So Do I Have to Use AI for Everything Now?

The short answer? No. 

A professor’s ability to educate is not, and has never been, dependent on the existence of tech. Teachers have been teaching long before the existence of laptops, tablets, smart phones, and AI tools. 

There are so many variables when it comes to effective learning: 

• Are learning activities aligned with the learning goals? (Eberly Center, n.d.)

• Has the professor created a relationship with their students? (Tormey, 2021)

• Have students connected with one another? (Horton, 2011)

• Does the student feel motivated to learn? (Messerer et al., 2023)

• Is the learning set at the right level of difficulty? (Nelson & Eliasz, 2022)

To be sure, there can be major benefits to incorporating AI (and other tech) into our classrooms. But when researching the principles of learning, it’s worth noting that the existence and use of “tech” isn’t a principle of learning. 

That’s because tech and AI are simply tools. 

And yes, they can be helpful. But that doesn’t mean they’re always helpful or necessary. 

Take generative AI for example. By incorporating Gen AI into our teaching, we can play an important part in enhancing our students’ AI literacy (as well as our own) and encourage students to explore both the potential and the limitations of AI tools.

But Gen AI tools aren’t replacing the actual learning. Gen AI can certainly provide some strong outputs - but it can’t replace the type of thinking that takes place when learners are confronted with a well crafted discussion question. It can’t replace a learner’s ability to make connections to knowledge and skills and experiences they’ve had. It can’t replace the transformative process of changing one’s mind or examining a different perspective. 

With all that being said, we can’t ignore the fact that there is much ongoing conversation about trying to incorporate AI into our classrooms. So how do we decide when to use it? 

Simply put - Start with learning outcomes and student experiences. 

For the purposes of this discussion, let’s take the example of a graduate level marketing course, where students will learn how to put together a pitch-deck for a Marketing Leadership Team. For this case, let’s also assume an online, synchronous class format. 

1. What are students meant to learn? Identifying the skills and knowledge that students should have at the end of an activity or assignment will guide how to design an activity. Knowledge or skill development should align with the kinds of skills students will need once they enter the workforce. 

   1. Example: Students should be able to present a pitch-deck for a new marketing idea for a fictional company and handle stakeholder questions. 
      

2. Who are the students? How you deliver content is going to depend on who your student is and the format you are teaching within. Online asynchronous classes will likely require different teaching activities than an in-person class. Undergraduate students may need more guidance from professors than graduate students. Students who are working full time may have time and responsibility constraints that must be considered. 

   1. Example: Students will need to work in groups for the final pitch deck, so a professor might conduct an informal survey about when students are available for course work and try to group students together by availability. The professor might use parts of the synchronous class time for groups to work on their project. 
      

3. What kind of activity will aid a learner to reach the learning objective? When building new knowledge or skills, it is helpful to create situations where students have to apply that knowledge, learn from their peers, and receive regular and meaningful feedback. 

   1. Example: Students would learn about the typical components of a pitch-deck and pull them together into a final presentation. This includes being able to defend their pitches, pull the right convincing arguments, and anticipate the types of pushback or questions they might receive from a Marketing leadership team. 
      

4. Where can Tech / AI help? After the goals and general outline of an activity or assignment have been determined, evaluate where tech or AI could help enhance the learning process. Remember - sometimes it won’t be necessary! 

   1. Example: When learning about key components for a typical pitch deck, students can read, review sample decks, and watch lectures. Some tech will be helpful to create pre-recorded videos. But some tech won’t be helpful. For example, creating an AI professor avatar to deliver these lectures may be distracting, repetitive, and time consuming. And after a time, students may learn to ignore these videos altogether. 

   2. Example: Students can use AI to help them prepare for the Q&A section of their pitch deck. AI can provide insight into the types of concerns and questions a typical CMO might have when being presented with a new marketing idea.

Not all learning experiences have to incorporate tech or AI. In fact, sometimes, the use of these tools could actually be a distraction to learning. That’s why it’s important to start with the learning - if educators can root down into the key concepts and skills their students should be learning, the decision on whether or not to include tech becomes easier. 

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WORKS REFERENCED

Eberly Center. (n.d.). Why should assessments, learning objectives, and instructional strategies be aligned? Carnegie Mellon University Eberly Center. https://www.cmu.edu/teaching/assessment/basics/alignment.html 

Horton, W. (2011). E-learning by design. Center for Creative Leadership.

Messerer, L.A.S., Karst, K., & Janke, S. (2023). Choose wisely: Intrinsic motivation for enrollment is associated with ongoing intrinsic learning motivation, study success and dropout. Studies in Higher Education, 48(1): 137-150. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2022.2121814

Nelson, A., & Eliasz, K. L. (2022). Desirable difficulty: Theory and application of intentionally challenging learning. Medical Education, 57(2): 109-204. https://doi.org/10.1111/medu.14916 

Tormey, R. (2021). Rethinking student-teacher relationships in higher education: A multidimensional approach. Higher Education, 82: 993-1011. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-021-00711-w