ChatGPT unleashed: An advanced exploration of AI-driven course design

Pre-Conference Workshop Session 2

Brief Abstract

Explore ChatGPT's potential in this advanced masterclass for educators and curriculum designers. Learn innovative techniques for course content creation and personalized learning experiences. Engage in hands-on activities and practical applications to generate captivating syllabi, lesson plans, quizzes, and more. Unleash the power of AI and elevate your educational offerings.

There is a fee of $300 for this pre-conference Master Class. You may also register for this Master Class as part of a special $550 Combo package of 2 Master Classes (1 AM and 1 PM class).

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Presenters

Lead Presenter: Sean Nufer, TCS Education System

Dr Sean Nufer is the Director of Teaching and Learning at TCS Education System, and an associate adjunct professor at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology and Pacific Oaks College.

Co-presenter: Veronica Estrada, Pacific Oaks College

Dr. Veronica Estrada is a Core Faculty for the School of Human Development at Pacific Oaks College, where she has been a faculty member since 2015. Dr. Estrada is currently serving her second term as Faculty Council Chair at the College. Dr. Estrada is also an adjunct professor for the Social and Behavioral Sciences Department at Citrus College where she has been teaching Foundations of Leadership since 2014. Dr. Estrada has had over fourteen years of experience teaching in Higher Education at the community college, bachelor and master degree level. Additionally, Dr. Estrada has over twenty years of experience as a Student Affairs Professional at various institutions in California (Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Cal State Long Beach, Glendale Community College, Citrus College, UCLA, California Institute of Technology, and Pacific Oaks). Dr. Estrada completed her Ed.D. in Higher Education Administration and Leadership at the University of Southern California, her M.S. in Counseling with a specialization in Student Development in Higher Education from California State University at Long Beach, and her B.S. in Developmental Psychology from California Polytechnic University at San Luis Obispo. Her research interests lie in the area of Educational Leadership, effective teaching styles to increase student retention, progressive student learning frameworks, elevating student classroom engagement using innovative technology, implementation of restorative practices in the classroom, and addressing the College completion gap among low-income students, specifically focusing on Latinx and DACA students. Dr. Estrada dissertation, “Evaluating the effects of diversity courses and student diversity experiences on undergraduate students’ democratic values at a private urban research institution”, examines the findings from previous research on the benefits of diversity courses and diversity experiences on student democratic outcomes. The purpose of this study was to evaluate to what extent diversity courses and student diversity experiences correlated with democratic values. Dr. Estrada has had the opportunity to travel various parts of the world for pleasure, business and academic conferences as well as sits on the Board of Directors and advisory board for two nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations. Dr. Estrada has presented at several international, national, and state-wide conferences and has published peered review articles.

Co-presenter: Mark Labbett, TCS Education System

Mark has been in higher education for over 25 years serving in roles from financial services and enrollment management to academic advising. He has been in the instructional design field for 10 years and has worked with several different LMS's. He currently serves as a Senior Instructional Designer for TCS Education System. Mark is responsible for the development of new online courses for several different programs. He also has taken on the responsibility of designing department resource centers for several different departments across the system. Mark earned his Master's of Education in Adult Education from Penn State University.

Co-presenter: Laura Blom, TCS Education System

Extended Abstract

ChatGPT is capable of generating robust educational content, making it an exceptionally effective tool for educators and curriculum designers for creating engaging course materials for students. ChatGPT, which has garnered significant attention this past year, has the potential to revolutionize online education by facilitating the creation of personalized learning experiences for students. It simplifies the generation of various course content types, including learning objectives, lesson plans, syllabi, lecture notes, quizzes, classroom activities, and student feedback. Once reviewed, revised (often many times over), iterated, tinkered with, and improved, the produced content is generally of high quality.

This advanced masterclass will explore a deep dive into ChatGPT, scrutinizing its benefits and drawbacks for educators and identifying its current limitations. Participants will engage in a multitude of hands-on activities, working collaboratively in groups to develop course content for "courses" that we will create together using ChatGPT. Our aim is to produce content such as syllabi, lesson plans, lecture notes, course policies, rubrics, assignments, quizzes, classroom activities, a lecture slide deck (PowerPoint, Google Slides, etc.) and potentially student feedback.

AI is especially advantageous for crafting materials like lecture notes and quizzes that necessitate precise and coherent text. It can also produce engaging and interactive classroom activities that promote student involvement and make learning enjoyable. In some instances, ChatGPT allows educators to tailor course materials to suit the distinct needs and expectations of individual students. Even though the concept of learning styles and the meshing hypothesis are fallacious, ChatGPT can still create activity outlines centered on specific sensory principles. By evaluating a student's prior interactions and performance (note: never use a real student's name or any identifying information), ChatGPT can generate customized materials that cater to their learning needs and preferences, enhancing student engagement and learning outcomes by providing more relevant and valuable content.

Additionally, ChatGPT can be integrated to optimize content creation for educators and instructional designers, such as producing large volumes of quiz or test questions. Since the model can create multiple options for each question, it can also be utilized to develop question banks for formative assessments.

Another key application of ChatGPT in education is producing personalized and meaningful feedback on student work, which can improve student engagement and learning outcomes. For example, it can help facilitate feedback for written responses, offer constructive feedback, and identify areas requiring further support. Educators can even provide assignment rubrics for precise assessment feedback.

It is essential to emphasize that ChatGPT is not meant to replace human educators but to enhance their efforts. AI-generated content must be examined and refined by a human educator to ensure accuracy, relevance, pedagogical integrity, and the preservation of the vital human touch in education. In the end, educators and course designers are responsible for ensuring their educational offerings deliver the best outcomes and mastery for their students.

ChatGPT has the potential to transform the way course content is created in education. It excels at generating high-quality, articulate, and human-like text rapidly and effortlessly, making it an optimal tool for diverse course materials such as learning objectives, lesson plans, syllabi, lecture notes, quizzes, classroom activities, and student feedback. Moreover, it can customize materials to meet individual students' needs and learning styles, rendering the content more relevant and useful. However, it is critical to acknowledge that ChatGPT is not a substitute for human educators and should be used in a manner that supports and complements their efforts. This advanced Masterclass will delve into ChatGPT's capabilities and limitations in the context of course content creation and discuss potential implementation strategies.