Category: Teaching and Learning
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The Slow Work of Learning
I haven’t written much about my PhD journey. I have been in a PhD program for four years now (sometimes it feels like it will never end!) I am getting closer to the point where I will conduct my research and report the results. Having gotten this far, I am…
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Notes from an Instructional Designer on Teaching with AI
As an instructional designer at a large university, I am hear many diverse perspectives related to AI in teaching and learning. Some faculty members are enthusiastic, frequent-users of the tech, and encourage their students to use it as much a possible in their classes. Other faculty members are adamant that…
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Why AI can’t innovate: The human brain’s unique potential
Artificial intelligence—whether we’re talking about AI assistants like ChatGPT or highly specialized learning algorithms—stands on an impressive foundation. But there’s a limit that AI will always have, rooted in the way it functions. AI is trained on data from the past. It’s learning from patterns, structures, and information that already…
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Can AI reduce cognitive load and boost teaching effectiveness?
In today’s teaching environment, where educators are expected to manage a wide range of tasks, AI is proving to be more than just a way to save time. It has the potential to significantly reduce cognitive load, allowing both teachers and students to focus on higher-order thinking and creativity. Cognitive…
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Crafting Better Learning Objectives with ChatGPT
Another way that I have been using ChatGPT to assist with course design is in writing strong learning objectives. Although I have years of experience lesson planning, there’s always room for improvement, and ChatGPT has become a go-to resource for me in this area. One of the biggest challenges when…
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My Teaching Assistant, ChatGPT
This fall semester, I have become more intentional about using AI to enhance my teaching practice, and reduce the time I spend planning lessons. After teaching the same subject material for several years, I have plenty of lecture notes, assignments, and learning material to work with. However, I want to…
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A resource for teachers: The Merlot database
My interest in pedagogical recommender systems led me to a website called merlot.org. The website description at the top reads, “The MERLOT system provides access to curated online learning and support materials and content creation tools, led by an international community of educators, learners and researchers” (Merlot, n.d.). I love…
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Do challenging things…because you can.
People often categorize themselves by saying things such as, “I’m not good at math,” or, “I’m not a good writer.” These statements undermine the potential that everyone has to learn and grow and get good at things that they weren’t good at before. As an example, for most of my…
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What is “good” teaching?
Recently, someone in my family made the comment, “It seems kind of funny to have to learn how to teach, like that should be intuitive.” While I agree that some people seem naturally gifted as teachers, many others teach but do not put much thought into the scholarship of teaching…
Cana Fuest, PhD Candidate 