Don’t be scared of AI: It might make you a better professor and student

Artificial intelligence, specifically Generative AI—technology that can produce text and images—has become much more familiar to Americans in the past two years. One reason is ChatGPT, OpenAI’s chatbot released in 2022. The AI chatbot has shown that machines can “learn” by identifying patterns and human behaviors.  

We know Generative AI can be helpful in research and editing, possibly even writing.

But to most Americans, AI is still somewhat of a mystery.  
According to Pew Research, while 90% of Americans say they’ve heard something about Generative AI, only 30% say they know a lot about it. And while most say that they are aware of ChatGPT and similar programs, just 18% say they’ve used it. Of course, college students, recent graduates and faculty are gaining familiarity, but many are still somewhat suspicious. Including many CSUN students and faculty.

But CSUN professor Deone Zell, who teaches Management 360 in the Nazarian School of business, is working to change that.  

“I don’t think students are getting the most from AI yet, because we haven’t been introducing it fast enough,” Zell says. “So I have been rolling it out in every class I teach, showing students how to use it for the course and how it is relevant to their studies and careers.

“For instance, I recently shared with a class how to use prompts to find and apply principles we are learning about in today’s news. Prompt engineering is a new way of thinking. And it’s totally relevant to the course I teach, Management and Organizational Behavior.” Zell gives examples of how an AI chatbot can help students organize random thoughts into coherent, compelling narratives, and even pitches, which in turn boosts confidence and group participation.

How to use AI tools to learn and teach better
Research shows that there are a few reasons people hesitate to learn and use AI: Certain demographic differences exist; for instance, young adults and college-educated Americans are more likely to put aside fears, and experiment with AI. Worry about a lack of experience with AI can lead to hesitation.

And some people worry that using it for content, for instance, borders on cheating.  

“Yes, AI can be used for cheating, but I think students realize that they are here to learn and build on their ideas and experience. And AI is never going to replace your brain. It’s an assistant to your brain. There are some amazing tools. Some can be scary, but still the possibilities are endless.”

Zell also wants to teach faculty how to use AI to enhance teaching and make it more efficient. “The simplest explanation is ‘mass personalization,’” she says. “Basically that means that I can tailor a student’s education to them. I gather information from each student on their backgrounds, their interests, their hobbies, the industries that their major might lead them into.” Those pieces of information become prompts for the Generative AI, and customized lectures can be created.  

“If I’m teaching a module on motivation, for instance, and students are interested in sports, we can see how what motivates a baseball player might be different from what motivates a basketball player. I can use those principles and apply them to what the student needs to learn, then they can take it home and build on it.”

The time efficiency is apparent to Professor Zell: “I had 166 students last session, and I was able to create customized lectures for every one of them. In minutes. That frees me up to spend more time with them, learn more, connect more, and then use that to create more content that is personalized to them.”  

First steps
Zell has found that the level of experience of students and faculty varies wildly, and many just don’t want to reveal it. “I encourage people to just have fun with it, try just talking or writing to it like a friend, play with different prompts. Ask it to have a conversation with you in the style of humorous Shakespeare, for instance. See where that takes you.  

“Then, start to ask questions that you are curious about. Maybe what careers are available to someone in a certain major, or with certain interests. Even if you feel overwhelmed and don’t know where to start, you can say that. See what happens.”   

Naturally, there are downsides to using AI for anything, including learning and teaching.  Concerns from educators include academic misconduct, privacy, and a bias in the algorithm, as well as an overall worry that using AI will speed up everyday life, leaving no time for contemplation and meaningful human interaction.  

“The reality is that anything can be disguised. You can take something that is created by AI—and sounds like it—and throw it back with the prompt to ‘Make sure this doesn’t sound like AI,’ and it’s smart enough to do just that. So, the one thing I would worry about is a student relying on a chatbot too much, and not doing enough learning. As instructors, we need to learn how to make assignments AI-proof, or just assume it will be used, and raise the bar.”

Zell urges both faculty and students to keep an open mind. “It’s a well-known phenomenon that any new technology will meet with resistance, skepticism and fear. But once you see what it can do for you, that helps overcome that fear.

“And here’s the best part,” she continues. “At least basic usage of most AIs is free. ChatGPT, Claude, Google’s Gemini, they are all accessible from a smart phone. Once students see how much they can learn through AI, how much it can help them reach their goals, they are instantly engaged.

“I recently told a class to think of a crazy idea they’d like to pursue as a business and ask ChatGPT to make it sound snazzy. The whole class came alive! They couldn’t wait to share. That is engagement.”  

It’s true that the AI progression is moving fast. “Sam Altman, the founder of Open AI, has a five-step framework that shows where things are really going to go,” Zell explains. “AI is moving toward creativity and innovation, because it’s a pattern recognition and generation machine. It will be able to connect the dots better than anyone on the planet, and we want our students to be in on that.”