How to Navigate GenAI in Course and Assignment Design

The advent of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) platforms has led to undeniable challenges in how instructors design their courses as well as how they design individual assignments across those courses. Decisions about GenAI have largely been left to individual instructors, as there are not one-size-fits-all solutions for its use at the disciplinary or institutional levels. This flow chart is designed to help instructors think through the affordances and limitations of three levels of GenAI use in their courses: excluding GenAI, limiting GenAI, and fully embracing GenAI.

Steps:

1. Every course should have at least a general statement about whether GenAI can be used in a course.

   Have you considered adding a statement to your syllabus that provides this information for your students?

   Our Center has several suggested syllabus statements which support different types of GenAI use by students in a course.

2. The use of GenAI should meet the needs of your students and make sense, given your course objectives and plans for assignments and other learning experiences.

   Have you considered whether the design of your course (including learning objectives and assignments) supports the use of GenAI by students to support their learning?

   How might/should GenAI be used in your course?

   • No use of GenAI

     Learning would be compromised with the use of GenAI at any point in this course.

   • Some use of GenAI

     Learning would be supported at certain times/ways in this course through the use of GenAI.

   • Unrestricted use of GenAI

     Learning will be supported throughout all aspects of this course through the use of GenAI.

   • Limiting or Excluding GenAI Use

     Have you:

     • considered any changes need that should be made to your assignments to maximize the opportunity for students to create their own work?
     • communicated your expectations to your students about how GenAI use would negatively impact their learning?

     Additional considerations can be found in the Limiting or Excluding GenAI Use course checklist.

   • Incorporating GenAI Use

     Have you:

     • identified how GenAI might be used for each assignment where the use of AI is allowed (i.e., brainstorming, creating a draft)
     • demonstrated the use of genAI in effective, supportive, and ethical ways?
     • developed a plan for how students will share the ways in which they used GenAI and what the impacts of GenAI use were on their learning?

     Additional considerations can be found in the Incorporating GenAI Use course.

3. No matter your choice to allow/disallow the use of genAI in your course, any strategies you adopt should be accessible to all students.

   Limiting use to technology or requiring access to expensive technologies can impede students’ ability to demonstrate their learning.

   You may wish to consult with Student Access and Accommodation Services for more information on eliminating accessibility issues.

4. Do you have questions about how this guidance might apply to your course?

   Consider contacting the Center for Integrated Professional Development to schedule a consultation with one of our staff at ProDev@IllinoisState.edu.