Robot-Proof Your Writing Assignments
It’s difficult to estimate the exact number of students who are using AI to help with their homework. However, with the increasing popularity and accessibility of AI technology, it’s likely that a growing number of students are using AI-powered tools and applications to assist with their studies, as well as cheat on their assignments. However, AI use is not all bad. For example, some students may use AI-powered learning platforms or tutoring systems to help with specific subjects. We use one for our students in our English composition courses to help students with grammar and punctuation. Others may use AI to generate reports or summaries of academic articles. Additionally, AI-powered writing and grammar-checking tools like Grammarly are also becoming more common for students to use when working on essays or other written assignments. But not every student is looking to AI for support. Some are looking for an easy way to get their assignments completed without much effort on their part. But there is something we can do about AI. We can either embrace AI and create assignments that utilize these powerful tools to help students learn, or we start robot-proofing our assignments so it’s not so easy for AI to do it for them.
Making assignments that are “AI proof” can be challenging, as artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly sophisticated and can potentially be used to complete assignments on behalf of students. However, there are some strategies that instructors can use to create assignments that are more difficult for AI to complete. Here are some tips:
- Use personalized or creative prompts: Assignments that require students to draw on their own experiences or creativity can be more difficult for AI to complete. For example, instead of asking a question with a clear answer that could be found through a search engine, ask students to write a personal essay or create a piece of art that demonstrates their understanding of a concept.
- Randomize questions and answers: Rather than using the same set of questions and answers for each student, consider randomizing them. This can make it more difficult for AI to predict the questions and prepare answers in advance.
- Use short answer questions: Questions that require a short answer or explanation can be more difficult for AI to generate. In addition, you can change the questions from year to year to make it more difficult for AI to find pre-existing answers.
- Use open-ended questions: Open-ended questions require students to think critically and engage with the material, which can be more difficult for AI to complete. This could be questions that require students to analyze a case study or explain a concept in their own words.
- Use plagiarism detection software: Plagiarism detection software can help to identify assignments that have been completed by AI or copied from other sources. This can serve as a deterrent and help to ensure that students are completing assignments on their own.
Overall, making assignments that are completely “AI proof” may be difficult, but by using a combination of these strategies, instructors can create assignments that are more challenging for AI to complete and promote student learning.
Here are some examples of how students might be using AI to help with their homework but don’t have to be considered cheating:
- AI-powered tutoring systems: Some students are using AI-powered tutoring systems to receive personalized feedback and guidance on specific subjects. These systems can help students understand challenging concepts and improve their problem-solving skills.
- AI-powered writing and grammar-checking tools: Students often use AI-powered writing and grammar-checking tools to improve the quality of their written work. These tools can catch spelling and grammar errors, suggest word choices, and provide feedback on writing style and tone.
- AI-powered study aids: Students may use AI-powered study aids, such as flashcard apps or educational games, to reinforce their understanding of specific subjects. These aids can provide customized learning experiences based on the student’s progress and performance.
- AI-powered research tools: Students can use AI-powered research tools to quickly summarize academic articles or search for relevant information on a particular topic. These tools can save students time and help them focus on the most important information.
- AI-powered language translation tools: For students studying foreign languages, AI-powered language translation tools can help them understand and translate written material and other sources of information.
These are just a few examples of how AI is being used to help students with their homework. The use of AI in education is still in its early stages, and new applications are being developed all the time.
Reading:
Here’s an article with some more strategies to prevent students from using AI tools. https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2023/01/19/ways-prevent-students-using-ai-tools-their-classes-opinion
Direction Instruction Examples in an Online Course
So last week I posted about direct instruction in online teaching and learning. You can read that post here: Do You Have Direct Instruction in Your Online Class?
In this post let’s explore what the list of examples of direct instruction looks like in a real online course. I’ll go through the list, posted below, in order, and show you options for how this might look in a course. Keep in mind there are “many different ways to skin a cat.” That is such a weird saying. Time out: Okay, I admit to wasting at least 15 minutes researching where that phrase originated. You too can waste some time if you like. Okay, time in.
The following video shows the example and provides some suggested tools and implementation practices you can use if you want to try the strategy yourself. These are all pretty basic, so I’ll try to spice it up a bit for you, so you can maybe try something new. If you see anything you want to try, send me a message or contact the CTLE.
The following is a list of examples of “direct instruction” in online teaching and learning
- Pre-recorded video lectures: The instructor records a lecture on a specific topic and posts it for students to watch at their own pace.
- Slide presentations: The instructor creates a slide presentation with information and explanations on a specific topic and posts it for students to view.
- Written resources: The instructor provides written resources, such as a reading assignment or a textbook, for students to read and study.
- Online quizzes and assessments: The instructor creates online quizzes and assessments to check for understanding and provide feedback to students.
- Online discussions: The instructor provides a forum for students to discuss the material and ask questions.
- Interactive activities: The instructor creates interactive activities, such as simulations or games, to help students better understand the material.
- Self-reflection opportunities: The instructor provides opportunities for students to reflect on what they have learned and how they can apply it.
- Live online lectures: The instructor conducts live online lectures, providing explanations and answering questions in real-time.
- Office hour: The instructor holds office hour sessions where students can ask questions and receive feedback.
- Feedback on assignments: The instructor provides feedback on assignments to guide students’ understanding and progress.
Do You Have Direct Instruction in Your Online Class?
Direct instruction is a teaching method that emphasizes the delivery of clear and explicit information, instructions, and explanations by the instructor. This method has been widely used in traditional classroom settings and has been adapted for use in online learning environments. This post will explore the research on direct instruction in online teaching and learning, including its advantages and limitations.
One of the main advantages of direct instruction is that it provides a consistent and structured approach to teaching. This can be especially beneficial for students who may struggle with self-directed learning. Research has shown that students who receive direct instruction perform better on assessments of content knowledge compared to students who receive less direct instruction (Rosenshine, 2012). Additionally, direct instruction can provide clear explanations of complex concepts, which can be especially helpful for students who are struggling to understand the material.
Another advantage of direct instruction is that it can be easily adapted for use in online learning environments. For example, pre-recorded video lectures, slide presentations, or written resources can be provided by the instructor for students to watch or read at their own pace. This allows for flexibility and convenience for students who may have busy schedules or live in different time zones. Additionally, assessments or quizzes can be used to check for understanding and provide feedback to students.
However, direct instruction also has some limitations. One limitation is that it can lead to a lack of student engagement. When the instructor is the primary source of information and students are expected to listen and follow along, there may be less opportunity for students to actively participate in the learning process. Additionally, direct instruction can limit opportunities for students to apply what they have learned. Research has shown that students who have opportunities to apply their knowledge perform better on assessments of content knowledge compared to students who do not have those opportunities (Bransford, et al., 2000).
To overcome these limitations, online teachers should consider using various methods in addition to direct instruction. For example, problem-based learning, discussions, interactive activities, and self-reflection opportunities can be incorporated to promote student engagement and application of knowledge. Additionally, online teachers should provide opportunities for students to interact with their peers and instructors, as research has shown that social interactions can lead to improved learning outcomes (Garrison & Cleveland-Innes, 2005).
In conclusion, direct instruction is a teaching method that has been widely used in traditional classroom settings and has been adapted for use in online learning environments. While it has some advantages, such as providing a consistent and structured approach to teaching and being easily adapted for use in online learning environments, it also has some limitations, such as a lack of student engagement and limited opportunities for application of knowledge. To overcome these limitations, online teachers should consider using various methods in addition to direct instruction and provide opportunities for social interactions.
The following is a list of examples of “direct instruction” in online teaching and learning
- Pre-recorded video lectures: The instructor records a lecture on a specific topic and posts it for students to watch at their own pace.
- Slide presentations: The instructor creates a slide presentation with information and explanations on a specific topic and posts it for students to view.
- Written resources: The instructor provides written resources, such as a reading assignment or a textbook, for students to read and study.
- Online quizzes and assessments: The instructor creates online quizzes and assessments to check for understanding and provide feedback to students.
- Online discussions: The instructor provides a forum for students to discuss the material and ask questions.
- Interactive activities: The instructor creates interactive activities, such as simulations or games, to help students better understand the material.
- Self-reflection opportunities: The instructor provides opportunities for students to reflect on what they have learned and how they can apply it.
- Live online lectures: The instructor conducts live online lectures, providing explanations and answering questions in real time.
- Office hour: The instructor hold office hour sessions where students can ask questions and receive feedback.
- Feedback on assignments: The instructor provides feedback on assignments to guide students’ understanding and progress.
These examples illustrate how direct instruction can be adapted to an online teaching setting, but it’s important to remember that direct instruction methods should be used in conjunction with other methods to enhance students’ engagement and apply the knowledge acquired.
References
Bransford, J. D., Brown, A. L., & Cocking, R. R. (2000). How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School. Washington DC: National Academy Press.
Garrison, D. R., & Cleveland-Innes, M. (2005). Facilitating cognitive presence in online learning: Interaction is not enough. American Journal of Distance Education, 19, 133-148.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/s15389286ajde1903_2
Rosenshine. (2012, Spring). Principles of Instruction: Research-Based Strategies That All Teachers Should Know. American Educator, 12–39.
DoE Requires Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI) in Online Courses. What is it?
Online courses have become increasingly popular in recent years, as they offer a convenient and flexible way for students to continue their education. However, one of the biggest challenges in online education is maintaining regular and substantive interaction between students and instructors. New federal US Department of Education (DoE) regulatory definitions of distance education require that institutions ensure regular and substantive interaction (RSI) between a student and an instructor(s).
Regular interaction refers to the frequency of communication between students and instructors, such as through discussion forums, email, or video conferencing. Substantive interaction refers to the quality and depth of the communication, such as the exchange of ideas and feedback.
RSI compliance is the legal federal requirement that distinguishes the status of courses between distance education and correspondence courses. Correspondence courses are not eligible for financial aid. Institutions risk losing access to student financial aid if the institution is audited by the US Department of Education’s (DoE) Office of Inspector General, or as part of a periodic Departmental financial aid program review, and found to be out of compliance. Institutions may be required to repay financial aid associated with the correspondence courses and students (SUNY Online).
Aside from that, one of the key benefits of regular and substantive interaction is that it helps to keep students engaged and motivated in the course. When students feel that they are part of a community and have regular opportunities to interact with their instructors and peers, they are more likely to stay on track and complete the course.
Instructors can promote regular and substantive interaction by providing opportunities for students to collaborate on projects, participate in online discussions, and give and receive feedback. For example, online discussion forums can be a great way for students to share their ideas and get feedback from their peers, while video conferencing can be used for virtual office hours or to hold interactive lectures.
Another way to promote regular and substantive interaction is to use technology tools like Learning Management System (LMS) or collaboration tools like Zoom, Google Meet or Microsoft Teams. These tools can help to create a sense of community and facilitate regular communication between students and instructors.
Regular and substantive interaction is not only beneficial for students, but also for instructors. By interacting with students on a regular basis, instructors can get a sense of how well students are understanding the material and adjust their teaching accordingly. Additionally, instructors can provide feedback to students on their work and help them to improve.
In summary, regular and substantive interaction is essential for the success of online courses. By providing opportunities for students to interact with their instructors and peers, online education can be just as effective as traditional classroom-based instruction.
The below graphic from OSCQR – SUNY Online Course Quality Review Rubric is a great representation of where regular and substantive interaction stands between correspondence education and distance education.
Our PLC is Wizzy WIGging It With 4DX
I have to be honest. When people started throwing around the term 4DX last year, I tuned them all out. After teaching for over 30 years, I think I’ve pretty much seen everything come and go over the years. It wasn’t that I’d planned to not participate. As I’ve said before, I’m a team player, so you want to play 4DX? I’ll play. I may not like it, but somebody somewhere thinks this is worthwhile. So I’ll play, but I’m going in blind.
So our department set up two professional learning communities (PLC), and apparently, we’re doing a good job of making and keeping our goals each week. Our team lead informs us that we are at 94% for making and keeping our goals. That’s good. Attendance is not so great, but seriously, I think we’ve all figured out that meeting once a week just to say you’ve done what you were supposed to do is a bit of a waste of time. That’s indicated by our 41% attendance last week. But overall, I get a sense that our team really wants to reach our goal.
What is our goal?
Well, apparently we have an overall college super goal and then 3 Battle WIGs. A WIG is a wildly important goal. Each departs chooses a WIG to align with any of the three institutional Battle WIGs. Below are our goals.
GCC SUPER GOAL: Increase completion with equity from 23% to 33% by Fall 2024.
- Battle WIG #1- Increase headcount of the new-student fall cohort with equity from 3,395 to 3,500 by October 2022.
- Battle WIG #2- Increase student successful course completion with equity from 62% to 65% by October 2022. <–WE ALIGNED TO THIS ONE
- Battle WIG #3- Increase Fall-to-Fall retention with equity from 54% to 57% by Fall 2022.
Our Dept WIG: Because we value learning, we will increase student successful completion with equity from 67.3% to 70.3% averaged across all department course offerings by October 2022.
Each week we’ve come up with some really good interventions to help our students be successful in our courses, but I’m getting a sense that most of us are not seeing any changes in student success. All the things we are trying can’t help a student who is just over his or her head. I think many students have this unrealistic view of what it takes to be successful in college. Our students have jobs. They have families. They have a lot going on. And then they register for 3-4 college courses and think they have enough time to be successful. Well, we’re all learning that these students are not set up to succeed. We’re doing all this outreach only to discover that many of our students are never going to be successful because they are already behind the 8-ball.
We recruit them and tell them to register. It’s affordable. We have flexible courses. You can take online courses or live-online. What we should be telling students is how much time it takes to be successful in a course. They need to be told to map out their time on a calendar and see how much time they have left for a course. They need to be told about support on campus before they start a class and perhaps given some suggestions for how to ask for help and/or how to read the course syllabus. But the most important skill they need is how to motivate themselves to do their work.
With all the weekly interventions we’ve tried this semester, most are met with silence. Students don’t even reply. After just two weeks into the semester, I was ghosted by a number of students. And those who did reply had excuses and promises to submit the missing assignment which never did materialize. Those that I could get to talk to me said they just didn’t have enough time to do all the work and seemed surprised that they had so much to do in one class, which is the case when you register for an 8-week or even a 12-week class.
Sadly I think we’re wizzy WIGging to no avail. I think the best interventions are those that could happen before students register for their courses. I think it’s too late for most after the course has started. They can’t quit their job. They can’t quit their family. So what’s left? Not doing their coursework. Basically quitting school before they’ve actually started.
Just Be Happy About Your Progress
I have to laugh at myself this morning as I sit staring at my blank computer screen, thinking this must be what my students are talking about when they say they can’t think of anything to write about. I always think how can that be when I gave you the topic. I was given the topic of growth, yet I still can’t think of anything to write. Well, nothing beyond not being able to think of anything to write. I tell my students when this happens to just write and see what comes out. It may not be good and may not fit the assignment, but be happy about your progress. It’s something. Yeah, it’s working.
At what point do faculty stop growing? Is growth a continuing process? or do we at some point stop and say I’m good. Been there. Done that. I remember when I was younger, we would complain about the older faculty and how they never wanted to try new things or do anything. They would say, “oh we tried that already. It didn’t work.” Being the smart alec that I was, I always wanted to reply, “well, the 2000s are nothing like the 50’s so perhaps another try is in store?” Of course, I never said that. I also always wondered where half our faculty were. When you look around campus and take notice about who’s running things, it was always the same faculty in charge of things. When I first transferred to GCC, there were faculty in my department that I didn’t see for years and had never met. That’s just weird.
But as I start to finish up my 32nd year of teaching, I think I get it. I am starting to feel like we’ve done ALL this before, and to be honest I can’t remember if it worked or not or why we stopped doing certain things in the first place. It’s easy to just step back and let everyone else do all the work, hide out in my office (which is home right now) and do nothing and just be happy about my progress. I get it now.
Nah, that’s not for me. Growth takes progress. Progress is advancement and development through time, doing things, helping people, getting better at your craft, and finding new crafts. You never know where you’re going to end up, but you can guarantee you’ll end up somewhere if you just try, or in this case, just start writing. See, look at that. I have a blog post. Progress!
My Heart Just Wasn’t In It After Day 1
I taught my first face-to-face class in two years 3 weeks ago. It’s a late start ENG102 hybrid that meets once a week in LA108. I didn’t really want to teach the class face-to-face, but my chair said that admin would like us to have more on-campus classes this semester. “The data show that is what students want.” I saw the data and had a completely different interpretation, but I’m a team player, so I agreed to teach the class. It is one of the two classes I previously taught on campus in 2020, so the class was prepared and ready to go.
The first indication that things were going to be different is when I noticed I wasn’t teaching in my preferred space. Apparently, HT2 classrooms were not big enough to accommodate our class sizes (18). I was bummed but verified I’d have a Chromebook cart in my new teaching space. On the first day, I arrived about 15 minutes early just so I could familiarize myself with the technology in the classroom. I’d promised students I would do a live-online class so students who couldn’t make it to class for whatever reason could attend live from home. I also have the same course as an all online and thought it might be nice to offer the option to them. Turns out LA108 is a cave with no cell service. You might think that fact is not that important, but trust me it is.
I began by trying to log into the teacher station computer, which I haven’t had to do since Duo Two-Factor Authentication was introduced into our lives last year along with having better log-in passwords. I had found a loophole and was successful in using the same password for probably 3 years. I should be ashamed, but I wasn’t. I actually knew my password back in the day BC (Before Covid). Today, not so much. My souped-up 17 digit numbers and symbols are a solid password now. So I looked up my password on my phone using my LastPass app; I have offline access on my phone, and I typed it into the prompt on the computer at the teacher station. The computer went into some weird realm that took probably 5-6 minutes before it stopped and prompted me for a user name and password again. Again? I looked it up again and typed all the letters, symbols, and numbers again. After another ridiculous amount of time, you know what happened. No, it worked, but our new friend Duo popped up. I asked Duo to send me a text. She goes into spin mode waiting for me to complete the action on my phone. Nothing appears on my watch or phone. So I kindly ask Duo to send me another text. And then again. By this time I have about 5 students sitting in front of me watching. Duo never complies so I give up on that endeavor.
I thought to myself, I don’t need your crappy technology. I’ve got a backpack full of it sitting at my feet. We are about 10 minutes into class time at this point when I realized I needed to log into the WiFi on campus if anything was going to happen today – my first day back in the classroom after 2 years. That wasn’t going to happen, so Maricopa net or whatever the open wifi is called was it. Fifteen minutes into my first class, with 5 students sitting in front of me, and one single person online, I was finally ready to teach. I learned later that several students gave up on the online class when I wasn’t there to let them in. Bummer. But hey I was ready. I say to the students in front of me. Let me just “plug” my laptop into the teacher station and you’ll be able to see my screen. I had already started teaching but had no visual for them yet.
Let me ask you a question before I continue. Does anyone have one of these plugs on their computer anymore? Oh, never mind. The whole point of this post is to point out how I was done after day one. And I can’t say that the following week was any better. I had a whole new set of problems. I’m so out of practice with trying to use someone else’s technology that my heart is just not into teaching face to face anymore. It ruined my experience. Technology should enhance, not prohibit. Apparently, you need cell service in order to get Duo prompts or be logged in to wifi on a computer to get a password to log into the computer. Or you need to remember to put your dongle in your backpack so you can connect your fancy technology to the old school kind in the classroom. Or…(fill in the blank). It’s just too much to deal with. I need to stick with what I do best and tackling GCC technology ain’t it.
P.S. Thank you Caryn Bird for hiding whiteboard markers in the classroom because of course you have to bring your own low tech too.
Have Students Engage with Guests in the Classroom via Video Discussions
Most of us are missing the normal student engagement we used to have in the classroom. Even I, who taught mostly online except for two hybrid courses, am missing those one day a week meetups in the classroom. What I miss most is seeing and hearing the enthusiasm and excitement about a topic or discussion from my students. You can’t really see or hear that in a regular asynchronous discussion. But you can bring a little of that back with a video discussion tool like FlipGrid. I’ve written about FlipGrid in the past, but today I want to share how I use it to bring guest speakers into the classroom as a way to have students engage with professionals in the field.
Luckily for me, I work in a wonderful district full of people passionate about teaching and helping students. One such person is the talented Sam Fraulino who works at PVCC as a Senior Software Developer. He works in the Center for Teaching & Learning helping faculty with their online courses, but his talents go far beyond that. Last semester I invited Sam to be a guest speaker in my JRN203 Writing for Online Media class. I thought he would have a lot to share with my students who are predominately Digital Media Arts students, and many are aspiring artists and very talented. We have a module on Citizen/Participatory Journalism where students learn how to capitalize on social media for their own benefits whether it be self-promotion or news dissemination. And Sam is a great example of someone who does that with his own artwork on Instagram.
After the pandemic hit and this hybrid course moved fully online, I didn’t want for students to miss out on this experience, so I invited Sam to visit the class virtually. But instead of making it a live webinar, I had Sam record a short video showing students his art studio and talking about his job, art, and experience using social media. Students were then asked to compose questions for Sam about his presentation and ask them in the discussion. To make all this flow, I used FlipGrid so both sides could see and hear each other. I hadn’t actually planned for Sam to respond to individual posts/questions, but he volunteered and it worked out better than expected.
Students were truly appreciative of his time and excited to engage with him online. And Sam had similar sentiments. He said,
All of them were so well-spoken, confident and so appreciative of my time; that was very nice and this was a very cool experience.
Sam Fraulino
Here’s a quick video showing how I set this up and how it works in Canvas and FlipGrid.
The Anti-Racist Discussion Pedagogy Guide
Recently I was asked to co-author an Anti-Racist Discussion Pedagogy Guide with Packback, an AI-supported online discussion platform that enables curiosity-based student discussion. The guide provides a starting resource for instructors who want to adopt an Anti-Racist discussion pedagogy in their own classroom, regardless of discipline or course subject matter. The guide also includes a foreword by the President and CEO of League for Innovation in the Community College, Dr. Rufus Glasper.
I really enjoyed working with the team to create this valuable resource, and I met some incredible people. The guide has been well received, and it’s branched out into some other opportunities for me around the same subject. We also had a couple of articles written about the guide. Diverse: Issues in Higher Education published “How Can Professors Bring Anti-Racist Pedagogy Practices Into the Classroom?” and the EdSurge Higher Ed Newsletter featured our work recently as well.
Guide Summary: How to build an anti-racist pedagogy in any discipline through instructor reflection, clear communication guidelines, and inquiry-based discussion. Get your copy of the guide.
We followed that up the guide with a live webinar about the guide at the end of August. The recording of this presentation is below.
3 Discussion Tools for Engaging Students in Online Courses
Last year I participated in a district pilot of a new discussion tool – Packback. It took a whole year to stop calling it backpack. 🙂 But I was initially intrigued by Packback because of its built-in AI moderation which meant less grading for me, but more meaningful participation from students. It took a bit to wrap my head around using it in ENG101, but it fit well with my literature course this summer, and students really like it. Check this video out to see what the concept behind Packback is: https://vimeo.com/163888277
They offer a consultant to each faculty using Packback, so you have someone who will work with you to get it set up and learn how to best utilize the tool. I found that very helpful. We already have the LTI integration in Canvas so set up and use is pretty easy. For more information on how Packback works, watch this “Engaging Students with Packback” video. The district has paid for a license, so it’s free to use with in MCCCD.
This next tool was introduced to me by Dr. Jennifer Lane, our CTLE Faculty Director. Perusall is a social annotation tool that integrates with Canvas via LTI assignments. Perusall allows students and their instructors to collaboratively markup documents. Instead of reading a document and discussing it in person, Perusall brings the discussion to the text online. Learn more about how it works by watching this video: https://youtu.be/ODE6v4YOo0E And… wait for it… Perusall auto-grades effort and engagement with the text and scores are added to your Canvas grade book automatically. This frees up time for you to analyze the discussion students are having around the document and where you can help clarify or provide more instruction. It’s really cool and students actually like it (after they figure out how to score full points). It takes a few assignments before they figure it out, so it’s best to use it often and not as a one-off. This tool is also free.
Lastly, I’ve already introduced you to FlipGrid. See my last post. I’ll be doing two workshops for the CTLE in the next few weeks. They should be sending out information soon. Join me if you want to learn how to get set up and use video discussions this fall. My workshops are scheduled for next Thursday, August 13th at 1 pm and Tuesday, August 18th at 1 pm.
