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Target Audience: Staff

Over the past few years, Generative AI tools have developed rapidly and are continuing to have a significant impact on education, with many staff and students using them, to varying degrees, within their everyday work. 

AI has the potential to address challenges within HE, as well as offer innovative teaching practices, and so understanding how to use generative AI well is an important skill for those in study and in the workplace. This module aims to provide staff with an understanding of how best to approach generative AI, through recognising its capabilities, learning good prompt writing, and applying critical thinking throughout use. It will also explore the issues surrounding AI use – its limitations, inaccuracies, biases, and ethical considerations. 

This four-week online course is designed for university staff and students to explore the effective and ethical use of generative AI tools in teaching and learning. Each week consists of a three-hour asynchronous session, combining video, reading, discussions, and hands-on activities. Participants will gain a basic understanding of artificial intelligence, with a focus on generative AI, its mechanisms, and critical distinctions between human and machine learning. 

Key topics include evaluating the capabilities and limitations of generative AI tools, understanding ethical implications, and fostering critical thinking. Participants will learn prompt-writing techniques to optimize AI outputs, explore current student uses of AI, and discuss impacts on assessment, academic integrity, and employability skills. The course also covers using AI for content creation, study assistance, and instructional support while ensuring compliance with academic standards. 

The course has been designed around the University’s nine key Principles for AI use in Learning, Teaching and Assessment, and will look at how to apply these in practice.  

These principles guide participants in developing responsible, inclusive, and sustainable practices for AI in educational settings. 

By the end of the course, participants will be equipped to use generative AI thoughtfully and effectively, promoting an inclusive and innovative learning environment. 

By the end of this session, participants should be able to: 

• Participants will develop knowledge of Generative AI, to enable them to use tools responsibly.
• Participants will develop practical skills in Generative AI use, within the context of academic learning, including prompt engineering.
• Participants will be able to evaluate Generative AI output and determine suitability of use.
• Participants will be able to demonstrate skills in innovative use of Generative AI in learning.

The course requires 12 hours of participant effort. The course will contain three hours of material/activities each week, for a total of four weeks. 

Prerequisites