You are a lecturer at the Faculty of Science, and you would like to integrate GenAI into your education. But where do you start? What are the possibilities or issues to consider? We will guide you through some steps to ensure you’ve covered all hurdles along the way.

1. Define the scope of your change

Which part of your course would you like to change, and why?

Assess which aspects of your course can genuinely benefit from GenAI integration. Consider areas such as enhancing interactive learning experiences, personalising student feedback, or introducing GenAI-based projects. Identify specific reasons and objectives for these changes to keep your focus clear and structured, ensuring GenAI integration truly enriches the learning experience of your students.

And do these changes impact your whole course? Or only a small part of it? Check which influence your choices will have and how big these changes will be. It can help to discuss or brainstorm with colleagues about this, to get new insights or perspectives.

2. Purpose of GenAI integration

Will you integrate GenAI as a means or as a goal? This decision has a significant impact on your design choices.

‘GenAI as a goal’ means that learning about GenAI itself is the objective. So it could be about developing AI literacy, the role GenAI will play in your field, or the impact of GenAI on your course content. This means you will have (or create) learning objectives that include GenAI. For example: Your students need to understand the impact GenAI has on certain sustainability aspects.
‘GenAI as a means’ implies using GenAI as a tool to support learning. So GenAI is not the topic, but a resource. For example: You ask your students to brainstorm about a topic with the use of GenAI.

When you’ve determined the purpose of GenAI in your course, you need to consider the following things:

Integrating GenAI as a goal

Consider adding new learning objectives that involve understanding and applying GenAI. Ensure these objectives contribute to students’ deeper knowledge and skills, rather than just technology for technology’s sake. An example of such a learning objective is: The student can assess the accuracy and relevance of GenAI-generated insights and make informed decisions about their use.
Determine how these GenAI-related objectives will be assessed. You can look at both the formative assessment (will GenAI give the students feedback, test their ideas or will it be used as a reflection tool?) as well as at the summative assessment of your course.
Design teaching activities, including GenAI that still align with your learning objectives and support the cognitive engagement of your students. If it’s needed, also think about how you will use ‘scaffolding’ to help students transition into using GenAI responsibly. Think about activities such as case studies, simulations, or lab activities that involve GenAI tools and techniques, ensuring they add value to the educational process. Consider how GenAI could even be of more value than the traditional methods used.

Using GenAI as a means

Decide how GenAI will be incorporated within your teaching activities. Ensure GenAI enhances the learning experience and doesn’t overshadow fundamental learning principles or encourage outsourcing important elements of the learning process. Think about: Using GenAI as a brainstorm partner, using it to guide you through a design process, or using GenAI to practice your debating skills. Look at the GenAI pilots from the TLC Science for more examples of how to use GenAI in your education.
Identify the pressure points in your course where GenAI tools can be effectively used, or on the other hand, can hinder learning. Ensure students can use GenAI when it is most beneficial and not overly rely on it. And check if there are too many assessments, which is causing students to be overwhelmed, which may push them towards GenAI (mis)use. Make sure when you add learning objectives and teaching activities that require upskilling for your students to consider where or when that upskilling will take place in your course (and that this takes some extra time).
Ensure your students understand how to use GenAI tools responsibly and effectively. In your design, consider what students need to know (content or GenAI skills), and what your students need to do to consolidate their learning afterwards. On the other hand, you need to address any concerns or issues related to the ethical and practical usage of GenAI. Provide necessary training or resources, such as an e-learning module on GenAI. Also check how GenAI is used in the course before or after your own. You don’t want to overdo it.

3. Ethical and regulatory considerations

Address ethical and regulatory concerns:

Due to privacy concerns, only the UvA AI Chat must be used for educational purposes. This tool provides a secure and controlled environment. For more information about this tool, visit the UvA staff website for manuals and guidelines.
Encourage responsible use of GenAI in education. Discuss potential biases, data privacy issues, and the importance of transparency in GenAI applications. But responsible also means when is it OK for students to use GenAI, and when do you really want them to learn skills or knowledge by themselves. Make sure to communicate the importance (and fun!) of learning something by yourself.
Embed discussions around ethical implications within your course content, shaping a responsible perspective towards GenAI. For example, use real-world examples, such as bias in generating images, to discuss ethical concerns. Or discuss ethical dilemmas of the use of GenAI in writing assignments or create a GenAI Manifesto together with your students.
Always comply with the UvA’s behavior code for scientific integrity, existing privacy regulations (e.g., GDPR) and the UvA AI Policy to ensure responsible use and data handling.

4. Resource allocation and planning

Identify the resources that you need to implement GenAI into your course. Think about the technology itself, but also possible colleagues, (extra or less) TA’s, time that you will need for the activities itself, and preparation.

Technology: Check whether everyone has access to the UvA AI Chat and knows how to use it. You don’t want to spend too much time on questions about the tool, but you want to integrate it into your activities immediately.
Training: Are there staff members involved in your course who don’t feel equipped to use GenAI? Please share the e-learning about GenAI literacy with them to get them up to speed. Or guide them to the UvA staff website to find more information about the UvA AI Chat, like an e-learning module to guide you through this GenAI tool, and a manual on how to use it.
Planning and organisation: When does your course start, and when should you have all your teaching material ready (also think about study guides, Canvas pages, etc.)? When and how do your students know that they will use GenAI in your course? Is it still feasible to make this adjustment(s) within your course, or is timing too tight?

5. Try it yourself

Check with yourself: Do you feel confident to talk about GenAI and to use it yourself? Can you help your students during your course when they might have questions? Make sure you feel comfortable in using GenAI, by playing around in the UvA AI Chat and by testing your prompts, personas or other GenAI implementations.

6. Continuous evaluation and improvement

Monitor and evaluate:

Continuously monitor the effectiveness of the GenAI integration in your teaching. Use feedback from students and colleagues to refine the activities.
Be open to adapting your approach based on the evolving landscape of GenAI in education.

7. Collaboration and support

You don’t need to do this all by yourself. More lecturers are testing and trying things out with GenAI. So let’s make sure to learn together:

Share best practices, insights, and resources to foster a community of innovative educators. Also share what didn’t work! We can all learn from our ‘brilliant failures’.
Need support? Reach out to the TLC Science for help and assistance with GenAI integration. Feel free to schedule a meeting or send an email to ai-tlc-science@uva.nl

By following these guidelines, you can thoughtfully integrate GenAI into your course, enhancing both the teaching and learning experience. Embrace the opportunities GenAI offers while considering the practical, ethical, and personal aspects to create a balanced and effective educational environment.

This content is created by TLC Science for the UvA Science Faculty. Do you work at another UvA Faculty? Please follow your faculty’s specific guidelines.