By J.D. WRIGHT

Generative AI has reshaped how we write, research and problem-solve — and higher education is no exception. Whether we’re ready or not, our students have adopted these tools. The question is no longer whether to use AI, but how. In a concise new resource, Five Key Generative AI Strategies for Better Teaching, the University Center for Teaching and Learning outlines straightforward, practical steps for navigating the opportunities and challenges of this new technology.

1. Focus more on how students use AI and less on how they might misuse it.

Pretending that generative AI isn’t or shouldn’t be part of students’ lives is no longer a realistic option. Instead of framing AI as a threat to academic integrity, we can help students learn to use it effectively and ethically. By modeling thoughtful engagement with AI tools, staging conversations about when AI use is appropriate, and offering opportunities for students to practice evaluating AI-generated material, we’re providing guidance similar to what we customarily present with research skills and citation ethics.

Encouraging ethical use of AI doesn’t require constant monitoring or AI “detectors,” which are prone to error and undermine an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect. Rather, it starts with curiosity, conversation and clear expectations.

2. Develop a clear, fair policy on AI use.

Instructors need to decide how generative AI fits in their courses. Some will allow students to use it freely with attribution; others might restrict its use for specific assignments. Communicating that policy clearly is the key.

Add a short, plain-language statement to your syllabus and Canvas site describing what’s allowed, what isn’t, and why. Revisit the policy in class so students understand your rationale and feel invited to discuss it. Include AI-use policies within individual assignments, with brief, easy-to-read instructions. A transparent and intentional policy can transform AI use into a shared learning goal rather than a rule-enforcement problem.

3. Enlist generative AI to make your work easier.

AI is a powerful productivity tool that can help instructors draft learning objectives, create practice questions, write rubrics, brainstorm case studies, generate discussion prompts and design classroom activities or outside assignments. Generative AI breaks through writer’s block. That blinking cursor doesn’t have to intimidate you again.

Treat AI output as a starting point — something to refine and make your own — so the technology frees time for the parts of teaching that draw on your expertise: modeling how your discipline approaches questions, establishing a productive rapport with your students, and deciding what to prioritize in offering constructive feedback.

4. Rethink assignments for the AI era.

Assignments that worked perfectly well five years ago likely need updates. Instead of treating AI use as illicit, design assignments that give students practice using it responsibly and productively. Students might:

• Practice designing prompts and iterating queries to generate refined outputs.

• Revise and improve an AI-composed first draft or modify it for tone, audience and purpose.

• Create a sequence of revised prompts and analyze how each change affected the output.

• Compare an independently produced artifact to one created with the benefit of AI-based brainstorming or editing

Deterring AI misuse remains a valuable goal, but good assignment design that follows evidence-based best practices can do a lot of that work for you.

• Adopt a range of authentic assessments.

• Explain why you use certain assignments and what students will gain from completing them.

• Enhance your students’ intrinsic motivation by fostering curiosity and enthusiasm.

• Assign more projects with lower stakes to reduce incentives to cheat.

• Add a reflective component to your assignments to encourage metacognition and emphasize process over product.

• Connect assignments to classroom content that AI can’t access.

5. Help students become savvy users of generative AI.

Teaching students how to evaluate sources has long been a goal in university-level teaching. Now students need training in evaluating AI-produced content. By generating material with AI and then evaluating it for accuracy, bias and originality, students learn some of the limits and dangers of the technology.

Rating multiple AI tools on their success at completing a task and then articulating a rationale for choosing one tool over others is a valuable opportunity to practice smart AI use. In a playful approach, students competing for the title of Worst AI Output could engineer a prompt that elicits the least accurate or most biased content possible, recognizing in the process where AI’s greatest vulnerabilities lie. Students who  think critically with AI are better equipped to think critically about it.

Generative AI challenges long-valued practices and norms, but it also opens doors to creativity and deep learning. The best way to prepare students for a world shaped by AI tools isn’t to avoid them; it’s to engage, experiment, and teach with integrity in the midst of change.

For a consultation on generative AI or other teaching concerns, please contact the Teaching Center for help.

J. D. Wright is a teaching consultant with the University Center for Teaching and Learning. He can be reached at jd_wright@pitt.edu.