Reading Time: 2 minutesA big concern among educators and practitioners is that students are using Generative AI to cheat, and this is a legitimate concern. With the vast amount of data that the LLMs have access to, students could easily type in “What is the name of the rabid dog that Atticus shoots in the street?” and get an answer in a split second. However, based on the presentations I have seen thus far, the presumption that students are using GAI to cheat is unfounded. In a previous post, I discussed what I learned from a session about student ethics in using ChatGPT for writing assignments. Another session I attended…
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2024 AECT Reflection: Student Usage of GAI, Part 1
Reading Time: 2 minutesDr. Jared Pyles recently attended the Association for Educational Communications and Technology conference and has prepared some reflections and takeaways for us. Join us for this mini-series on the hottest topics discussed at the conference! As expected, there are a lot of research presentations on Generative AI at AECT. Shocking, right? One presentation was on a study coming out of a public higher education institution in the US. They studied undergraduate students’ perceptions of using ChatGPT in higher education coursework and the ethical dilemmas associated with it. In this study, 365 undergraduate students filled out an online survey that contained demographics and presented six ethical scenarios of…
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Transform Your Teaching: Education in the Age of AI – One Year Later
Reading Time: < 1 minuteLast summer, the Transform Your Teaching hosts talked a lot about AI and its role in education. What has changed in the world of AI since that summer 2023 series? Were Rob and Jared’s ideas on the trajectory of AI and its uses on point or totally off base? Listen as Rob McDole and Jared Pyles revisit some of their takes and give an update on the current climate. Podcast links Resources FOCUS Blog from the Cedarville University CTL Chat with us!
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Generative AI, In Practice: Using GAI for Course Planning
Reading Time: 10 minutesRecently, I was tasked with creating a remedial English course for dual-credit students – but for this course, I needed to expand beyond my standard role as the instructional designer and also be the subject matter expert. Playing both roles is difficult, so I decided to employ ChatGPT to help with parts of the design. I started with what I knew. Because this is a dual-credit course, I knew there would be English content the students were passing over and, as a result, not getting in their high school courses. I also knew that the learners in this course would go directly into another college writing course.…
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Generative AI: Current State and Future State (e.g., tomorrow)
Reading Time: 3 minutesWriting a blog post detailing the current state of Generative AI (GAI) feels like a futile exercise. Why? During the writing of this post, the state of the industry will change. So, read with caution because like GAI, I can make mistakes. Having dispensed with the disclaimer, let’s get into what you are looking for in this post—the current state of GAI. First, OpenAI’s ChatGPT continues to lead the GAI industry, but Microsoft and Google are making advances with Copilot and Gemini, respectively. Amazon, Mistral, Facebook, and other open source models continue to push OpenAI to innovate and produce more value, but they cannot compete with ChatGPT.…
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Transform Your Teaching: Recapping Generative AI Applied
Reading Time: < 1 minuteIn this episode, Dr. Rob McDole and Jared Pyles conclude the series on Generative AI and reflect on what they learned. Check out the episode to hear their top three takeaways. They also announce the launch of a new tool we are using to hold asynchronous video discussions with listeners. Join on Flip with all your questions and reflections on the topics we cover. Podcast links Show notes Jared’s takeaways: Rob’s takeaways: Resources We want to hear from our listeners, so we’ve launched a discussion on Flip – a video discussion platform. Join us with all your questions and reflections. Join Transform Your Teaching’s Flip discussion…
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Transform Your Teaching: Generative AI Applied with Dr. Jodie Penrod
Reading Time: 1 minuteIn this episode, Dr. Rob McDole and Jared Pyles chat with Dr. Jodie Penrod who has a PhD in Educational/Instructional Technology from Ohio University and is the Chief Information Officer at Marshall University. Check out this episode to hear how Marshall University has approached Generative AI and how other educators can use GAI to enhance teaching and learning. Podcast links Show notes Marshall University has decided to embrace using Generative AI and harness it to fit their goals. Their advice for faculty in using GAI falls into three categories: open use, moderate use, and prohibited. They created these categories to provide a framework to get started. Faculty…
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Transform Your Teaching: Generative AI Applied with Dr. Thomas White
Reading Time: 2 minutesIn this episode, Dr. Rob McDole and Jared Pyles talk with Dr. Thomas White, president of Cedarville University. Check out this episode to hear about possible applications of Generative AI at Cedarville and in higher education at large. Podcast links Show notes Dr. White sees how influential Generative AI will be on higher education and has explored it by using ChatGPT4 and plugins. While using the tools, he has found uses outside of education – recently using Generative AI to help book his family’s vacation. However, Dr. White’s main emphasis for Cedarville faculty is that they need flexibility and freedom to handle how GAI is used in…
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Transform Your Teaching: Generative AI Applied with Kim Woodruff
Reading Time: 2 minutesIn this episode, Jared Pyles and Dr. Rob McDole talk with Kim Woodruff who is the Director of Instructional Design at Manhattan College. Check out this episode to hear about Manhattan College’s current experience with Generative AI and possible applications that instructors can try. Podcast links Show notes Manhattan College’s approach to integrating Generative AI (GAI) begins with conversations with their faculty to reach them where they are at. They do not want to push for innovation too quickly, so they provide tips and tricks based on sound pedagogical ideas. Kim often encourages instructors to be experimental and use GAI to perform authentic tasks. Manhattan faculty have been…
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Transform Your Teaching: Generative AI Applied with Dr. Vladimir Bratic
Reading Time: < 1 minuteIn this episode, Jared Pyles and Dr. Rob McDole talk with Dr. Vladimir Bratic who has a PhD in Mass Communication from Ohio University and is an assistant professor of Media and Communications at Hollins University. Check out this episode to hear how ChatGPT has gone from being a flashy innovation to an everyday tool. Podcast links Show notes Dr. Bratic has noticed that over the past year, ChatGPT has gone from a flashy innovation to a normalized, embedded tool that influences the average person’s daily life. It is “coming to us and begging us to use it.” However, he notices that there are still obstacles to…