By Julie Adams, Site Strategist at Strong Start to Finish
Strong Start to Finish (SStF) and Every Learner Everywhere (ELE) hosted the first session in a two-part series focused on using artificial intelligence (AI) in corequisite classrooms last month. Session leads from Achieving the Dream (ATD) and the WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technologies (WCET) offered important considerations related to equity and academic integrity. They also explored the various ways that AI can be a helpful tool in English classrooms. Susan Adams, director of teaching and learning at ATD, posed the million-dollar question in the context of corequisites: “Can AI provide the extra support students need?”
To answer this question, the session leads shared several promising ways that AI can be considered an extra support in the corequisite classroom. For example, Adams shared that one way to think about AI can be as a tutor for students. In this scenario, AI can assist with assignments students are working on, including by creating personalized study guides or suggesting a sample outline for a paper. Adams and Eric Fiero, project manager of program development at ATD and adjunct faculty at Montgomery College, also shared ways that educators can think about AI as a course designer. Educators can use prompts to ask AI to support them when developing courses and when designing authentic assessments. By recognizing ways that AI can be used as a supportive tool, we can create opportunities to make learning more adaptive to individual student needs. As Adams explained, “It isn’t just about making learning more effective. It’s about making it more inclusive.”
Following the session, the SStF team continues to reflect on what we learned from ATD and WCET. Some questions we’re still asking ourselves and hope to explore further are:
- What is the role of AI in developmental education reform beyond the corequisite classroom?
- What are the equity implications for using AI in the context of developmental education reform (i.e., who is being left out and why)?
- How do we (re)structure learning supports as AI tools evolve?
- What else should we be considering?
As we continue supporting state systems and institutions to implement developmental education reforms, including corequisite course models, we know these questions will continue to be front of mind.
Those who weren’t able to join last month’s session can watch the recording here. SStF and ELE invite everyone to join the second session, AI in the Corequisite Mathematics Classroom: Navigating Equity, Implementation, and Policy, April 25 at 3:30 p.m. EST/12:30 p.m. PST. Learn more about the session and register here.
