Lecture Notes on AI Tools for Online Learning and Teaching

Introduction

• Speaker: Dr. Nelly Deutsch
• Topics: AI in education, personal experiences, ethical considerations.

Dr. Nelly Deutsch's Background

• Experienced educator specializing in online learning and teaching.
• Interest in technology integration with face-to-face instruction.
• Background in teaching English as a foreign language and teacher training.
• Uses a peer learning approach in her teaching.

Getting Information

• Audience Interaction: Asked attendees where they get their information.
• Common Responses: Google, internet, life experiences.
• Relevance to AI: AI tools gather and streamline information.

Presentation Overview

• Topics Covered: What, Why, How
  • Recommendations for students
  • Personal experiences to save time
  • AI tools comparison
  • How to integrate AI in higher education
  • The importance of the 'why' behind using AI

AI Tools for Higher Education

Tools Recommended

• Chat GPT-4: Highly efficient but expensive.
• Chat GPT-3: Less effective, basic text chats, no images or tables.
• Google Bard with Gemini: Currently improving, offers links, analyzes YouTube videos.
• Claude: Good for summarizing PDFs, text files—cannot handle large volumes of text.
• Elicit: Free research article discovery and access tool.
• Semantic Scholar: Similar to Elicit, focuses on academic articles.
• Kinas: Free tool for accessing articles and summarizing information.
• Grammarly: Enhanced AI writing assistant for grammar and style checking.
• Quillbot: Helpful for paraphrasing and enhancing text.
• Transcriptor: Useful for video transcriptions.

Generative AI vs. Traditional AI

• AI: Repetitive, mechanical tasks.
• Generative AI: Creative, unique every time (text, images, music).
• Prompt Engineering: Crafting specific prompts to get desired outputs, courses available.

Prompts Types for Text and Images

• Descriptive Prompts
• Creative Writing Prompts
• Informative Prompts
• Research-based Prompts
• Instructional Prompts: Especially useful for outlining processes and giving step-by-step instructions.
• Conversational/Q&A Prompts
• Reflective/Educational Scenarios

Enhancing Learning with AI

• Benefits: Personalized learning, intelligent tutoring, automated grading, data analytics, collaboration.
• Tools: Virtual/Augmented Reality (for disciplines requiring these technologies).
• Language Translations: Over 40 languages, vital for international students.

Implementing AI in Education

1. Identify Needs: Determine gaps in teaching and learning.
2. Research AI Tools: Explore, experiment, and select appropriate tools.
3. Engage Stakeholders: Faculty, students, IT professionals, community members.
4. Assess Readiness: Evaluate technical infrastructure, bandwidth.
5. Pilot Implementation: Start small, expand based on feedback.
6. Training: Offer workshops for faculty and students.
7. Full Implementation: Rollout across institution, continuous assessment.
8. Policy and Ethics: Establish guidelines, address privacy, bias, intellectual property.
9. Future Planning: Long-term impact and adaptation strategies.

Ethical Considerations

• Privacy Issues: Data protection and student confidentiality.
• Bias in AI: AI acknowledges inherent biases, requires monitoring.
• Transparency & Accountability: Clear guidelines on AI usage.
• Digital Divide: Accessibility of paid AI tools versus free alternatives.
• Intellectual Property: Ensure originality and counter plagiarism.

Final Remarks

• Opportunities and Challenges: Balance the benefits with potential risks, use AI ethically.
• Eye Health: Follow the 20-20-20 rule to prevent eye strain.
• Resources: Free courses on prompt engineering, AI tools exploration.

References

• Recent studies on AI in education, most from 2023.
• Notable researchers include George Siemens, Darvishi et al., and more.
• Research spread across North America, Middle East, Far East.

Social Media

• YouTube: Subscribe to Dr. Nelly Deutsch's channel.
• Social Media: Follow on X (Twitter) and LinkedIn.