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"Technologies like Chat GPT are already used in the workplace and that usage is only going to increase. Their ultimate goal is to improve managerial decision making. Managerial decision making involves creating a set of alternatives and then critically reflecting which alternative is the best for the situation at hand. As our [graduates] advance in their careers, they will make more and more of these decisions in groups where alternatives will be generated by consultants, co-workers, and direct reports. The skill of looking at a suggested alternative that is well presented and looks totally plausible and then being able to critically evaluate if the suggested alternative is fundamentally flawed or absolutely brilliant is thus among the most important skills in a management career. With Chat GPT playing the role of that smart consultant (who always has an elegant answer, but oftentimes is wrong) we thus have a perfect training ground for developing that skill."
— 'Would Chat GPT Get a Wharton MBA?' by Christian Terwiesch, Professor of Operations, Information and Decisions, Wharton School of Business
Why is it worth exploring the use of AI in my coursework?
Why is it worth exploring the use of AI in my coursework?
The use of generative AI in the business world has many practical applications and is increasingly a necessary skill. When integrated thoughtfully, genAI can enhance creativity and raise the bar for student innovation on various assignments.
How can I integrate generative AI into student coursework?
How can I integrate generative AI into student coursework?
1. Rethink your current assignments.
Following advice from Derek Bruff, take an existing assignment and work through this set of questions to rethink how it can be useful in the age of AI:
Why does this assignment make sense for this course?
What are the specific learning objectives for this assignment?
How might students use AI tools while working on this assignment?
How might AI undercut the goals of this assignment? How could you mitigate this?
How might AI enhance the assignment? Where would students need help figuring that out?
Focus on the process. How could you make the assignment more meaningful for students or support them more in the work?
2. Collaborate with students to critically evaluate AI outputs.
Construct your own or try out one of our assignment examples that places your students in the position of managers, business leaders, or consultants and have them submit designated prompts to chatGPT and critically evaluate its response.
Facilitate a discussion with students in which they can ponder the implications in the real world, and in their careers, for taking chatGPT's responses at face value. Have your students consider the nature of the data ChatGPT pulls from.
3. Add a learning outcome about writing AI prompts.
Incorporate writing AI prompts into your classes’ learning outcomes - just as you would other tools students are expected to demonstrate expertise in.
“Students will learn to evaluate the quality and credibility of AI-generated content in the context of this course.”
“Students will experiment with creative applications of AI prompts, such as generating ideas, exploring alternative perspectives, or simulating examples.”
“Students will develop the ability to assess AI-generated responses for accuracy and relevance and provide constructive feedback to improve AI-generated content.”
4. Have students design a good prompt for generative AI, and document this process.
Crafting an effective prompt for generative AI, commonly referred to as ‘prompt engineering’, can serve as an evaluation of a student's understanding of a subject. The quality of the initial prompt, as well as any follow-up prompts, plays a key role in the resultant AI-generated output.
To design a good prompt that leads to a meaningful output, students will need to
clearly specify the task,
provide relevant context and examples,
and even split complex tasks into subtasks or steps.
Meaningful engagement with generative AI relies heavily on students having developed some disciplinary expertise. Their ability to articulate the task clearly demonstrates their grasp of the subject matter. If students can offer context and examples, or deconstruct a complex problem into smaller tasks, it demonstrates a nuanced understanding of the subject. Crafting prompts can also reveal a student's problem-solving skills. If they encounter challenges or ambiguities in their prompt design, how they address and revise their prompt can indicate their ability to think critically and find solutions within the subject matter.
Read more about effective prompt writing here.
Assignment examples
Check out these assignment ideas and examples from Stern faculty. Need assistance with crafting an assignment for your course or have one you'd like to share? The Learning Science Lab is eager to work with you.
Teaching and Prep
Teaching and Prep
Learning outcomes brainstorming and generation
Instructors can explain an assignment or topic to an LLM, and the model can provide a list of potential learning goals for students based on the provided information.
Check out our slides showing how to use chatGPT as a co-writer of learning outcomes.
Ideation and brainstorming assignments:
GenAI can help instructors come up with creative and engaging assignment ideas by analyzing existing materials, course topics, and student needs.
Check out our 15-min bootcamp on leveraging generative AI in assignments (recording and slides)
Explore magicSchool.ai’s “AI-resistant assignment generator” for more ideas.
Developing rubrics and templates:
GenAI can generate well-structured starter rubrics and templates for various assignments, quizzes, and exams.
Check out our 45-min workshop on building rubrics with generative AI (recording and slides)
Explore magicSchool.ai’s “rubric generator”.
Other ideas to explore
Other ideas to explore
Generating starter slide decks for lectures:
Instructors can provide certain genAI tools with key content or topics they want to cover, and the model can produce starter slide decks with relevant information and visuals.
Letter of recommendation templates for students:
GenAI can assist instructors with creating personalized recommendation letters by processing information about the student's achievements and characteristics into a starter template.
Syllabus writing and formatting:
GenAI tools can assist in generating course syllabi, incorporating essential elements like course descriptions, learning goals, course outlines, and more
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