6.2 Teaching With AI
You can use AI as a teaching tool to deliver parts of your lesson to students. This section considers how faculty can brainstorm ways to engage learners in their classes and use AI to provide information, explanations, or demonstrations.
Lesson Delivery with AI
Lesson delivery that incorporates AI provides step-by-step guidance for students during class. In a classroom setting, a demonstration or worked example using AI involves you “driving” Copilot, while students observe and make suggestions. This approach allows you to show students a learning process, demonstrate responsible and effective AI use, and highlight the strengths and limitations of AI use for the task. It also enables you to model AI use first if you wish students to use AI in class as well.
Teaching With and About AI in Class
You can model the use of AI in many different types of tasks to facilitate a learning conversation with your students. Use Copilot to
- Define: Ask for a definition (or 3 different definitions) of a term, or give examples.
- Explain: Ask for provide an explanation, a clarification, or an analogy for a complex concept. Request the source data for the answer.
- Outline different perspectives: Ask Copilot for contrasting perspectives on a topic, situation, or ethical dilemma based on different roles, requirements, or cultural backgrounds.
- Analyze: Break into components and explain the parts of a sentence, paragraph, code, or process.
- Assess a simulation: Develop interactive worked examples in which you can manipulate variables and see the outcomes.
- Assist with live coding: If you’re teaching programming, show how to debug code or revise drafts.
- Assist with live writing: If you’re teaching writing, show how to brainstorm, outline, develop and improve a draft. Change the tone, style, word count, etc.
- Assist with problem-solving: If you are teaching problem solving for a particular case or scenario, use AI to follow a step-by-step demonstration of a problem-solving process. Ask AI for suggestions, reasons for the suggestions, and feedback on your suggestions.
- Assist with research: Show students how to conduct research using Copilot. Demonstrate finding credible sources, summarizing information, and synthesizing findings into a coherent argument or report.
As you teach with AI, remember to teach about AI as well, highlighting strengths, weaknesses, and prompt improvements.
Prompt Examples for In-Class Demonstrations and Worked Examples
Some prompts are adapted from the AI for Education Prompt Library (2024).
Brainstorming Ideas to Teach with AI
AI can generate ideas for learner engagement, including engagement techniques that can be adapted to different contexts and learner types. Use Copilot to brainstorm ways to lead lesson activities that incorporate AI that will engage learners and achieve the lesson outcome.
Engagement Strategy Power Prompt, adapted from Dr. Phillipa Hardman (2024)
Prompt: Your task is to optimize my lesson for learner engagement using Copilot. I will give you a learning outcome, the mode of delivery, and a learner profile. For the learning outcome, you will suggest:
- Two teacher-led activities (e.g., a demonstration or a worked example) that incorporate the use of Copilot for part of the activity to achieve the defined outcome. Include an additional sentence about how this demo or worked example will be carried out.
- Two class-wide discussion points based on the teacher-led activity that will engage the defined learner and achieve the outcome.
- Two reflection activities on the teacher’s use of Copilot that will engage the learner and achieve the defined outcome.
For each suggestion you must,
- Include the risks and benefits of the approach for engagement.
- Resources required for each activity.
- Approximate time for each activity.
- Include suggestions and tips for the faculty member using Copilot to lead the lesson for students.
[insert learning outcome, mode of delivery, and learner profile]
Caution
Ensure worked examples are accessible to all students by using AI tools that offer features like text-to-speech, adjustable text size, and alternative formats. Learn more in 6.5 Accessibility and Inclusion Considerations.
Try This! Planning Worked Example Activities
Use Copilot as a AI collaborator to plan a worked example so that you can solve it as a worked example together with your students in class. Use AI to
Prompt: “Create a step-by-step demonstration to solve [insert problem] using Copilot. Include any required details that show the required work. Highlight the steps that should be taken to assist novices with using AI to solve the problem using Copilot, assuming students have limited experience using AI> Anticipate what challenges students will likely face when learning this problem and focus on those elements. Do not proceed with the next step until the current step is explained and the user has indicated that you may proceed to the next step. Ask if there are any clarifying questions, and do not proceed before answering any clarifying questions asked.”
Tips for Demonstrating with AI
Here are some broad tips for effectively introducing and using AI in educational settings, with insights from McMaster University’s guide on teaching with generative AI (McMaster, 2024).
- Open a browser window: Navigate to the Copilot login page and sign in with your College ID. This College-provided chatbot protects the intellectual property of the College and your students.
- Prepare a text file: Open a text file (e.g., Microsoft Word) in OneDrive or on your local device to cut and paste prompts, outputs, etc. As of the date of this publication, Copilot will not save your outputs if you close the window or the session expires. Keep a Word document open to save necessary prompts and outputs during your session.
- Prepare a prompt: Have a prompt ready to input and test it in advance. Give students a chance to read and/or say the prompt aloud. Prepare a sample prompt you and your students can use, such as “Analyze the impact of social media on consumer behaviour.” Test and refine it with Copilot in advance to ensure it generates valuable outputs.
- Model Copilot use: Demonstrate how to use Copilot effectively, including where it can go wrong, to build your students’ AI literacy. Show successful outputs and potential errors and discuss how to interpret and use the feedback.
- Go slow with students: Introduce Microsoft Copilot gradually, starting with simple tasks and progressively moving to more complex applications, allowing students to build confidence and competence with the technology.
- Guide Student Engagement: Use class lecture time or prepare instructional videos demonstrating effective and appropriate use of AI for class activities. Allow students to reflect on what they observe and practice what you demonstrate, providing guidance and feedback.
- Develop AI Literacy: Engage with generative AI tools with your students in person when possible. Share AI-generated responses to questions during class time and ask students to consider them or have students experiment with the technology at home, document their experiences, and share them with the class.
Learn More
Learn more about Getting Started with Copilot in Your Class and Supporting Teaching with Generative AI (Faculty Learning Hub).