The CSU is offering a series of webinars on Teaching and Thinking with AI, led by José Antonio Bowen, on selected Tuesdays this fall:
- Introduction to Teaching and Thinking with A.I. — Sept. 24
- A.I. Literacy & Prompt Engineering — Oct. 15
- A.I. Grading, Detection, and Policies — Oct. 22
- A.I. Assignments and Assessments — Nov. 12
Register for the series with a CSU domain. Once registered, you can attend sessions live or view recordings from the Zoom event portal. Recordings will be available in the portal shortly after each session.
The series, which originally ran in June 2024, has been updated and will include practice with the latest tools.
Visit Systemwide Generative AI Resources to learn about other online resources, systemwide activities, and recent publications available across the California State University.
Questions? csuitl@calstate.edu
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Introduction to Teaching and Thinking with A.I.
Sept. 24 – 12 to 1:30 p.m. PST
AI is rapidly changing how humans work, think and communicate: it could improve or destroy human relationships. AI is also changing how we think about average. If AI can produce consistent “C” work, then we need to update our policies and grading. AI is even changing creativity. Courses, learning goals and curriculum will need to change in this new age.
This introduction will preview later topics and also give you a chance to frame how you think about AI.
AI Literacy & Prompt Engineering
Oct. 15 – 12 to 1:30 p.m. PST
Both faculty and students needed a new digital literacy to apply the increased critical thinking needed in the internet age, and AI literacy is a critical new skill every teacher and graduate needs. The two largest complaints about AI responses are that they are either wrong or boring, but both are often the result of poor or bland prompting. AI prompts need to provide more human context and be more literal than the ones we tend to use with a search engine. Since AI uses natural human language, it also needs human-level communication precision.: asking your AI to slow down and think more carefully can greatly improve results! The features of better prompts– task, format, voice and context–are direct extensions of the critical writing and thinking skills we already teach and value. In this interactive workshop, you will learn how to find the right AI tool for your task and get to compare and practice with different AIs.
AI Grading, Detection and Policies
Oct. 22 – 12 to 1:30 p.m. PST
AI is also changing how we think about average. If an AI can produce consistent “C” work, then we need to update our policies around grading: why would an employer hire a “C” student if AI can do that level of work? Together, we will design new rubrics for an AI era that articulate how human ‘quality’ goes beyond AI. We will discuss what policies and practices improve motivation and decrease cheating, and why.
AI Assignments and Assessments
Nov. 12 – 12 to 1:30 p.m. PST
All assignments are now AI Assignments. In the same way that the ease of finding information on the internet forced faculty to rethink what homework students did and how we wanted them to do it, we will all need an AI strategy for assignments and assessment. We will cover both ways to force students to write and alternative creative assignments that incorporate AI. Through a wide diversity of examples, we will also consider how we can reduce cheating and raise standards.
