The Human Touch: Balancing AI Usage with Expertise, Education and Engagement

Generative AI (GenAI) offers transformative potential in structuring university lessons. In a sample lesson on “plants, people, and planet” in a Common Course course, ChatGPT assisted the teacher in crafting slide summaries, lecture talking points, suggested images, class activities, and practical assessments. The key takeaways in applying GenAI in lesson planning and construction included (1) improvement of time management through effective estimation of lesson time; making sure AI-generated content is clearly explained and organized; and (3) adding familiar elements like local scenarios, examples and issues to help students connect and make learning more relevant.