Contact email: cldavis@lagcc.cuny.edu

Project Update as of September 2024: CTL GAI_Opening Sessions_C. Davis

Pre-health sciences majors must take anatomy and physiology as part of the requirements to apply to health sciences programs such as nursing, physical therapy assistant, and radiology technology. The course is challenging, and students must develop structured study skills that can promote success in the course. Unfortunately, SCB203 has a high DFW rate, and there is no single reason for the significant attrition observed. There have been attempts to remedy the situation in my classes, for instance, using active learning exercises in the classroom and meeting with students who do not perform well on the first quiz. Recently, the Natural Sciences Department implemented extended sections of SCB203, including an additional hour for lectures and labs. The additional hour for my section was used to implement worksheets to be completed at the beginning of each class.

In the 2024-2025 academic year, I plan to introduce and demonstrate to students how generative AI can be used to create study guides in topics covered in human anatomy and physiology. Students will be asked to generate study guides for the biology major as well as study guides with a focus on Bloom’s Taxonomy. The study guides can provide yet another interventive means to promote student success in the course.

Contact email: dstadler@lagcc.cuny.edu

Project Update as of September 2024: Stadler.Opening Sessions Presentation 2024

My project was designed as a major assignment, either as the midterm or final examination, in the Library’s credit course, LRC 103 (Internet Research Strategies). Course lessons focus on concepts outlined in the Framework for Information Literacy, which provides a conceptual model for understanding and teaching information literacy. Specifically, the class supports that “Authority Is Constructed and Contextual” and that “Information Has Value.” First, “information resources reflect their creators’ expertise and credibility, and are evaluated based on the information need and the context in which the information will be used.” Students gain an understanding that many disciplines have acknowledged authorities in the sense of well-known scholars and publications that are widely considered “standard.” They also use research tools and indicators of authority to determine the credibility of sources. Second, “information possesses several dimensions of value, including as a commodity, as a means of education, as a means to influence, and as a means of negotiating and understanding the world.” In the course, students learn give credit to the original ideas of others through proper attribution and citation.

To assess the comprehension of these concepts, and to emphasize the importance of corroborating information found in GenAI with multiple credible sources in a research database, the assignment first has students use ChatGPT to answer a research question. Students then review the results and select three facts/data provided by ChatGPT. Next, students need to find credible sources in a research database that supports the information provided by ChatGPT, identifying sources written by scholars and in publications that are widely considered “standard” in their discipline. Specifically, they provide citations for each fact/data element and in a short paragraph explain how the source supports the information, what the mission/goal of the publication is, and to describe the author’s credentials and expertise. For extra credit, students can find one source that contradicts the information provided by ChatGPT. They need to provide a citation of the source, explain how the source contradicts the information, and describe the mission/goal of the publication and the author’s credentials and expertise.

The assignment not only wishes to emphasize the importance of corroborating information found in GenAI, but it also hopes to give students a better understanding of authority in a field to give them a grounding for the standards in specific fields. This will help students think of themselves as potential expert in a field as they build their own skills.

The assignment not only wishes to emphasize the importance of corroborating information found in GenAI, but it also hopes to give students a better understanding of authority in a field to give them a grounding for the standards in specific fields. This will help students think of themselves as potential expert in a field as they build their own skills.

Contact email: jriccio@lagcc.cuny.edu

Public Speaking is a required course for many LaGuardia students, and includes two major speech assignments: Informative and Persuasive. Both call for students to select topics, research them, and organize and deliver an effective presentation. Much of the time, students Google for topic ideas and articles (or sometimes end up at Wikipedia), pull main points from such articles, and then cite them, thus generating little to no unique content themselves. Their speeches therefore end up as a patchwork quilt of ideas and do not necessarily foster critical thinking practices. Because of this, faculty spend extra classes reviewing and guiding students through these processes, taking time away from important lessons in rhetoric, listening, and delivery rehearsal. As two Communication Studies colleagues, we seek to leverage generative A.I. tools to encourage critical thinking and reduce students’ time spent blindly doing internet research. Our project primarily aims to empower students to best use these tools to complete their tasks in a creative way while staying meaningfully engaged in speech-craft. Our secondary objectives are to shift some research weight so students have more time for other parts of the course, to cement understanding of effective speech organization through repetition and use, and to show the strengths and limitations of A.I. evidence and reliability.

Our project involves the first major speech of the semester, the Informative Speech. Through hands-on work, we will introduce the A.I. platforms Claude, Perplexity, and Gemini, asking our students to investigate the best tool for each step of the speech-making process. They will then select one to use for the following:

– Generating speech topics

We will demonstrate how to use A.I. to focus a topic for a specific audience, requiring students to do the same. We will work with students to create a prompt asking AI for feedback on a topic they are considering (e.g. “What do you think about _____ as an informative speech topic?”). This will assist them in narrowing down and better understanding a topic choice.

– Organizing an informative speech

After guiding students through the process of drafting a speech outline in one of the informative formats (Topical, Chronological, Cause and Effect), we will have them share their drafts with an A.I. tool to “chat” about how to create a better outline for their final version.

– Gathering evidence

We will first differentiate between evidence and sources, pointing out the limitations of A.I. in where they draw their information from (using Perplexity as an example), and then work with students to generate effective prompts for research such as, “Can you give me defective search terms for researching ______?” or “Can you recommend reliable/academic resources about ____?” Finally, we will show students how to effectively cite A.I. resources.

At the conclusion of this project, we plan to assess through a brief student survey and an examination of Informative Speech grades before and after implementation. It is worth noting that both faculty piloted this project over the summer with positive results, to be shared in more detail.

Contact email: ltoke@lagcc.cuny.edu

Project Update as of September 2024: Lilla Toke Opening Session 2024 presentation

The goal of my proThe goal of my project was to help students in my ENG 110: English Grammar and Syntax course study and practice the grammar concepts covered during the sessions to deepen their understanding and to help them prepare for the exams. Generative AI technology is a great tool for this kind of self-tutoring. The main challenge was whether to create an AI tutoring template where students would be carefully guided through specific questions and a set of choices designed by me, or to allow students to freely interact with the GAI platform so they could curate their study material to their individual needs. Since most students are not skilled to work independently with AI my goal was to encourage them to learn how to interact with these platforms in productive and skillful ways. Therefore, I chose a third route: I decided to produce a prudently designed prompt, which students could plug into the GAI platforms to serve as a jumping board for the self-tutoring sessions and which they could then tailor to their individual needs.

The GAI Institute gave me the space and time to work out the prompt and to test it repeatedly. Based on the outcome, I made the necessary edits paying attention to wording and detail so that the prompt would give students the desired outcome so they could guide themselves through complex grammatical notions, definitions and practice exercises. In addition, I also tested the final prompt on several GAI platforms: ChaptGPT, Claude, Copilot, and Gemini. The goal was to observe how the different platforms responded to my interaction with the prompt and to see which of them would be more intuitive and easier for students to use. For this particular situation, I concluded, Gemini or Claude would be the best options.

Contact email: lmingla@lagcc.cuny.edu

Project Update as of September 2024: Opening session -Presentation Using AI – Multilanguages Log Lesson

Project Title: Teaching Logarithmic Functions in Multiple Languages using AI tools.
Abstract: This lesson plan aims to introduce logarithmic functions through a multilingual approach, focusing on their definition, relationship with exponential functions, and graphical representations. The lesson begins by explaining how logarithms are inverses of exponential functions and simplify complex exponential equations. Students will explore the properties of logarithmic functions, including their domain and range, through graphing activities.
In class, students will engage with the lesson material prepared in English, Spanish, and French, choosing one of these languages for group activities. They will receive a worksheet to practice evaluating logarithmic expressions and solving equations, supported by a multilingual glossary of key terms. To ensure comprehensive understanding, a multiple-choice quiz will be provided in these three languages. During the group sessions, students will present and discuss the main concepts and solutions, fostering a collaborative and inclusive learning environment.
After class, students will work individually on a project that incorporates real-life applications of exponential functions and their graphing. This project allows students to apply their knowledge creatively and practically. They will utilize AI tools to research and translate additional resources, enhancing their understanding of logarithmic functions in their native language or another preferred language, excluding English, Spanish, and French. The project aims to deepen their grasp of logarithmic functions by connecting theoretical knowledge with practical applications in various linguistic contexts.
The integration of AI tools in the project phase empowers students to take control of their learning process, providing access to diverse resources and enabling them to overcome language barriers. By researching and creating projects in their native or preferred languages, students can engage more deeply with the material, leading to a richer educational experience. This approach not only reinforces mathematical concepts but also highlights the importance of linguistic diversity in learning.
Overall, this lesson plan aims to provide a comprehensive and inclusive understanding of logarithmic functions. By incorporating multilingual materials and encouraging individual research projects in various languages, students can connect mathematical concepts with real-life applications in a meaningful way. This method promotes linguistic diversity, fosters collaboration, and leverages AI technology to enhance learning outcomes. The combination of in-class group activities and individual projects ensures that students are well-equipped to understand and apply logarithmic functions in different contexts, preparing them for further mathematical studies and real-world problem-solving.
Glossary:
Logarithm: Logarithm (English), Logaritmo (Spanish), Logarithme (French)
Exponential Function: Exponential Function (English), Función Exponencial (Spanish), Fonction Exponentielle (French)
Base: Base (English), Base (Spanish), Base (French)
Inverse: Inverse (English), Inversa (Spanish), Inverse (French)
Domain: Domain (English), Dominio (Spanish), Domaine (French)
Range: Range (English), Rango (Spanish), Image (French)
Growth: Growth (English), Crecimiento (Spanish), Croissance (French)
Decay: Decay (English), Decaimiento (Spanish), Décroissance (French)

Contact email: mcuellar@lagcc.cuny.edu

Project Update as of September 2024: OS-Cuellar-STEM

Project 1: Differential equations.
Students interact with GAI to prepare a topic in the class for assessment & explore real-world applications in the form of word problems to practice the topic.
Project 2: Elementary statistics
In this project, students use GAI as a customized tutor to support their learning of Statistics & coding development skills. Students will be provided prompts to help them use GAI for this purpose.
This project will provide high quality resources to learning for students to support students learning unable to support pay-out-of-pocket tutoring services either because they don’t have the financial resources, time, or the college does not provide such tutoring services. The projects will foster equity students in mathematics at LaGuardia.

Contact email: pfess@lagcc.cuny.edu

Project Update as of September 2024: Fess_GAI_Opening_Sessions_presentation

This project aims to reimagine techniques of close reading for ENG102 in the context of generative A.I. technology. I hope to develop lesson plans and strategies for close reading that apply to a variety of texts, but for the sake of this project I am using Shakespeare’s play The Tempest, shifting from a purely text-focused approach to one that incorporates AI as a tool for exploration and pre-writing in preparation for high stakes assignments. As they read the play, students will engage in AI-assisted social annotations focusing on historical context, critical perspectives, generating questions, and contemporary references. In preparation for writing, students will use AI to understand a director’s role and the decisions involved in staging “The Tempest”. Throughout the project, AI is integrated as a starting point for discussions and annotations, with students encouraged to evaluate and reflect on AI-generated content. Key goals of the project include developing critical thinking skills by having students evaluate AI-generated content, and using AI to enhance accessibility of the text, and ultimately, the project uses AI as a tool to enhance, rather than replace, student engagement with the text, while also teaching critical evaluation of AI-generated content.

Contact email: shan@lagcc.cuny.edu

Integration of generative artificial intelligence (GAI) tool in Nursing Education: A pilot study

Generative artificial intelligence (GAI) tools are anticipated to transform all facets of nursing, encompassing education, practice, clinical care, administration, and research. Commercial virtual simulation products have already been adopted in undergraduate nursing programs in response to the growing demand for integrating GAI into nursing education in the AI era. Studies examining the impact of virtual simulation have shown that nursing students can plan and manage their self-learning pathways, monitor and reflect on their learning processes using data-driven insights, and ultimately achieve better academic performance.
Therefore, investigating the impact of incorporating GAI tools into nursing education is crucial for enhancing students’ self-awareness and self-regulated learning. Additionally, our study may identify effective GAI-based learning methods for implementation, define the roles of GAI-based learning and training systems, and evaluate students’ learning outcomes.
This study aims to examine the effects of integrating the GAI tool “NotebookLM” into the first clinical course, “Fundamentals of Nursing,” compared to traditional textbook-based learning, on variables such as self-awareness and self-regulated learning.
This randomized controlled trial will employ purposive sampling, with 30 students in the experimental group and 30 in the control group. The intervention will implement the use of NotebookLM integrated with their textbook for the experimental group, while the control group will use only the textbook. Throughout the experimental period, NotebookLM will present all the main nursing concepts and theories, nursing applications, quizzes, and case studies, along with the weekly reading list. Additionally, NotebookLM will provide real-time feedback and interventions based on each student’s learning progress.
Data will be collected online using self-reported measures of the following study variables: self-awareness, self-regulated learning using the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (Schraw and Dennison, 1994), and demographic information, including grade point average (GPA). The experimental and control groups will complete a pre-test on the first day of the class. Additionally, all participants will undergo a post-test to assess the same outcome variables as the pre-test after the 12-week intervention.
The data will be analyzed using SPSS version 26.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficients, independent t-tests, paired t-tests, chi-square tests, Fisher’s exact test, and analysis of variance (ANOVA) will be utilized to evaluate the effects.

Contact email: slivings@lagcc.cuny.edu

Project Update as of September 2024: Sue Livingston_ Using AI-generated Texts as Bridges to Understanding for Deaf-Student Readers

I have been using AI to make complex readings more accessible to deaf students in my English 101 course which is comprised of only deaf students. My rationale is that if students can INDEPENDENTLY read a simple version of a complex text, they can return to the more complex text and better guess at unknown words and complicated phrasing, using the simpler text as a bridge. For this project, I will test out a variety of different prompts using four different AI generators to see which prompt and which generator results in the most readable version of a text I use with my students. The generated text must be accurate and detailed. Once the prompt and generator have been decided, I will document if my students understand the simplified version and if they then better understand the more complex text. This will be measured by their abilities to explain the text in American Sign Language (ASL), figure out the more complicated vocabulary and phrasing of the more complex text and answer questions about it. As a final test of the effectiveness of this bridging method of reading comprehension, I will document how accurately my students quote from the more complicated text in their required essays.

Contact email: tnagano@lagcc.cuny.edu

Project Update as of September 2024: OpeningSessionsFall2024Slides Tomonori Nagano

This project aims to integrate AI technology such as ChatGPT into the teaching and learning of modern languages at LaGuardia Community College. The project plans to employ OpenAI’s ChatGPT Assistants, also known as “My GPTs,” to serve as AI tutoring bots for students enrolled in modern language classes, specifically those learning Japanese.

The primary objective of this project is to explore the effectiveness of AI tutoring bots compared to human tutors, examining various dimensions of this debate. While AI tutoring bots are very unlikely to work as a replacement for human tutors at this point, it is also conceivable that the tutoring bot will introduce new dimensions in students’ tutoring experiences, such as reduced anxiety in practicing a new language and repeated drilling practice for the student’s weaknesses in a new language (such as pronunciation and a specific grammar rule).

Using ChatGPT’s bot functions, My GPTs and Knowledge, an AI bot tutoring system will be introduced to students in Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 to collect data about students’ satisfaction and impressions after using these AI language tutors. The AI bots are being programmed to function as Japanese language tutors, assisting students with vocabulary, pronunciation, listening comprehension, and grammar exercises.

The project not only seeks to advance research on AI in education but also to improve personalized learning experiences for language learners. Students’ feedback will be crucial in evaluating the AI’s pedagogical effectiveness and guiding future enhancements.

Contact email: xgallardo@lagcc.cuny.edu

Project Update as of September 2024: Revamping ENG103_ The Research Paper A Metacognitive Approach to Integrating Generative AI Tools in the Research Process

Revamping ENG103: The Research Paper
A Metacognitive Approach to Integrating Generative AI Tools in the Research Process**

Description
In this course, students will progress through the research paper writing process while actively experimenting with, discussing, and reflecting on the potential benefits and limitations of using text generators for each skill involved. Through a double-entry diary, students will document their experiences and co-create guidelines for the recommended and ethical use of these tools in academic research.

Goals
The primary goals of this course are to familiarize students with generative AI technology, its capabilities, and its proper, ethical applications. Students will receive hands-on practice with Gen AI writing tools throughout the research process. Additionally, the course will emphasize human agency, control, and creativity in the writing process.

Skills Practiced
Students will practice key skills such as annotating, summarizing, researching, thesis-based writing, paragraphing, and using sources.

GenAI Tools Used
The generative AI tools used in this course will include ChatGPT (free version), Microsoft Copilot, and Google Gemini and NotebookLM.

Assessment
The work will be graded on a Pass/Fail basis.