Topic 4: Design for online and blended learning

In our group, PBL 6, we considered the use of AI in teaching & learning, focusing on different questions such as:

How can we ensure ethical use of AI in an online space / online classroom?

What is the role of AI in the future (in teaching)?

What are the IP implications related AI outputs, especially creative outputs?

What effect does AI have on our critical thinking as humans?

Can it be used to expand knowledge / or as a shortcut?

How to create contextualised / Personalised assignments (Authentic tasks …which may not be able to be answered easily by AI)?

I was mainly interested in the use or prevention of the use of AI in creating assessments. As a French teacher, if I decide to find assessments that AI will not be able to answer, I should:

-require personal reflections or experiences: “it is also an opportunity to help students think more deeply about their learning and make meaningful connections between their classes and their lives”. (Dr Catlin Tucker)

-let them prepare a topic at home with whatever they want to use and then, without computer in groups, in the classroom, ask specific questions about the topic

-have oral examination (including questions that they did not prepare)

-incorporate creative tasks (a teacher asking students to listen to a podcast/watch a video related to a topic they are learning about can encourage students to create a visual representation of what they are learning in the form of a concept map or sketch note, or an artistic timeline on a piece of paper that combines drawings, dates, and key information. I do that in my class about the French Africa, they must draw a diagram representing la Françafrique, France’s sphere of influence over former French and (also French speaking) Belgian colonies in sub-Saharan Africa. I tried myself with different GAI tools without getting anything interesting and complete, which makes this kind of assessment satisfying.

-incorporate Peer Interaction or Collaboration: when students work together, they benefit from their peers’ support and diverse perspectives, reducing their reliance on AI to complete tasks. Collaborative activities—like group discussions, peer feedback sessions, or cooperative learning tasks—result in a learning environment where students share ideas and problem-solve. Example: In a French class, students can work in small groups to watch a video or analyse pieces of artwork from the French culture. Using the reciprocal teaching strategy, each student would take on a role -summarizer, questioner, clarifier or predictor- to guide the group’s discussion of the media in French.

-challenge students to justify their process: asking students to explain and justify their decision-making process encourages deeper reflection and critical thinking, making it much harder for AI to replicate their work. A teacher can challenge students to record a short video explaining how they solved a problem as if teaching it to a younger student. In the video, students would walk through the process step-by-step, using examples and language that are accessible and easy for younger students to understand.

-ask about details or specific examples that I used in my courses

Every teacher should see AI as a useful tool for improving teaching (Bommenel, E., & Forsyth, R. (2023). The potential impact of AI tools on assessment.), learning to master it, or at least understanding how to use it, so that students understand that this tool, which is now here to stay and perhaps to rule, is not necessarily seen by teachers in a negative light, but as complementary learning tool.

A whole new world has opened to me thanks to topic 4, and I fully intend to put into practice what we’ve been talking about. Not only in designing a new kind of assessment, but also by structuring my lessons differently.

(Dr Catlin Tucker, “Elevating Educational design with AI: Making learning accessible, inclusive and equitable” ‎ Impress (December 20, 2024)

https://ju.se/portal/educate/en/guides/artificial-intelligence/preventing-and-detecting-unauthorised-use-of-ai.html

Bommenel, E., & Forsyth, R. (2023). The potential impact of AI tools on assessment.

https://www.education.lu.se/artikel/potential-impact-ai-tools-assessment