AI Tools in University Teaching: Competent and Responsible Use for Educators and Students
Funded by the Ministry of Science, Research, and Arts of Baden-Württemberg (MWK), the collaborative initiative KI-T-Ü is dedicated to the development of specific exercises and didactic materials aimed at cultivating adept and responsible engagement with generative AI applications in the university context. These materials undergo practical testing and evaluation through multiple iterative trials. The collaborative partners, including the Institute for Philosophy at the University of Stuttgart, the International Center for Ethics in the Sciences and Humanities (IZEW) at the University of Tübingen, and the Advisory Board at the University of Education Ludiwgsburg contribute their expertise in language and media philosophy, the philosophy of technology, as well as higher education didactics. Furthermore, the project underscores the ethical and epistemic dimensions of media and democracy education in the context of generative AI tools. The application of these resources aims to guide educators and students toward a nuanced and ethically informed proficiency in dealing with generative AI models.
IZEW Team
Duration
01 Dec. 2023 – 30 Nov. 2026
Partners
Project Partner, University of Stuttgart, Institute of Philosophy
Advisory Board, University of Education Ludwigsburg
The project
In the project "AI Tools in Higher Education: Exercises for Competent and Responsible Engagement for Educators and Students," extensive material on generative AI applications in university settings is being developed, practically tested, and evaluated in multiple trials. The Institute for Philosophy at the University of Stuttgart contributes expertise in language philosophy, media philosophy, technology philosophy, and higher education didactics, while the International Center for Ethics in the Sciences and Humanities (IZEW) contributes to ethical and epistemic aspects of media and democracy education. The pedagogical advisory board (PH Ludwigsburg) provides consultative guidance in the development and testing of the material.
The created material includes specific exercises for the utilization of generative text-to-text and text-to-picture models, reflection on the epistemic quality and other characteristics of AI-generated outputs, as well as contemplation of relevant distinctions between texts authored by humans and machines. Furthermore, the potential societal consequences of increasingly difficult-to-discern differences between information and misinformation, as well as the strategic or unintentional dissemination of false and misleading information, are addressed.
Through the application of the materials, educators and students are guided towards competent and responsible handling of generative AI models. An optionally applicable "AI Policy" within the exercises aims to clarify expectations in higher education regarding the identification of generated texts and images, as well as individual responsibility in assessing the truthfulness of generated texts.
The objectives of the project include imparting media and epistemic competence with a focus on enabling responsible engagement with AI applications and facilitating the use of the developed and validated materials in various teaching and learning contexts.