Assignments

Note on use of generative AI

There are no restrictions on the use of Generative AI in this course (provided your use is documented and cited).

You are, in fact, actively encouraged to use these tools for all aspects of this class – provided you are transparent about how you are using it (share the prompts you utilized, the response from Generative AI, and your interpretation of its output). Never claim the output from generative AI as being your original work, i.e., standard principles of academic integrity still apply.

If you want an initial understanding of stance on this issue you can read “ChatGPT is a smart, drunk intern: 3 examples.”

I anticipate we will discuss these issues in class, and I look forward to these conversations.

This class includes a variety of assignments, as listed below.

Please note that you won’t submit assignments to me directly, except for the final paper. For the final paper, you have the option to share it exclusively with me via email or a direct message on Slack. You will sign up for assignments and submit them as links in the provided Assignment Sign-up & Submission doc. You can save your assignments on platforms like Google Drive, Dropbox, or your personal website and then submit the corresponding links in the document.

Weekly assignments

These tasks are expected to be completed weekly.

Reading and Participation: You are expected to read the required readings “thoughtfully”—that is, read them with questions, ideas, and conjectures in mind. Each week, by midnight on the Sunday before class, post one to three comments or questions about the readings on class Slack channel. I will collect and rearrange these questions/comments, which will then form the basis for our in-class discussion. You’re strongly encouraged to ask questions that foster engaging discussions. I will keep a general track of your participation here.
Examples of Good/Bad Design: You will be asked four times during the semester to share some examples of good/ bad design from the world around you. Note: These cannot be examples you find online but rather have to be observed by you. As you notice good and bad designs, take pictures that you can share with the class. Examples are everywhere: the kitchen, the bathroom, street signs, cars, and more. The idea is to become aware of the designs around you and learn to evaluate what does and does not work and for what reasons (Signup Sheet).
Generative AI Minute: I expect you to be playing with a range of generative AI tools through the semester. You will be asked 4 times during the semester to share insights and ideas you have gleaned from your experiments, explorations, and reading (Signup Sheet)
Class Activities: During class, you may be tasked with various mini-projects or activities.

Semester-long assignments

There are two semester-long assignments for this class.

The Big Kahuna

I am trying an experiment this semester—something I have never done before, in my years of teaching. But I am excited about this.

We have an opportunity here to create a powerful, transformative, experience for the broader ASU community about the generative AI and its possible impact on education.

To address this opportunity, the entire class will function as a design team to create an interactive, public experience around issues related to generative AI and education. The goal of this interactive, public experience is to help participants confront and reflect on the broader issues (the disruption, positive and negative) around design of education in the age of GenAI. We will frame this interactive experience around the 5 spaces for design in education framework.

Clearly there is a lot up in the air, that we will need to figure out—including goals, tasks, roles, responsibilities, deadlines and more. And we will do that collaboratively.

Incidentally, I decided to ask GPT4 about how such a process would work and what are some key responsibilities. This is what it suggested (the output below has been lightly edited):

Creating a highly creative, interactive, and engaging experience on such a profound topic requires a diverse skill set among your team members. Here’s a suggested breakdown of roles along with their primary responsibilities:

Project Management and Operations

Responsibilities: Overseeing the entire project, coordination, logistics, scheduling, and troubleshooting.

Content Development and Research

Responsibilities: Crafting the primary narrative, researching AI’s implications in education and the human condition, and writing the scripts/descriptions.

Providing insights into the current capabilities and limitations of AI, integrating AI tools for the experience, and ensuring the technological aspects run smoothly.

Interactive Experience Design

Responsibilities: Creating visual assets, designing the overall experience, integrating interactive elements, and ensuring the project has a cohesive look and feel.

Promotion, Marketing, and Community Engagement

Responsibilities: Developing and executing a marketing strategy, building and nurturing the community, gathering feedback, and facilitating discussions.

It is important that the sub-teams quickly adapt and collaborate effectively. These roles are interdependent, and constant communication and collaboration will be essential for the project’s success.

I couldn’t agree more.

Final Reflections Paper

Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.~ Søren Kierkegaard

This assignment is your final paper for the class (3-5000 words, double-spaced, which is a reflection on what you have learned in the class and the implications for your professional practice.

You recommend maintaining a google doc where you consistently write some personal summary notes and reflections the current week’s class meeting, your reflections on the readings, and things that occur to you about the design process overall. These may be informal or narrative or analytical notes to self. You can choose to share (or not) this document with me. I have found that sharing this with me places a sense of accountability that you may find useful.

At the end of the semester, you will put these notes together into one cohesive and synthesized reflection of your learning in the course. You can cut and paste some portions as you choose, rewrite or paraphrase ideas that you commented on in your notes, or summarize and extend ideas that you’ve noted in the semester. So, much of the content of this final reflection should come out of your weekly notes, with the overall intention being a thoughtful and cohesive reflection on what you have learned in the course.