It's Not an Answer Machine: Designing AI-Aware Assignments to Support Learning

When we treat generative AI like an answer machine--a faster Google, an on-demand oracle--we set our students up to treat it exactly the same way, offloading the thinking we most want them to do. Shifting that mental model, for us and for our students, opens up more productive ground for learning.

In this workshop, we'll consider how to design assignments and activities that minimize the cognitive offloading that comes with the belief that AI is an answer machine. And we'll look at ways to use AI productively to support student learning. We'll work through examples together and leave with starting points to try in your own courses.