Navigating Generative AI in Education: NTU's Guide for Teachers and Students

National Taiwan University (NTU) adopts a positive and forward-thinking approach to generative AI, viewing it as an opportunity to enhance teaching and learning. The university encourages educators to adapt their course designs and learning assessments to reflect the unique aspects of their courses and achieve their pedagogical goals. Simultaneously, students are urged to understand the limitations of AI tools and learn to utilize them effectively to support their academic pursuits. NTU aims to provide guidance on the application of generative AI in both teaching and learning scenarios, integrating AI information with the university's pedagogical philosophy and existing campus resources.

Teachers can harness generative AI to streamline various aspects of their work. For instance, AI can assist in generating exam questions or verifying answers. By having a generative AI attempt to answer questions, educators can gauge the difficulty and clarity of their questions, identifying areas that may need adjustment to increase complexity, incorporate unique course content, or better reflect individual student characteristics. AI can also be used to draft teaching plans or assignment descriptions, providing a starting point for ideas that can then be refined and improved, thereby enhancing efficiency. Tools like ChatGPT can also review assignment instructions for completeness, highlighting areas that require modification or further explanation. Furthermore, generative AI can be instrumental in creating teaching and learning materials, such as worksheets, practice problems, activity instructions, and resources for independent student learning.

The rise of generative AI has undeniably altered how we access and process information. However, this shift does not diminish the importance of foundational knowledge. On the contrary, in an era where AI tools are ubiquitous, a solid grasp of fundamental concepts is essential for understanding information, discerning its accuracy, formulating effective questions, and driving innovative applications. Students need a robust knowledge structure and critical thinking skills to truly leverage the potential of human-AI collaboration. While AI can rapidly generate content, it is humans who possess the capacity for innovative problem-solving in complex situations, value judgments, and ethical reasoning. Creativity, critical thinking, professional judgment, and values are core competencies that AI cannot easily replicate. Therefore, university curricula should focus on identifying and imparting the knowledge, skills, and thinking abilities crucial for students' future development, enabling them to add unique human value in their collaboration with AI and achieve synergistic learning outcomes.

Without a proper understanding of AI's operations and limitations, or lacking the skills for correct application, students may inadvertently misuse AI tools during their studies. This can lead to risks such as plagiarism, data leakage, and incorrect citations, impacting learning outcomes and potentially resulting in academic and legal repercussions. Before using AI, students should reflect on their usage patterns and ensure they align with ethical, correct, and safe principles.

Students can leverage generative AI in several practical ways to enhance their learning. AI can serve as a tool for answering questions about unclear concepts or ideas within a learning topic or course content, facilitating further clarification. It can also provide feedback on assignments, offering insights for reflection and improvement. AI-generated content can be used as a reference example to compare and analyze the strengths and weaknesses of one's own work. Furthermore, AI can assist in editing text for course assignments or reports, refining grammar and content. For language learners, AI's conversational and question-answering features can be valuable for practice. AI also offers opportunities to practice critical thinking, as its outputs may contain biases or errors, necessitating careful examination, evaluation, and cross-referencing with authoritative sources to ensure accuracy and reliability. The university library cautions that AI can generate non-existent references, underscoring the need for meticulous verification of bibliographic details. The process of interacting with AI, requiring clear and specific prompts, can also help students clarify their thoughts and refine their learning objectives.