The Research
King, N., & Yan, J. (2025). Designing for AI literacy: A modular, GenAI-integrated course for interdisciplinary graduate students in education. International Journal of Designs for Learning, 16(2), 289-305.
Abstract
In recent years, the rapid emergence of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools has prompted pressing inquiries regarding authorship, ethics, and pedagogy within higher education (cf. Eaton, 2023). To address these challenges, we developed a graduate seminar titled “Generative AI—Emerging Implications for Teaching, Learning, Language, and Research: ChatGPT,” which was offered in Spring 2024 at the University of Rochester. The course aimed to immerse students in GenAI environments and provide them with opportunities to investigate the nuances of generative AI, including tools like ChatGPT, and their consequences for teaching, learning, language, and research in both K–12 and higher education settings. Following extensive consultations with department leaders, faculty, and prospective graduate students, we crafted this course between February 2023 and January 2024, successfully implementing it during the Spring 2024 semester.
Application in Process
Findings from this design-based approach can be utilized by course designers, educators, teacher educators, and education policymakers to integrate generative AI into their curricula and strategies. This perspective highlights generative AI as a potent tool for teaching, learning, and research, as well as a subject for ethical and critical examination before and during its application. As the landscape of generative AI continues to evolve at a rapid pace, it is vital for course and curriculum designers to prioritize factors such as purpose, context, and audience when selecting AI tools and crafting prompts for their use.
This design-based approach to a generative AI course development and reflection centers students, their contributions – linguistically, culturally, and personally – to the course, and the teaching philosophy of pedagogical humility and our role as continual co-learners. Our work on this course reaffirmed the importance of collaboration, reflexivity, and ethical intentionality in navigating the intersections of pedagogy, technology, and justice.
Nicole King
In conclusion, as generative AI becomes an integral part of educational practices, fostering an understanding of its implications for teaching and learning is essential. By prioritizing ethical considerations and collaborative efforts, educators can create impactful learning experiences that harness the potential of these transformative technologies.
