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Lessons Learned When Establishing a Community of Practice Focused on AI Pedagogy and Innovation

Thu, April 24, 9:50 to 11:20am MDT (9:50 to 11:20am MDT), The Colorado Convention Center, Floor: Terrace Level, Bluebird Ballroom Room 2C

Abstract

Objectives and Framework

Responses to generative AI in education have been numerous and varied; we do not, moreover, know the pedagogical or motivational affordances of emerging AI-based educational technologies on instructor pedagogical practices and student motivation. In response to this, the USC Center for Generative AI and Society was established. We seek to better understand how generative AI impacts undergraduate writing education and have established the “Generative AI Fellows” program to both build community and study the impacts of GenAI technologies on undergraduates. Our focus on writing is due to the foundational role of writing in developing critical thinking and analytical skills (Bean & Melzer, 2021; Elbow, 1998). By studying how to better integrate AI into writing instruction, we aim to equip students with the skills to use AI tools effectively, thereby enhancing their learning and communication capabilities (Perkins & Salomon, 1989; Salomon, Perkins, & Globerson, 1991).

We report on lessons learned while establishing the program, as well as pedagogical innovation that has resulted from instructors incorporating AI into introductory writing courses. We focus specifically on curricular decisions that have implications for student engagement and motivation.

Methods and Materials

Our inaugural fellows possess diverse academic backgrounds, encompassing rhetoric, composition, and pedagogy, with a strong advocacy for the integration of technology in equitable education (Warschauer, 2004). The first cohort of the program included experts in poetry, literature, and creative writing, emphasizing the preservation of human creativity amidst the expansion of AI initiatives (Lee, 2022). These scholars (n=17) were committed to not only acknowledging the presence of generative AI technologies but also exploring their potential to enhance the undergraduate experience. We used a communities of practice (CoPs) approach (Wenger, 2009) to co-design and develop an approach that integrated AI into the curricula of an introductory writing course.

Results

Results of the first cohort of fellows indicated pedagogical approaches that ranged from carving out one assignment devoted to AI (“AI-Quarantine”), to allowing students to experiment with generative AI technologies throughout the course (“AI-Embedding”). Student engagement in class varied as a function of approaches taken, with many students discovering the limitations of generative AI during the process of assignment completion (Authors et al., forthcoming).

Scholarly Significance

Beyond academic enhancement, the Generative AI Fellows program recognizes the broader implications of AI on teaching, learning, and student motivation. Our first-year efforts have aimed to provide a CoP for instructors so that they can better prepare undergraduates to actively participate in the evolving AI environment that has implications both inside and outside of the classroom.

Authors