"Preparing Students for Life Beyond College: Embracing AI as Essential Learning"
C. Edward Watson, co-author of
Generative AI
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.
Pedagogy and AI
As AI becomes increasingly integrated into learning and teaching in higher education, instructors are navigating complex questions around academic integrity and student learning. While many emerging policies emphasize detection and sanctions, this 3-part series on pedagogy and AI offers a proactive alternative by centering trust, transparency, reflection, and student agency. Each of these In Brief Learning & Teaching Guides offers scalable entry points—from quick additions to existing assignments to deeper collaborations with students on ethical AI use, including estimated times for instructors to implement ideas and strategies.
Explore the Guide
Iterative Revision & GAI in Course Design
Iterative revision reduces students’ misuse or over-reliance on AI by emphasizing process over product. When assignments include drafts, feedback loops, and scaffolding, instructors minimize the need to use AI as a shortcut to more polished work.Metacognition & GAI in Course Assessment
When students are asked to rigorously reflect on how they arrive at an answer—not just what the answer is—they can engage authentically and are less likely to outsource their work to AI.Your Thought Partners
Consultations
Connect with an educational developer for a personalized, confidential consultation on AI use and nonuse in learning and teaching. Our consultations support a wide range of perspectives and approaches, centering instructor vitality, deep learning, and student success.Customized Workshops
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.Contribute to the AI Conversation
Share the ways you have integrated AI into your course to support student learning, growth, or engagement. We’d love to hear from you as part of our ongoing effort to showcase authentic examples from Northwestern instructors.Reflect on AI in Learning and Teaching
Reflect on the pedagogical possibilities and ethical implications of using AI to promote alignment between technology, values, and learning outcomes with guided questions on key areas of learning and teaching.Learning & Teaching Guides
Resources on AI in learning and teaching created by Searle Center educational developers.
Exploring the Pedagogical Possibilities of Generative AI
- A starting point for exploring the possibilities and avoiding the pitfalls of teaching in a world of AI tools.
Heuristic for Designing Learning Experiences with Generative AI
- A tool for thinking through how to use generative AI tools equitably and effectively in learning experience design.
How to Use Copilot and ChatGPT to Create Rubrics
- Step-by-step process for promoting transparent and equitable assessment by using AI to articulate student expectations and ensure consistent grading.
Partnering with AI in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL)
- A practical guide exploring how generative AI and AI-enabled tools can support instructors who want to study their teaching.
Campus Partners
The Searle Center collaborates with campus partners to create a robust ecosystem of support for Northwestern instructors. In addition to what the Searle Center offers, many resources are available through Northwestern IT Teaching and Learning Technologies, the University Libraries, and other units across the University.
Generative AI Advisory Council
