'Using AI' Demonstrates How to Incorporate University-Approved AI Tools Into the Classroom

On Thursday, Dec. 4, the World Languages and Digital Humanities Studio (JBHT 207) held the "Using AI in the Classroom" workshop led by Professor Maria Comsa, teaching assistant professor of French and interim director of the WLDH Studio. The hands-on workshop centered on familiarizing participants with university-approved artificial intelligence (AI) tools and demonstrating how these tools can be used in the world language and culture classroom. 

The university-approved AI tools were previously discussed at an earlier event held at the WLDH Studio, "AI Literacy," a panel discussion on the new AI guidelines.  

The workshop opened with a survey to gauge how many participants were already using AI tools in their classes, how many were likely to incorporate AI tools into their courses and what they aimed to learn from the workshop. Comsa shared the university's AI guidelines and the Generative AI Syllabus Guidance to discuss academic integrity and how teachers can explain AI use expectations at the beginning of each semester. Comsa emphasized the importance of fact-checking generative AI, and she demonstrated how language and culture knowledge can prove invaluable when confirming the validity of information provided by an AI tool. 

This discussion was followed by hands-on practice with some of the university-approved AI tools, beginning with Copilot Chat. Comsa demonstrated how Copilot Chat can be incorporated into teaching and lesson planning with a cultural literacy focus. Workshop participants tested the tools and engaged in lively discussion about the AI generated content and its usefulness for language and culture class activities. Comsa then showed how to create a Copilot agent, how to use Think Deeper mode and, finally, shared some tips for prompt writing. 

Dr. Erika Almenara, associate professor of Spanish and director of the Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies Program, attended the workshop. "As CLCS director, I have seen how the knowledge shared at events like this one, organized by the WLLC DH Studio, has inspired students in our program who are currently writing dissertations on artificial intelligence," Almenara said. "In this workshop, Dr. Comsa shared valuable insights into digital tools and integrated data ecosystems, focusing on their impact on education and culture, which has motivated me to approach intelligent technologies from a new perspective." 

Given the ever-changing landscape of AI, participants expressed interest in future workshops to stay up to date on new AI tools and features. The WLDH Studio will hold another AI-centered event in the spring semester, and the full calendar of events will be shared across WLLC's social media sites soon. To stay in the loop on WLLC activities and events, please follow WLLC on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn, and subscribe to the WLLC calendar through the University Calendar.