A Working Relationship with AI Technology, Cengage and Myself

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Back when artificial intelligence in teaching was the “new thing” among professors, I thought to myself, “Oh, the places I will go. Life will be so easy.” The effectiveness of AI, particularly in content generation or assistance, is largely dependent on the skills and expertise of the content developer utilizing it. Yet, I learned fast that it was my content expertise plus AI technology that equaled an effective assignment or grading rubric. I had to develop a working relationship with AI technology. Here are a few key factors that highlight this relationship.

Understanding of the subject matter

Between a Cengage textbook author’s content knowledge and that of a professor’s, the depth and breadth of understanding is vast and valuable. Knowledgeable content developers and professors provide valuable context, nuance and depth. This ensures the information is accurate, relevant and insightful. Therefore, combining a textbook author’s content expertise with a professor’s creates a knowledge powerhouse combination. AI cannot replace your expertise.

Neurodiversity teaching and clear instructions

In order to teach today’s generation of students, you’re required to understand neurodiversity-centered teaching strategies. In other words, you need to know how to present certain criteria for students, so they can understand instructions on assignments or through lecture.

The quality of the output generated by AI often relies on the clarity and specificity of the prompts or instructions given. A skilled content verbal or written developer can craft better prompts, leading to more useful and coherent AI-generated content.

Precision instruction and critical thinking

AI can generate text based on patterns and data but lacks the ability to think critically or make judgments. A developer must assess AI-generated content for quality, coherence and alignment with the intended message or goals. Each Cengage textbook aligns content knowledge to professional standards in its specific discipline. As an interdisciplinary early childhood education professor, I specifically know and understand that the National Association of the Education of the Young Child (NAEYC) provides workforce-level skills and standards that link to the teaching content of the specific course. Cengage textbooks offer workforce alignment. And they provide me with the foundation to maximize and streamline lesson planning. Once again, the value of knowledge plays a major role in the effectiveness of AI technology. AI enhances our teaching, but cannot replace textbooks or our instruction.

Creativity

Creativity in our teaching is a gift. While AI can assist us in brainstorming ideas, professors bring creativity, emotional intelligence and a unique voice. These are crucial for developing engaging content. As professors, we often hear the word, “relevancy.” Is the content we’re teaching relevant to the workforce or real life? How can this knowledge be useful to the student? As a neurodiversity-trained education coach, I will say that if a professor or an author is not relating course material to real life in a variety of avenues of learning, then many students are not learning in your course.

Editing and refinement

The initial output from AI often requires editing and enhancement. A competent developer can refine the content to improve clarity, style and effectiveness. Together, professors teach typical and atypical students with a variety of learning styles. MindTap often provides one avenue to touch a visual learning style while the Cengage textbook may provide a tactile learning style through reading and visual learning. But, what about the student who must work through a situation with hands-on learning? AI can provide ideas, but the content developer and one with expert knowledge has the precision to change, instruct and provide the one-on-one creativity to bridge the learning gap for many students.

From one professor to another, don’t forget YOU are valuable.

Written by Dr. Maria C. Rutherford,  a Full Professor at Bluegrass Community and Technical College and Cengage Faculty Partner.

For more insights on the impact of artificial intelligence in teaching within higher education, check out these resources.