AI: The Future Favours the Prepared Instructor

Welcome to U of A CTL’s dedicated section on the use of AI tools and applications in teaching and learning! CTL collaborates with U of A instructors in responding to and leveraging the potential of Generative AI use to enhance teaching practices and improve students’ active learning experiences at the U of A.

As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to evolve, corresponding concerns, dilemmas and opportunities increase with respect to its implications for teaching and learning in higher education. Generative AI is already disrupting traditional learning and teaching models and prompting instructors to reimagine the relationship between technology and pedagogy.

Generative AI has the potential to enhance critical and creative thinking in learning and teaching contexts. However, these AI tools also require vigilance and due diligence to determine the relevance, reliability, and validity of AI-generated output (content) for university settings. That said, by utilizing AI tools, instructors can not only foster essential critical thinking and information literacy skills but also create quality student-centered learning that serves diverse student needs while achieving targeted course outcomes.

This section of the website aims to describe the current landscape of AI important to instructors’ conceptual framing of AI as well as the first impacts of teaching and learning in higher education. Instructors are encouraged to invest the time in learning about AI before exploring the teaching strategies and activities.