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The following are a collection of publicly sourced articles related to the recent rise of artificial intelligence in everyday applications. 
note: following each [hyperlinked] title/subtitle are abstracts generated by ChatGPT after receiving prompts from M. Neal. "Write an abstract for [article link]" is indicated with [URL] abstract. "Write an abstract for [article text]" is indicated with [text] abstract. These very similar prompt-responses are shared consecutively in the hope that reading the abstracts will showcase the variations in ChatGPT output (despite similar input). 
How to Productively Address AI-Generated Text in Your Classroom 
[URL] abstract: The article on "AI Generated Text" from Indiana University's Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning (CITL) discusses the increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology in generating text and its potential impact on academic integrity. It highlights the importance of understanding the limitations and biases present in AI generated text and the responsibility of educators and students to critically evaluate and verify the authenticity of such text. The article provides practical tips and resources for identifying AI generated text and emphasizes the need for maintaining ethical standards in the use of AI in academic settings.
[text] abstract: “text too long”
How to Identify chatGPT stories?
[text] abstract: An editor shares insights on how to detect AI-generated text using GPT and offers alternatives such as observing telltale signs of machine-generated text, reading the story carefully, and comparing it to other sources. The editor notes that detectors are often wrong, and suggests using common sense and considering the value the text provides to the reader. The article concludes that the best way to identify texts produced by GPT is through layout and writing style, but the ultimate goal is to satisfy informational, entertainment, and emotional needs.
[URL] abstract: This article provides tips on how to identify AI-generated text produced by OpenAI's ChatGPT model. The article suggests to look for repetitive phrases, lack of detail, and absence of realistic human emotion as signs of machine-generated text. It also suggests using a plagiarism checker and comparing the story with other sources to check for inconsistencies and factual errors. The author acknowledges that detectors may not be entirely accurate and advises to use common sense and consider the value the text provides to the reader. The article concludes by emphasizing that what matters is how well the text satisfies our informational, entertainment, and emotional needs, rather than who or what wrote the text.Additional Resources for Identifying AIThe CheckGPT tool developed by Packback appears to be useful in guiding instructors on their responses to potential usage of AI-generated materials. More information about the tool can be found at https://labs.packback.co/originality.last updated on 03/02/2023

Introducing "Educators of Impact," a profile series that celebrates the remarkable faculty and staff at the Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation at Michigan State University. This series will highlight the achievements and contributions of our dedicated team members who are passionate about the advancement of education. Through their stories, you'll gain insight into the innovative projects and teaching practices shaping the future of learning at MSU. Each profile will showcase their unique contributions, highlighting the passion and expertise that make our center a beacon of excellence and collaboration. Join us in recognizing and celebrating their impactful work.------------In the tapestry of educational excellence at Michigan State University, Dr. Bethany Meadows (she/they) stands out as a vibrant thread, weaving together the principles of inclusivity and accessibility in education. As the Inclusive Pedagogy Specialist at the Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation [CTLI], Bethany brings a unique perspective shaped by a diverse academic background and a passionate commitment to creating equitable learning environments.
Bethany’s educational journey is as multifaceted as her current role. Beginning at Ashland University, she earned dual degrees: a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Bachelor of Science in Education in Integrated Language Arts Education. This interdisciplinary foundation laid the groundwork for her burgeoning interest in inclusive pedagogy. Seeking to deepen their understanding of language and communication in educational settings, Bethany pursued a Master of Arts in Rhetoric and Composition from Ball State University. This program equipped her with both theoretical knowledge and practical tools, enhancing her ability to engage with the complexities of language in an educational setting. 
The culmination of Bethany’s formal education came with their doctorate in Writing and Rhetoric from Michigan State University, complemented by a graduate specialization in Women’s and Gender Studies. This combination of disciplines reflects Bethany’s approach to education, recognizing the intersectionality of identity, language, and learning. Their doctoral work not only honed their research skills but also deepened their understanding of how gender and other aspects of identity influence educational experiences and outcomes.
Bethany’s undergraduate academic journey, which spanned five majors, is a testament to their intellectual curiosity and interdisciplinary mindset. This diverse academic background has proved invaluable in their current role, allowing them to approach inclusive pedagogy from multiple angles and connect with educators and students across various disciplines.
Transitioning from the intimate setting of a small liberal arts college to the vast expanse of a Big Ten land-grant university such as MSU, Bethany gained invaluable insights into the nuances of educational environments. Particularly in terms of funding, resources, and the unique challenges that each presents. This experience has undoubtedly enriched their understanding of the complexities inherent in fostering an inclusive learning experience, allowing them to navigate these landscapes with a well-rounded perspective. 
One of the key observations Bethany made during this transition was the tendency for large universities like MSU to inadvertently silo people into different fields due to their size, potentially hindering interdisciplinary collaboration. Recognizing this challenge, Bethany has made it a central part of their mission at CTLI to bridge these divides, fostering cross-disciplinary dialogue and collaboration in pursuit of more inclusive and accessible education.
In her current role at CTLI, Bethany’s commitment to inclusivity is evident in every aspect of her work. She collaborates closely with various campus partners to ensure compliance with the Department of Justice’s accessibility guidelines, but her vision extends far beyond more compliance. Bethany sees accessibility as a cornerstone of effective education, working diligently to embed these principles into the fabric of MSU’s teaching and learning practices. They not only implement best practices in inclusive pedagogy but also challenge others to rethink their approaches to teaching and learning.
What truly sets Bethany apart is their unwavering passion for their work and their ability to articulate complex ideas with clarity and conviction. Whether leading a workshop on inclusive teaching practices, consulting with faculty on curriculum design, or advocating for policy changes to support diverse learners, Bethany brings energy and empathy to every interaction. Her driven nature and visible commitment to inclusivity make her a valuable addition to the CTLI team and broader MSU community.

Designing Your Course
 
The semester will begin soon, and we’re sure you’re busy prepping your course. This design work before the beginning of the semester is an essential part of overall student learning and provides a framework you can respond to as you gather assessment evidence across the semester. As you are designing this week, we want to provide some guidance by sharing “backward design” principles from our Preparing Future Faculty for the Assessment of Student Learning (PFF-ASL) Institute. We’ve found these principles extremely helpful for making sure student learning is always in focus and all elements of our courses are aligned toward our learning outcomes.
 
Designing Your Course “Backward”
 
Initially introduced by Wiggins and McTighe (1998), “backward design” for curriculum involves building your course from end-of-course learning outcomes, through evidence you’ll gather out of assessments, and finally to the instructional activities students will engage in to help them learn towards readiness for assessments and meeting learning outcomes. In this video, Dr. Cori Fata-Hartley further outlines essential steps of backward design: 
 

 
Using Dr. Fata-Hartley’s outlining of backward design principles as our guide, here are four questions to help you this week as you’re designing your course:
 
1) What Do You Hope Students Know and Are Able to Do?: This question can help anchor your creation of learning outcomes. We’ve found “Students Will Be Able To” (SWBAT) as a helpful lead-in statement to direct the writing of our learning outcomes. And remember, your learning outcomes should be observable (and thus assessable), which leads to question # two.
 
2) What Assessment Evidence Will You Gather?: Answering this question allows you to think about how you’ll know if students have met course learning outcomes. Assessments provide the necessary evidence of learning out of which you can make decisions about where you and students are along the way to meeting learning outcomes. 
3) What Learning Experiences Will You Provide for Students?: The learning experiences you plan across your course builds towards the assessments students will do towards learning outcomes. What will students and you engage in at each step along the way? How do these steps lead towards assessments and learning outcomes?
 
4) Is Your Course Design Aligned?: Tracing across your answers to the previous three questions, you can begin to see whether your course design is aligned. This can allow you to make the necessary revisions towards best alignment and student learning, and keep elements that are already working. This alignment work is a constant process across–and even after–your course as students respond to your design.
 
Resources
Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. (1998). Understanding by Design. Alexandria, Va: Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development.
 

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY
In How to Build an Online Learning Community (In 2020)
https://www.learnworlds.com/build-online-learning-community/ via @learnworlds
"Asynchronous discussion allows time for reflection and encourages more careful consideration of the answers given.
Learners can reflect and think about their responses rather than having to respond immediately.
The shaping of discussions takes some proper forethought.
A discussion based on specific readings in the textbook, coupled with your guideline questions, will likely be more productive.
One way of promoting meaningful dialogue and questioning is to provide a set of rubrics of the kinds of questions students may want to ask each other:

Your point about…is not clear to me. Can you state it another way, or provide an example?


Do you have any additional evidence to support your thinking about…?


You describe how your thinking has changed. What influenced that change?


What assumptions are you making about…? How would your statements change with different assumptions?


What are the implications of your statement?


What evidence is there to support your point of view? Does anyone want to dispute or verify that?

 
Tips for great asynchronous conversation:

Start the significant topic threads yourself. It’s a good idea for the instructor to start all considerable topic threads unless you have designated a forum for learner presentation.
Address learners by name and encourage them to signal topics and clarify responses.
Mention the learner’s name in response to their message.
Clarify the portion of the message to which you are responding through the copying of the statement.
Engage yourself actively. When they see that an instructor rarely participates, learners are discouraged from posing questions and comments and may even not buy another course from you.
Contribute comments which summarize what learners have posted, as well as follow-up questions that stimulate further discussions. In some cases, it might be appropriate to invite learner’s responses to their classmates’ ideas:


Anyone else want to comment on Jill’s observation?


Did anyone reach a different conclusion about this issue?


Provide follow- up responses that ask for more information or more in-depth consideration.
Prepare a strategy for potentially controversial discussions. Especially in asynchronous discussions, it is more likely to see a broader range of learners posting."

Putting it into Practice

Microsoft Teams is a great tool for Asynchronous conversation because it's easy to access without accessing the D2L. The tool also allows for synchronous live meetings, links, and files that were shared are retained in the chat threads.

How to use Microsoft Teams for Remote and Online Learning
D2L to Microsoft Teams Integration


D2L Discussion Forums:

Navigate Brightspace Learning Environment - Engage in Discussions - Learner
Discussions - Create a Forum - Instructor
Discussions - Create a Discussion Topic - Instructor
Discussions - Discussion Statistics - Instructor


Piazza is a free platform for faculty to efficiently manage class Q&A.

Integrating Piazza into D2L

Photo by Nick Morrison on Unsplash
 
When Teaching “Fails”
We all experience failure in our lives, including in our roles as instructors in postsecondary classrooms. Lessons and assessments don’t always render the results we hope for, but they can serve as essential “teachable moments” as we strive to become stronger teachers. In this post, we explore our approaches to responding to  “teaching failures” –  to both understand why they happened and explore some strategies for both processing these failures and responding to them.
 
Seeing Failures as Opportunities
We often see our favorite teachers as “perfect.” Little do we know that the effective teaching we experience has actually emerged from teaching failures. When we make mistakes in any aspect of life, we can take two paths – ignore the mistake or learn from it. We may choose to ignore the failures because examining them feels painful, we lack motivation, or we blame others or the circumstances associated with the event. However, when avoiding these moments, we lose an opportunity to improve our teaching. The first step to learn from our failures is to recognize we’ve made them and then see them as opportunities for our own growth. Dr. Carol Dweck, a psychology professor at Stanford University, demonstrates the power of believing you can improve after failure with her renowned research. This begins a process of  four steps that have been helpful for us in learning from our teaching failures.
 
Four Steps Toward Learning From Teaching Failures Recognize Failures: 
 
1) Pay specific attention to noticing what isn’t working in your teaching. Strategies to notice failures include collecting regular feedback from students, observing circumstances you see as ‘unusual’ happening repeatedly, and carefully analyzing assessments for what they may say in relation to your learning outcomes. As teachers, we will make many kinds of failures. Though some may be less significant than others, each can be a learning opportunity.
 
2) Invest Time in Reflection: 
After recognizing your failures, intentionally think about what made you consider it a failure. Why did it happen? What was the primary cause? What were the contributing factors? What about what happened was (or seemed) wrong? We find doing some writing in response to the above questions as a helpful tool for our reflection. Then, begin to think about a course of action.
 
3) Respond with Action: 
Now, apply what you’ve learned to become a stronger teacher. Respond by thinking about your failure example. What practical steps could you take and how you will decide if your decisions result in a better experience? Research to see how others have approached similar situations. Talk with other teachers about your challenges. Make a plan and follow through with your class. Then assess how that went and repeat. Here, we’d suggest returning to your learning outcomes as guides throughout your action process.
 
4) Overall, Take Care of Yourself: 
Monitor your responses. Like teaching, this process can require self-confidence and courage. Perhaps this is most challenging and may make you feel inadequate, hopeless, guilty or embarrassed. Be honest with yourself and do your best to see this process as valuable for your growth. Meanwhile, keep a balanced perspective, think about the ‘big picture’ and consider your spheres of control. We’ve found it helpful to ask the following questions: when you decided or determined you had made a mistake, how did it make you feel about yourself as a teacher? Do you find failure more onerous in teaching than in other aspects, i.e. your research or academic work? Think about why or why not. You might find this process helps to reframe how you respond to mistakes across different aspects of your life.

The following is a list of the educators receiving the #iteachmsu Educator Award from the College of Natural Science. For more information on these awards, check out the article entitled "#iteachmsu Educator Awards".
Qianjie Wang: As the coordinator of the International teaching Assistant (ITA) Program and instructor of some of the the ITA support courses offered, I had the wonderful opportunity to work with Ms. Qianjie Wang from the Chemistry Department last spring. Qianjie chose to take AAE 453, Support for In-Service ITA teaching, an optional course designed to support international students in their first few semesters of teaching at MSU. The course is a seminar style course where international teaching assistants can discuss and reflect on the issues that come up in the courses they are teaching and share their experiences and learn from other students. I was always so impressed with Qianjie’s genuine interest in understanding the backgrounds and challenges of the undergraduate students she taught, and her commitment to becoming the best teaching assistant possible. It wasn’t until I had the opportunity to observe her teaching, however, that I fully appreciated what an asset she is to her department. teaching a lab section in the Chemistry Department presents some unique challenges as there are several sections taking place at one time in the same general space, each with a different teaching assistant and different group of students. teaching assistants need to be able to give clear instructions, encourage and guide students as they conduct their experiments, answer questions and lead students to discover answers for themselves, all while ensuring basic student safety. Qianjie excelled at all of this. Her rapport with her students was clear, as was her sincere interest in helping them to learn. Moreover, her own interest in learning and growing as a teacher was evident in the way that she implemented feedback and suggestions from AAE 453 discussions into her teaching. It was truly an honor to work with such a motivated and committed teaching assistant. Thank you, Qianjie!
 
Aaron Wasserman: Movement of a large lecture format course (200+ students) to a on-line format is not easy. Aaron made that transition so much smoother by being willing to take on extra work. Aaron took on the tasks of learning all the ins and outs of D2L so that we could switch from in-class clicker questions to D2L quizzes (all properly formatted!). In addition our first D2L exam went smoothly mostly due to his efforts. He gives weekly virtual review sessions to the students and is incredibly responsive to their questions and needs. He deserves a big shout out for his efforts!
 
Stephen Thomas: For his incredible work over the last few weeks as we have transitioned to remote learning. Stephen is a perfect person for this time in our history at MSU. 
 
Teena Gerhardt: Shows how much she would like to see her students thrive; always available for help (even if she is out of state); very good at lecturing.
 
John Keven: When classes went online John was filling in for me while I was traveling. He stepped up and managed the MANY student emails of concern with grace and compassion. He continues to be a vital component of communications with the students. He is doing all this while trying to get his dissertation wrapped up and working from home with a family. Thank so much, John!
 
Brean Prefontaine: Brean Prefontaine is an outreach coordinator for the Women and Minorities in the Physical Sciences (WaMPS) graduate student group, and she has gone above and beyond with public science outreach. Brean took the initiative to greatly expand WaMPS's outreach program from participating in 2-3 outreach events per semester to now more than a dozen outreach events each semester. These new events include MSU Science Fest, after-school programs at libraries, and classroom visits. She also volunteered as SL@MS co-chair last summer, organizing and running the WaMPS summer camp for middle school students. She spent a lot of time developing new fun and educational activities for all these new outreach events, with modifications for many age groups that range all the way from preschool to high school, and she acquired all of the supplies and materials that are needed for them. This is an incredible amount of work for a single person to tackle! Because of Brean, a lot more graduate students have been able to get involved in outreach, and she is very patient with teaching them how to engage the kids. Thanks to Brean, WaMPS's outreach program has been a huge success and has grown immensely over the past 2 years! She definitely deserves to be thanked and the WaMPS Board wants to recognize for her amazing outreach work in the physics department!
Anyone can recognize a fellow Spartan for their contributions to MSU's teaching and learning mission or for how they made a lasting impression on your experience. All you have to do is click "Thank an Educator" in the left panel of iteach.msu.edu. From there you'll be directed to a form where you can enter the name, netID, and a short story of the educator you'd like to recognize.

If you read the article on backward design, you might already have a list of inspiration to develop your learning outcomes for your course. To help you draft refined outcomes for your learners, let's dive into student learning outcomes! 
Learning Outcomes
Learning outcomes help students (and us!) to know what students will be able to demonstrate in knowledge, skills, and values upon completing a module or course. Clear outcomes provide the foundation for evaluating the effectiveness of teaching and learning. 
There are three essential components of a measurable learning outcome:

Student learning behaviors
Assessment methods
Student performance criteria

Student Learning Behaviors
Focus on student behavior by using specific action verbs that are observable. This should focus on what the student will be able to demonstrate. This is the student-facing side of the objectives so that students know what their goals are for the module or course to self-reflect and track their own progress towards goals. Examples include:

Students will be able to identify and apply Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Guidelines to their current teaching context.
Students will be able to evaluate and create accessible content.
Students will be able to organize a course's structure using backward design.

To help you identify measurable verbs, you can reference this Bloom's Taxonomy Action Verbs resource.
Assessment Methods
Select appropriate assessment methods. You will likely consider multiple assessment methods. You should select the method that allows you to best determine the extent to which the stated learning outcome is achieved. We recommend employing a variety of qualitative and quantitative methods. 
Example assessment methods:

Exit slips
Multimedia projects
Quizzes
Lab reports
Presentations
Essay
Tests
Practicum/internship feedback from field instructor or employer
Discussions
Student-produced videos
State, national, and international standardized assessments for licensing, etc.

You will learn more about assessment opportunities and practices on Day 3. For now, you might consider browsing this list from Iowa State University.
Student Performance Criteria
Select and clearly communicate the criteria that students will be evaluated with. Performance criteria express specific and measurable terms that are acceptable in your course. Here are a few examples of criteria for success based on a few standard assessment methods:

Scoring rubric: All students will score an average of 8.5/10. None will score less than 7.0. 
Survey: 85% of students surveyed will demonstrate an increase in their understanding of UDL. 
Test:75% of all students will score at or above the average across sections of the course. No more than 25% will score lower than one standard deviation from the section average.

Putting it all Together
Once we've identified the three essential components for the learning outcome, we can piece it together for our records and to guide our assessment of teaching and learning taking place in our course. Here is one example of how this might look:

Module objective (what the student sees): Students will be able to organize a course's structure using backward design.
Add in the assessment method: By the end of the SOIREE program, students will produce an organized course map for at least one unit using backward design. 
Add in the performance criteria: By the end of the SOIREE program, students will produce an organized course map for at least one unit using backward design and 100% of students will complete all categories for that unit in the template provided.

If you're writing measurable learning outcomes for the first time, it can be tricky to get into the swing of things. Arizona State University has developed an Objectives Builder Tool that can assist you in developing your skills.
 
SOIREE Team:
Design Lead: Sarah Wellman
Content Leads: Kate Sonka, Stephen Thomas, and Jeremy Van Hof
Content Authors: Jason Archer, Kevin Henley, David Howe, Summer Issawi, Leslie Johnson, Rashad Muhammad, Nick Noel, Candace Robertson, Scott Schopieray, Jessica Sender, Daniel Trego, Valeta Wensloff, and Sue Halick

Robots Talking to Robots
5 ways to fix online discussions
We have long touted the discussion board as a way to build community in virtual classrooms: Pose a question in a thread. Two points for a post, one point for a response. These perfunctory interactions are at most an assessment of knowledge, but hardly ever the critical analysis that leads to productive conversation.
And now, with a quick copy and paste to an LLM, students can post and respond with even less effort.

In this post, I’ll give you five ways to implement human authentication to mitigate discussion posts becoming conversations between AI. Then, I'll address some general pedagogical considerations for online discussions.
Only Replies
The instructor initiates the discussion with an opening post. Students can only reply to the previous response, simulating a natural conversation. Each reply should conclude with a question or statement that encourages further dialogue.
Optional: Award points based on the engagement generated by each student's post.
Human Aspect: This approach makes it challenging to simply copy and paste responses. Students must carefully consider how their replies will stimulate ongoing discussion.
In our recent lecture on social stratification, we discussed the concept of social mobility. Consider the factors that influence upward social mobility in contemporary society. What role does higher education play in this process? You may only reply to subsequent replies. Try to end each reply with a question or a statement that others can respond to.
Source Search
The instructor provides a specific topic from class, and students must find a relevant source that meets given criteria.
Optional: Students can include a quote from their source and explain its connection to the topic.
Human Aspect: While AI tools can find sources, they often struggle with relevancy, accurate quotations, and may even hallucinate information.
Find a peer-reviewed article published in the last two years that discusses the impact of climate change on Michigan's freshwater ecosystems. Your post should include the article's title, authors, publication, and a brief summary of the findings. How do these findings relate to our recent field trip to the Red Cedar River?
Multimedia
Students post video or audio files in discussion threads instead of written responses.
Optional: Have students experiment with MSU supported tools like Flip, Mediaspace, or Camtasia.
Human Aspect: This format allows students to present their natural selves, showcasing personality and communication skills that are difficult for AI to replicate.
Create a one minute video response to today’s lecture, or post an audio response to another student’s video.
Learning Reflections
Students reflect on their progression through a concept or discuss aspects of the course they find challenging.
Human Aspect: These personal reflections on the learning process are unique to each student's experience and difficult for AI to authentically generate.
As we conclude our unit on stereochemistry, reflect on your learning journey. Discuss concepts you initially struggled with, moments of clarity, and areas where you still have questions. How has your understanding of molecular structure and its importance in organic reactions evolved?
AI Critique
The instructor posts an example provided by an LLM and asks students to critique the information.
Optional: Students use AI to critique AI-generated content, and then reflect on the patterns they observe.
Human Aspect: This exercise encourages students to analyze how generated text compares to their own work or the course material in general, fostering conversation about AI's capabilities and limitations.

“All news outlets should transition to fully AI-generated content. AI can produce articles faster and more efficiently than human journalists, covering a wider range of events without bias. This change would allow for 24/7 news coverage while significantly reducing operational costs.”
Analyze the above AI-generated statement about AI in journalism. Identify any biases, oversimplifications, or logical flaws. Then, use an AI tool of your choice to generate a critique of this statement. Compare your analysis with the AI-generated critique. What patterns or differences do you notice?

Why are We Using Discussion Posts Anyway?
At MSU, discussion forums on D2L Brightspace allow students to post and reply. This is an asynchronous discussion; an online bulletin board that simulates the same level of conversation as a Reddit post. But without a clear objective to link the activity, discussion posts just end up being public knowledge checks. Which begs the question, why not just have students submit an assignment?
It is an intimate thing to share our work, and students are more likely to turn to AI if their work is reviewed publicly. Consider then, that discussion posts do not build community, but a classroom community can use discussions to achieve collaboration-based objectives. Some examples of collaboration objectives include:

Practice giving and receiving constructive feedback.
Engage in peer-to-peer learning by responding to classmates' ideas.
Develop interpersonal communication skills through discussions.

Don’t ditch the discussion posts, just align them with a goal that will help students develop skills to engage with others. How do you run discussions in your class? Comment below or drop me a line at freyesar@msu.edu.Freyesaur out.