Overview
Artificial intelligence can help faculty create learning resources, improve efficiency, and support students. This guide offers practical ways to use AI thoughtfully while addressing accuracy, academic integrity, privacy, bias, and instructional quality.
Faculty remain at the center. Use AI to support your expertise, professional judgment, and relationships with students.
AI Basics and Benefits
What is AI?
AI systems perform tasks associated with human intelligence, including generating text and images, analyzing data, summarizing information, translating languages, and providing tutoring or feedback.
Tools mentioned in the guide: Microsoft Copilot, ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Grammarly AI, Canva AI, and DALL-E or other image generators.
Increase Efficiency
Draft announcements, rubrics, discussion prompts, and study guides.
Support Students
Offer additional explanations, practice questions, and personalized resources.
Improve Course Quality
Refresh content, develop multimedia, and expand accessibility options.
Practical Faculty Uses of AI
Start with a teaching need, then review and adapt the output for your course.
Course Design
Draft course descriptions, measurable learning outcomes, module introductions, and assessment blueprints. Check alignment between activities and objectives.
Example Prompt
“Create three measurable learning outcomes for an undergraduate healthcare leadership course using Bloom’s Taxonomy.”
Content Development
Develop lecture outlines, case studies, examples, scenarios, and topic summaries. Adapt complex concepts for your learners.
Example Prompt
“Explain emotional intelligence in healthcare leadership using a real-world workplace example suitable for undergraduate students.”
Student Communication
Draft weekly announcements, reminders, feedback templates, office hour communications, and welcome messages.
Faculty Review
Check accuracy, tone, institutional alignment, and inclusivity before sharing.
Supplemental Course Materials
Create additional ways for students to practice, understand concepts, and prepare for assessments.
Study Guides
Unit summaries, key concept reviews, glossaries, and learning checklists.
Practice Quizzes
Multiple-choice, matching, scenario-based, and short-answer practice.
Case Studies and Scenarios
Workplace situations, ethical dilemmas, leadership challenges, and industry examples.
Videos and Visuals
Infographic content, presentation materials, concept maps, diagrams, timelines, and comparison charts.
Alternative Explanations
Simplified or advanced explanations, real-world examples, analogies, and metaphors.
Additional Learning Support
Remediation guides, extra examples, frequently asked questions, and step-by-step tutorials.
Example Prompts
- “Create a study guide for Module 3 covering leadership theories, including key terms and review questions.”
- “Explain healthcare finance using a household budget analogy.”
Before sharing: Verify accuracy, alignment with learning objectives, and the level of difficulty.
AI and Student Engagement
Discussion Prompts
Develop questions that encourage reflection, application, analysis, and debate.
Example Prompt
“Create five discussion questions about servant leadership that encourage application to workplace experiences.”
Interactive Learning Activities
Develop role-playing exercises, simulations, problem-solving activities, and collaborative projects.
Concerns and Risks
Review these limitations before using AI-generated materials in your course.
Accuracy and Hallucinations
AI may invent citations, statistics, research findings, or facts.
Faculty Best Practice
Verify facts and references against scholarly sources before sharing content with students.
Bias and Fairness
Outputs may reflect cultural, gender, socioeconomic, or historical bias.
Faculty Best Practice
Review for inclusive language, diverse perspectives, and fair representation.
Academic Integrity
Unauthorized use, unclear authorship, and overreliance can affect learning.
Faculty Best Practice
Clarify acceptable use and course policies. Use authentic assessments that require reflection and application.
Privacy and Confidentiality
Public AI systems are not a place for protected or confidential information.
Faculty Best Practice
Do not enter student records, FERPA-protected information, confidential institutional data, or sensitive employee information. Use institutionally approved tools whenever possible.
Copyright and Intellectual Property
Ownership, attribution, and use of copyrighted materials require care.
Faculty Best Practice
Follow institutional policies, cite sources when appropriate, and avoid uploading copyrighted materials without permission.
Overreliance on AI
Students still need human interaction, mentorship, feedback, and judgment.
Faculty Best Practice
Use AI as a teaching assistant. Retain responsibility for instructional decisions and educational leadership.
Responsible Faculty AI Use
Do
- Verify AI-generated content.
- Use AI to improve efficiency and support learning.
- Maintain human oversight.
- Protect student privacy.
- Follow institutional policies.
- Be transparent when appropriate.
- Evaluate outputs for bias and accuracy.
Don’t
- Copy and paste output without review.
- Share confidential information.
- Use fabricated references or citations.
- Replace instructional expertise with AI.
- Rely solely on AI-generated assessments.
- Assume outputs are always accurate.
Sample Faculty AI Workflow
1
Create
Generate discussion questions, study guides, or practice activities.
2
Review
Check accuracy, alignment, inclusivity, and academic rigor.
3
Customize
Add your expertise, course-specific examples, and institutional expectations.
4
Implement
Share approved materials with students.
5
Evaluate
Gather student feedback and assess effectiveness.
Reflecting on Your AI Practice
Effective AI use combines technological assistance with professional judgment, instructional design principles, and student-centered teaching. Faculty remain responsible for accuracy, privacy, academic integrity, and the human expertise central to quality online education.
Consider these questions as you apply AI in your teaching:
- How can AI help reduce time spent on routine tasks?
- Which supplemental materials could enhance student success in your course?
- What safeguards can you implement to verify AI-generated content?
- How will you communicate AI expectations to students?
- How can AI support, rather than replace, your teaching expertise?