Statement on AI in Learning and Teaching
In the age of publicly available generative artificial intelligence (AI), we see instructors demonstrating remarkable care and agility. As thought partners, the educational developers at the Searle Center for Advancing Learning and Teaching are committed to contributing to a University teaching culture where instructors feel confident in making decisions around AI that align with their values, support their vitality, and ultimately deliver an outstanding educational experience to undergraduate and graduate students.
We approach teaching in the age of AI with a “wicked problems mindset,” a framework for addressing complex challenges without simple or definitive answers. We recognize that there are serious concerns about AI, including hallucinations, algorithmic bias, environmental impact, inequities in digital access, and questions about intellectual property, ethical use, and student learning. We also recognize the innovative ways that faculty from diverse fields are leveraging AI tools to optimize learning experiences and equip students with AI skills for future careers. In some cases, AI can facilitate remarkable learning opportunities; in others, it can counteract learning goals, making nonuse a pedagogically sound and necessary choice.
We define responsible AI use in learning and teaching as the thoughtful choice to incorporate AI when it enhances learning outcomes and to refrain from using AI when it undermines them.
Our resources and programming support faculty in this decision-making process. Events and forums such as “Teaching without AI When AI is Everywhere” create spaces to surface challenges and connect with colleagues across campus. Workshops and resources, including our three-part series on pedagogy and AI, build AI literacy and curate diverse instructional approaches. Learning labs and the Course Design Institute provide facilitated opportunities for faculty to experiment with AI tools. Speaker series bring thought leaders including C. Edward Watson to share the latest developments in AI and its implications on learning, teaching, and well-being.
Programs/departments and schools can request consultations or tailored programming, including dialogue facilitated by the Searle Center’s educational developers, to collectively explore issues and make informed decisions about AI. At the University-level, our Senior Director serves on the AI and Education Advisory Committee, a “strategic body to guide Northwestern's response to the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) in teaching and learning.”
As AI continues to evolve and impact higher education, we remain committed to making space for conversation and collegial knowledge sharing representing a wide array of perspectives, disciplinary considerations, and teaching contexts. In this work, we center the essential processes of inquiry and interpretation, draw insight from students’ voices and experiences, and recognize the human interactions that foster critical thinking and deeper learning.