generative AI: Pedagogical Possibilities and Productive Tensions

Out of necessity, I first used ChatGPT to process mentally and emotionally two major injuries. Trapped at home for the entire summer, I learned to write with ChatGPT to complete a large-scale research project. The anthropomorphizing experience left me feeling less alone. For nearly a year, news about Al-generated writing software sparked nationwide concern about the future of traditional essays. As an early adopter of most digital technologies and the type of person who welcomes chaos, I chose to learn everything | could about ChatGPT, which meant I needed to learn how to "cheat" with ChatGPT. Inspired by similar assignments …

20. Fit To Resist In Post-Product Space: Underserved Student Populations And Generative Ai's Writing Norms, John Paul Tassoni

Teaching and Generative AI: Pedagogical Possibilities and Productive Tensions

This essay describes ways the specter of Al altered interactions with students in a first-year composition course and how the response speaks to the broader impact of generative Al on underserved populations-especially in the sense that large language models and writing instruction can both affirm center/dominant discourses, values, and practices. The essay argues that the emergence of Al should shift writing instruction for "at-risk" and other marginalized student populations into post-product space. In such space, course work emphasizes students' negotiations with the expectations of higher education's hidden curriculum alongside the finished products that Al can now always already provide.

9. Uses, Benefits, And Limitations Of Ai Chatbots: Implementing Chatgpt In The First-Year Writing Classroom, Walker Smith, Cora Alward, Jacob Morris, Lydia Peach, Veronica Pulley, Parker Routt, Kolby Sanders, Josh Vogeler

Teaching and Generative AI: Pedagogical Possibilities and Productive Tensions

This essay shares the findings of a Spring 2023 honors composition course in which students conducted their own primary research project to investigate the uses and limitations of ChatGPT for first-year writers. By experimenting with integrating ChatGPT into various stages of their writing and revision processes, the students identified the strengths and weaknesses of the writing tool. Then, they observed and interviewed faculty as they graded different versions of essay drafts with varying levels of ChatGPT assistance. Ultimately, they found that ChatGPT was incredibly useful for certain small-scale tasks, but posed significant risks, especially for students with less experience in …

5. Navigating Benefits And Concerns When Discussing Genai Tools With Faculty And Staff, Reed Hepler

Teaching and Generative AI: Pedagogical Possibilities and Productive Tensions

The author works as a Digital Initiatives Librarian and is earning a second Master's Degree in Instructional Design and Technology. He viewed ChatGPT immediately as yet another potentially useful technology. When educators at his institution promoted differing viewpoints regarding ChatGPT and other Al tools, he set out to demonstrate a method of Al integration similar to that of other technological tools. Using the Technology Consumer or Producer model and his own experience, he presented, discussed, and wrote about ChatGPT, its ethical issues, and its uses and impact on education. Reed shares his insights regarding creating instruction and training for educators. …

3. Empowering Educators In The Age Of Generative Ai: A Critical Media Literacy Approach, Ali Söken, Kysa Nygreen

Teaching and Generative AI: Pedagogical Possibilities and Productive Tensions

This chapter draws from the authors' experience teaching an undergraduate course in the context of Generative Al (GenAl), and shares three instructional innovations we are implementing in response: 1) establishing an appropriate tone; 2) designing in-class activities to engage critically with GenAl; and 3) revising assessment and grading policies. These adaptations are informed by the framework of Critical Media Literacy (CML), which grounds the course. They aim to strike a balanced view that acknowledges both challenges and potentials of GenAl. This chapter aims to furnish a contextual framework for fellow educators to critically engage with the realm of GenAl. Core …

2. Some Ethical Considerations For Teaching And Generative Ai In Higher Education, Lydia Wilkes

Teaching and Generative AI: Pedagogical Possibilities and Productive Tensions

The chapter discusses some ethical considerations for teaching and generative Al in higher education with a focus on large language models like ChatGPT. These considerations include generative Al's effects on the environment and labor, its reliance on data and tendency to violate privacy, the biases encoded in it, and the digital divide. As more sophisticated generative Al is integrated into word processors, these ethical concerns will become more difficult to perceive and the ethics of using Al more difficult to parse. This chapter concludes with a note on power and justice.

Strengthening Foundational Learning In The Asean Region: A Review Of Promising Practices, Yung Nietschke, Adeola Monty, Anna Dabrowski, Payal Goundar, Syeda Kashfee Ahmed, Debbie Wong, Jeaniene Spink

International Education Research

In the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region, there is a learning crisis. Children from the most marginalised groups face insurmountable barriers to accessing a quality education, while many of those who are in school are not learning. Foundational learning is often described as the essential skills and knowledge that serve as the basis for further learning and development, and includes basic literacy (reading and writing) and numeracy (mathematics), and more recently, a focus on critical thinking, problem-solving, and socioemotional skills. In collaboration, ASEAN and the United Kingdom have established the Supporting the Advancement of Girls' Education (SAGE) Programme …

Career And Technical Education: Historical Insights, Current Impacts, And Policy Implications, Meleah Ellison, David B. Naff, Phelton Moss, Jenna Lenhardt, Morgan Meadowes, Jonathan Staylor, Latonja Y. Wright, Luke Parker, Andy Bristow, Kelsey Pacer, Samantha Hope, Shelby Garofalo, Singith Nawagamuwage Perera, Georgia Youngquest, Rachel Hale, Sharrie Merritte

MERC Publications

This research and policy brief from the Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium (MERC) summarizes recent peer reviewed literature, publicly available trend data, and policies at the federal, state, and school division level related to Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses. It explores the following questions:

1. What are the purposes of CTE courses?
/="/">2. What are the trends in CTE participation and how does this vary by student and school demographics?
/="/">3. What are the impacts or benefits of CTE?
/="/">4. What are evidence-based practices and innovative programs related to CTE?
/="/">5. What are policies guiding the …

Through The Looking Glass: Honors In Virtual Reality, Betsy Greenleaf Yarrison

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

Within the context of the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, the author discusses the potential role of virtual reality technologies in honors programs in instiitutions of higher education.

Reimagining Honors Curriculum: Delivered Through Technology Utilizing Our Alumni Community, Mollie Hartup, Amy Cossentino, Lexi Rager

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

This chapter describes our thought process and the practical steps we took as we created a new course. It also provides student, faculty/ staff, and alumni perspectives on our triumphs and tribulations throughout the year. We hope that by sharing the early results of our efforts, other honors colleges or programs also looking to reimagine their first-year experience will benefit from the lessons we have learned.

Exploring Incoming Honors Students’ Beliefs About Online Courses, Kristy Spear, Pavlo D. Antonenko

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

This essay highlights the findings of a 2018 longitudinal mixedmethod explanatory sequential design study conducted at a large research institution with this purpose in mind. The study explored incoming honors students’ beliefs about online courses and how beliefs changed after the first semester of college coursework. Beliefs about online courses were deconstructed using the Community of Inquiry framework (Garrison, Anderson, and Archer 88), a questionnaire aligned with this theory (Arbaugh, Cleveland-Innes, Diaz, Garrison, Ice, Richardson, and Swan 135), and semi-structured interviews. The findings, highlighted in this essay, provide valuable insight into design and instructional strategies that support online learning and …

International Virtual Exchange During And Beyond The Pandemic, Ian Mcintosh

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

The first goal of this chapter is to describe the virtual class. The second is to demonstrate just how easy such exchanges are when using technology such as the CN (Course Networking), which is like Facebook for academia. This software, plus the use of What’s App for free mobile calling, allowed students from both countries to get to know one another and explore course topics well beyond what can be delivered in a classroom setting. Finally, I will share information on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and some of the impressive discoveries made by the students in their respective …

Online Education, Honors, And The Engaged University: Modeling Experiential Learning For Fully Online Students At Fort Hays State University, Kevin S. Amidon, Gregory Atkins

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

This essay outlines the principles upon which the Fort Hays State University Honors Online initiative will be based and proposes ways of achieving successful honors outcomes in student-centered ways that are appropriate and meaningful to both on-campus and online cohorts. We propose a structure guided by a Community of Inquiry (COI) framework that respects and reflects the social, cognitive, and academic needs of diverse students as individuals and groups. This results in a concentric curricular model in which the student’s academic major field provides a broad, encompassing space for inner fields of co-curricular experiential learning and service. Honors staff work …

Cultivating Delight, Crossing Divides, And Solving Impossible Problems: Lessons Learned From A Year Of Virtual Conferences, Jon Blandford, Kathy J. Cooke, Erik Liddell, Kathryn M. Macdonald, Tara M. Tuttle

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

This chapter highlights some of the lessons learned from a year of virtual conferences held by three different honors organizations, the Southern Regional Honors Council (SRHC), the Northeast Regional Honors Council (NRHC), and the Kentucky Honors Roundtable (KHR) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Building Virtual Community: The Power Of Peer-Led Engagement, Emily Clossin, Shane Collins, Lisa Ruch, Kristina Horn Sheeler, Kara M. Woodlee

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

The Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) Honors College developed a multi-layered strategy to foster interpersonal connection and a sense of belonging among incoming students as well as continued opportunities for engagement among the entire community of scholars. Via social media posts and takeovers, peer mentor commitment, and virtual activities organized and led by students, along with more traditional face-to-face events, our new students developed connections, relationships, and a sense of identity as honors scholars. Our continuing students took on new leadership roles in the honors college, displaying their talents and contributing in ways they had not before in face-to-face formats. …

Before They Set Foot On Campus: Building A Virtual Summer Community For Incoming Honors Students, Laura G. Eldred, Gillian Wenhold, Jacquelyn Mcbride

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

Discusses the launching of a brand-new program rooted in community creation during a pandemic, which meant that traditional modes of cohort building were not going to fly. That said, although the impetus was pandemic-specific, the lessons learned about the creation and value of virtual communities are not limited to one historical moment.

Peer Mentoring In A Pandemic: An Honors Experiment In Community Building, Jennifer Schlegel, Alexis Duhadaway

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

During fall 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic created a situation that necessitated initiative and required agency across all domains of society and every aspect of higher education, we prioritized the physical and mental health and well-being of our students at Kutztown University, and we recognized the increased significance of establishing social connections when so many had been disrupted. For a generation that has grown up with smart technology, flipping peer mentoring makes sense because it provides a context for the students’ immediate development and assertion of agency in familiar modalities for social and academic connections.

Connecting Honors Students In A Virtual Environment: Activities For Engagement, Sarah Sudar, Colin Sisk

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

With a mix of students returning online and staying at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Community College of Beaver County (CCBC) Honors Program in Monaca, Pennsylvania, had to adapt our model of extracurricular activities to accommodate students who felt comfortable coming on campus as well as balancing virtual events for those who did not.

Creating Virtual Honors Spaces With Discord And Webex, Trista M. Merrill, Ce Rosenow

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

Although Discord and WebEx are different platforms that lend themselves to different types of events, they are both useful for creating virtual honors spaces. They can easily be used in addition to other ways of reaching students, such as blogs and social media. Through these virtual spaces, students have an opportunity to gain information, hear guest speakers, and, most importantly, feel connected to their honors community.