Reimagining higher education teaching in the age of AI from edX

The course is structured around three themes:

AI and HE: What is the hype about?

Here we look at the question: Could AI be the much-needed opportunity for higher education to reimagine teaching, learning, and assessment practices? To begin answering this, we will first explore where we are and how we got here and then investigate the intersection and interplay of AI and HE.

Re-imagining the HE-landscape in the age of AI

The logical follow-up question is: What do our graduates need from us and what will the world need from them? We don't know what the future holds, but we do know that it will be AI-infused. Assuming that human-machine relationships will be key to the successful navigation of this uncharted territory, we will look at AI literacies as a means of cultivating futures-readiness. To this end, we will delve deeper into key topics, such as understanding the possibilities, risks, and limitations of AI. We will also explore practical applications of AI tools, fostering critical thinking skills, and adopting a values-based approach to responsible AI use.

Responding to the invitation to change

The final question to consider, is: How can we prepare our graduates for the future? Reframing of the AI disruption as an invitation to change, we will look at possible responses to achieving the requisite literacies. To better understand how these skills can be applied in practice, we will analyse examples and case studies from various sources. You will also be afforded an opportunity to apply some of the thinking to your own context.

What you'll learn

This course is designed for any professional, involved with teaching in the higher education context, who is interested in the interaction between user-facing AI tools and education.

At the end of this course, participants will be able to:

Explain the impact of AI on teaching in HE.
Describe key AI terms and concepts, such as LLM, generative AI, and other types of AI relevant to HE.
Discuss ways of thinking about human relationships with machines with a view on to uncertain futures.
Discuss the components of AI literacies as well as their importance and value.
Highlight the criticality of a values-based approach to the responsible use of AI.
Considerations of user-facing AI tools in HE.

What's inside

Learning objectives

ways of thinking about human relationships with machines with a view on to uncertain futures.

the components of ai literacies as well as their importance and value.

ways of thinking about human relationships with machines with a view on to uncertain futures.
the components of ai literacies as well as their importance and value.

Good to know

Know what's good

, what to watch for

, and possible dealbreakers

This course is designed for higher educators who teach in the context of the interaction between AI and education

Taught by professors recognized for their work in higher education, this course covers the hype, reimagined landscape, and invitations to change related to the use of AI in higher education

Examines user-facing AI tools, which explores how they can be used and implemented in the learning environment

Requires learners to have a basic understanding of AI and higher education

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Reimagining higher education teaching in the age of AI with these activities:

Compile notes, assignments, quizzes, and exams

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Compiling your materials will help you stay organized and keep track of your progress. This will be helpful for reviewing the material before exams and for future reference.

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Gather your materials
Organize your materials

Practice solving logic puzzles

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Logic is a fundamental skill for AI. Solving logic puzzles will help you improve your logical reasoning skills. This will be helpful for understanding the course material on AI.

Browse courses on Logic

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Find a logic puzzle book
Solve the puzzles

Read Rich Sutton's Reinforcement Learning

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AI in this course focuses around teaching and learning. Sutton's book focuses on teaching machines how to perform well in their environment. It will be a good supplement to the material on teaching humans in this course.

View Reinforcement Learning, second edition: An... on Amazon

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Read the first three chapters
Complete the exercises at the end of each chapter

Six other activities

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Complete the Tensorflow tutorial

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Tensorflow is a popular machine learning framework. Completing this tutorial will give you a good understanding of how to use Tensorflow for AI applications. This will be helpful for completing the assignments in this course.

Browse courses on Machine Learning

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Follow the tutorial steps
Complete the exercises

Read Robert Stalnaker's Conditionals

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AI is greatly affected by how humans reason. Stalnaker's book provides a good foundation on the logic of how people use conditionals. This will help improve understanding of the course material on how humans learn.

View Knowledge and Conditionals on Amazon

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Read the first five chapters

Create a data visualization of your grades

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Creating a data visualization of your grades will help you identify trends and areas where you need to improve. This will be helpful for setting goals and for staying motivated.

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Collect your data
Choose a data visualization tool
Create your visualization

Shadow a machine learning engineer

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Shadowing a machine learning engineer will give you a first-hand look at what it is like to work in the field. This will be helpful for making career decisions and for getting a better understanding of AI.

Browse courses on Machine Learning

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Find a mentor
Observe your mentor
Ask questions

Write a blog post about AI

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Writing a blog post will help you solidify your understanding of AI. It will also give you an opportunity to share your knowledge with others. This will be helpful for retaining the information you learn in this course.

Browse courses on AI

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Choose a topic
Write the post
Publish the post

Build a simple AI application

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Building an AI application will give you hands-on experience with AI. This will help you understand how AI works and how to apply it to real-world problems. This will be helpful for applying the concepts you learn in this course.

Browse courses on AI

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Choose an idea
Develop the application
Test the application
Deploy the application

Career center

Learners who complete Reimagining higher education teaching in the age of AI will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

AI Ethicist

AI Ethicists advise organizations on the ethical implications of artificial intelligence. This course may be useful as it delves into the values-based approach to the responsible use of AI.

See salaries and explore the career path for AI Ethicist

Higher Education Faculty

Higher Education Faculty teach and conduct research at higher education institutions. As AI becomes more prevalent in higher education, understanding its impact and potential uses will be important for Higher Education Faculty. This course could help Higher Education Faculty stay abreast of these changes.

See salaries and explore the career path for Higher Education Faculty

AI Teacher

As technology advances, AI is being used to teach students in new and engaging ways. This course may help an AI Teacher, as it explores the possibilities, risks, and limitations of AI as it relates to higher education.

See salaries and explore the career path for AI Teacher

Instructional Technology Specialist

Instructional Technology Specialists partner with educators to ensure that technology is used effectively to support learning. This course may be helpful for the role as it delves into the risks, possibilities, and limitations of AI as it relates to higher education, as well as how to use it responsibly.

See salaries and explore the career path for Instructional Technology Specialist

Higher Education Administrator

Higher Education Administrators are responsible for the overall operation and management of an academic institution. This course may be useful for this role as it covers the impact of AI on teaching and learning in higher education, and how to use it responsibly.

See salaries and explore the career path for Higher Education Administrator

Educational Researcher

Educational Researchers conduct research on education and learning. This course would provide Educational Researchers with an in-depth look at the ways AI may be used in higher education.

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Data Scientist

Data Scientists use their knowledge and training to extract meaningful insights and knowledge from data. This course might be useful as it explores user-facing AI, which may be useful to a Data Scientist.

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Instructional Coach

Instructional Coaches work with teachers to improve their teaching practice. This course could help an Instructional Coach, as it explores generative AI, which could be a valuable tool in higher education.

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Education Consultant

Education Consultants advise and assist educational institutions, organizations, and individuals. This course could be helpful as it provides ways of thinking about human relationships with machines on the uncertain futures of education.

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Instructional Designer

Instructional Designers create and develop educational programs and materials. This course may be useful as it provides future-readiness as well as explores AI literacies, which may be valuable to an Instructional Designer.

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Quantitative Researcher

Quantitative Researchers gather and analyze numerical data. This course could be useful as it introduces key AI concepts that relate to higher education and future readiness.

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Curriculum Developer

Curriculum Developers design and implement educational programs and experiences. This course may be useful as it explores user-facing AI tools in higher education, which could be incorporated into a curriculum.

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Artificial Intelligence Researcher

An Artificial Intelligence Researcher designs and builds new artificial intelligence software. This course may be useful as it introduces you to the relationship between humans and technology, as well as ethics, which are important in developing responsible AI.

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Learning Scientist

Learning Scientists investigate how people learn. This course could be useful as it provides context for future-readiness and the impact of AI on learning.

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Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Postdoctoral Research Fellows work on research projects for a defined period of time after earning a doctorate. This course could be helpful as it will guide your thinking on the future and its uncertainties as well as provide value through an exploration of AI literacies.

See salaries and explore the career path for Postdoctoral Research Fellow