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Programming from the CTL
The webpage for Generative AI resources at Western University’s Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL) provides a comprehensive framework for instructors to understand and integrate AI into their teaching practices. The content is organized into several key areas:
Interactive Workshops and Programming
The CTL offers various workshops designed to meet different levels of instructor expertise:
- Generative AI Playground: A guided, participant-driven session for those with limited experience to experiment with text, image, and other AI tools.
- Aligning AI-use with Pedagogical Values: An in-person session focusing on how an educator’s core values should shape their response to and use of AI in the classroom.
- GenAI Community of Practice: A forum for ongoing collaboration and discussion among the Western community.
Self-Paced Learning Modules
- Instructors can access four self-paced modules through OWL (Western’s Learning Management System) to build foundational and practical knowledge.
Special Initiatives
- GenAI Challenge: A semester-long initiative consisting of weekly posts that explore various facets of AI through diverse perspectives within the Western community.
- Faculty-Student Collaborative on Reimagining Assessment: A select group of faculty and students working together to explore alternative approaches to assessment in response to the challenges and opportunities posed by AI.
AI and your Syllabus
You must clearly indicate on your course syllabus whether the use of generative artificial intelligence tools are acceptable, permitted in specific situations, or unacceptable in your courses. This sets clear expectations for your students.
Regarding AI Detectors
False positives are a real problem: While some platforms claim false positive rates under 1%, independent testing has found rates as high as 50%. Students have faced academic misconduct accusations based on faulty results. While many have been cleared after investigation, the process itself can be stressful and damaging.
They're biased: Research shows these tools disproportionately flag work by non-native English speakers, with one study reporting a 61% false positive rate for that group. A 2024 report from Common Sense Media also found that Black students were flagged at twice the rate of white students. There's also evidence of bias against neurodivergent writers.
At Western, these tools should never be used as the sole basis for an academic integrity decision.