Over the past few weeks, I’ve been corresponding with a few of my academic colleagues about the ways that Chat GPT and AI search might be used for teaching and learning. This post aims to share some of the reading I have done about the using AI in the classroom. I hope that other humanities teachers, researchers, and librarians will find the following recommendations helpful as we work together to understand how to use this new technology ethically, effectively, and responsibly.
General Bibliography
Ian Snowley, our university librarian, recommended exploring the work JISC has been doing on AI and higher education, which leads me to encourage colleagues to explore the work of the National centre for AI in tertiary education. Their 2022 Report on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Tertiary Education seems like a good source of information about what these tools do and how to use them ethically and responsibly, although I have not read it in full yet. I’ll likely be using this space to think through it when I do!
For anyone who is looking for a wider bibliography of the major think-pieces and articles about Chat GPT, Plymouth State University’s CoLAB has created a Zotero list of articles, opinion pieces and blog posts, part of their larger reading list on people and technology, which I’m looking forward to digging into further in the coming weeks. Martha, a member of PSU’s Open Learning and Teaching Collaborative, has also posted a clear and accessible introductory Q&A about what the tool is and what it does, The Intersection of AI and Pedagogy, which is particularly focused on good teaching practice, and well worth reading.
For specific suggestions of how one might use Chat GPT in assignments and classroom activities, and how to address its use in module handbooks or syllabi, I recommend Ryan Watkin’s piece Update Your Course Syllabus for ChatGPT. The suggestions are food for thought, though readers should be aware that they are very much geared towards academics in the USA, where it is often easier to modify course materials and assessments mid-semester than it is in the UK.
Lastly, the University of Lincoln’s own Digital Education team has written some guidelines on the use of Chat GPT in assessment, which focus on promoting principles of academic integrity.
Learning About AI And Ethical Pedagogy
Some of the most valuable reading I have done has been about the ethics of AI search and Chat GPT. This is a field entirely new to me, so I’m sure there is a depth and breadth to the conversation not captured in what follows. But here are several readings I have found thought-provoking and helpful.
In a recent post Kate Bowes discusses the ethical issues surrounding the preparation of AI training data. I highly, highly recommend Bowes’ post–not only is a thoughtful and beautiful piece of writing, but the links for further reading are very valuable. One of these further links is Lawrie Phipps and Donna Lanclos’ An Offering, which draws on reporting done by Time magazine regarding the pay and working conditions of the Kenyan workers who prepared data for OpenAI, the company behind Chat GPT. They suggest that users of Chat GPT add a preface any content generated using the tool acknowledging its ethical issues. This post is a particularly important read for colleagues interested in decoloniality and ethical pedagogy.
My final recommendation is to explore the work of learning technologist Autumn Caines, especially Prior to (or instead of) using ChatGPT with your students . Her post provides a clear and structured way for teachers to think through issues of how OpenAI is capturing student data. I love Caines’ suggestion that one way to develop a deeper understanding of Chat GPT and its implications would be to use a social annotation tool to reflect together on what OpenAI’s privacy and service terms actually mean for users. At Lincoln, where the social annotation tool Talis Elevate is widely used in humanities teaching, I can see this being a valuable way to engage with readings or videos about AI search, as well as a means to analyse or discuss content generated by AI.
What should I read Next?
As someone who doesn’t use social media, I’m tremendously grateful that so many people are using blogs as a space to discuss and share what they have learned. I’m sure there is much more out there about AI search and best practice in teaching than listed here, but I hope these reading recommendations have provided a helpful place to start. I would welcome further recommendations–especially for writing which addresses the addresses the use of AI in the humanities (specifically medieval studies) research or in libraries, and the ethical implications of these tools.