Cana Fuest, PhD Candidate

I’ve been working with various AI tools for nearly two years now in an instructional design capacity. The early days of my “experiments” with AI were more like trial and error, and finding out what tools I liked working with. As an instructional designer at a large university, I do have access to several AI tools with enterprise data security and a variety of features so that I can use different tools for different tasks. However, my go-to AI tool is still ChatGPT. I pay monthly for ChatGPT Plus.

I’m well aware of the risks and concerns related to AI use, especially when it comes to the quality of the output. Yet I appreciate how AI helps me super-charge my workday and produce work that would either take me much longer to complete, or would not be as interesting because I might not have had the idea in the first place. I see AI as a collaborative partner in my work. Although I rarely use the first idea, or even the exact final output I receive from AI, I find value in the process of using it to think and iterate.

Here is a look at how I use AI tools on a daily basis in my workflow:

• Brainstorming: I often use AI tools to help me get started on an idea. I have come up with some creative course design ideas by collaborating with AI.
• Outlining: When building courses, workshops, and other educational materials, AI helps me get to the first draft of my outline.
• Combining Ideas: I use AI to help me combine and condense something down to a description, phrase, or usable piece of text. This comes in handy when I want to refer to several sources quickly.
• Building Lesson Materials: One of my favorite things AI can do! I have saved loads of time generating a worksheet, quiz, or lesson plan quickly with ChatGPT.
• Research: I mean this in a general, non-academic sense. I always check the original source(s) for reliability.
• Coding Buddy: I do not have a computer science background but I often find myself wanting to code various things. AI helps me do that, and it’s amazing!
• Personal Tutor: Perhaps my favorite way to use AI is to teach myself how to do technical things that would take me a long time to learn. I love it for this.

I don’t expect AI to solve every problem, and I still rely on my own judgment for the final product. But by bringing AI into my workflow, I’ve gained a faster, more flexible way to move from ideas to implementation. If you’re an educator or designer, I encourage you to experiment and see how AI might lighten your load, or spark your next big idea.