Equipping instructors to foster AI literacy in the higher education classroom. Preliminary results from a pilot project

Abstract

The ever-growing number of new and constantly evolving AI-based (writing) tools poses a major challenge for university teaching, especially in writing classes. While students are increasingly exploring these tools without reflecting their use critically enough, many instructors are unsure how to approach these new tools in their own teaching and whether or how to integrate them into their courses. They are unfamiliar with many of the tools or feel overwhelmed by the abundance of options and the obvious or sometimes perceived expectation to integrate them into their teaching. As part of an award-winning pilot project, a platform was therefore developed to support instructors in teaching basic AI literacy skills, providing curated teaching materials and specially designed workshops. Survey results, ongoing subscriptions to the platform, and its partial integration into a new cross-university project all highlight the strong appreciation and continued relevance of these resources among instructors and higher education experts.