Generative AI in Teaching and Learning at the GSD

Image generated by Adobe Firefly (beta)
This page provides policies, information, and guidance for courses regarding the use of generative AI in teaching and learning at the GSD. Note that AI technologies are developing rapidly, and this page will be updated periodically.
Generative AI tools available at Harvard
Generative AI tools available at Harvard
- At this time, the only generative AI tool available to all Harvard users via an enterprise license is Adobe Firefly for image generation, accessible via the Adobe Creative Cloud; the Photoshop desktop app also uses Firefly as a built-in feature
- HUIT is working on securing an enterprise agreement for ChatGPT and/or similar large language models (LLM) such as Google Bard and may soon be able to provide protected access to other tools such as Google Vertex, Amazon’s Bedrock, and Llama upon request
- Enterprise licenses provide additional security via HarvardKey and may make it possible to input private or otherwise protected data into generative AI tools in the future; doing so with free, non-enterprise accounts likely constitutes a violation of existing policies on data security
- If you have questions about the risk of using a specific tool, or are interested in learning whether HUIT may be able to provide a secured environment for experimenting with a specific tool, please contact [email protected]
Harvard Resources on Generative AI
Harvard Resources on Generative AI
- HUIT’s website on generative AI provides up-to-date information about available tools, usage considerations, and related resources
- The Derek Bok Center’s Resources on Teaching and Artificial Intelligence in Canvas include a wealth of useful information about AI in teaching settings
- metaLAB (at) Harvard’s Proposed Harvard AI Code of Conduct provides key points and suggestions for the responsible use of AI in alignment with the Harvard College Honor Code
Non-Harvard Resources on Generative AI
Non-Harvard resources
- theresanaiforthat.com is an AI-generated database that indexes and tracks 7000+ (and counting) publicly available AI tools across the internet
- “How to Use AI to Do Stuff: An Opinionated Guide” by Ethan Mollick compares the most common tools based on their suitability for different uses
- “A Generative AI Primer” by Michael Webb explains generative AI technology and its expected impact on higher education
- unesco’s quick start guide on “ChatGPT and Artificial Intelligence in higher education” illustrates the challenges and ethical implications of AI
Communicating expectations for the use of AI tools in courses
Communicating expectations for the use of AI tools in courses
- Instructors are encouraged to communicate clear expectations surrounding the acceptable use of generative AI tools for their course and/or individual assignments on their course syllabus and may require, encourage, or restrict specific uses and tools based on their course pedagogy
- The required use of AI for a given course or assignment means that students must utilize an AI tool to complete the requirement
- The encouraged use of AI means that students are not obligated to utilize AI tools but may do so if it fits the goals of their project
- The restricted use of AI means that there are clear exclusions for certain uses of AI, keeping in mind that a total ban on the use of AI tools by students is widely seen as unrealistic and unenforceable except in controlled environments such as in-person exams
- Note that any use of generative AI tools requires proper referencing, as is the case for all other resources and aids used in academic work
Common uses for students
Common uses for students
- In alignment with course policy requiring disclosure and excluding certain scenarios, students might want to use AI tools in coursework for tasks such as
- Formulating initial ideas and starting points for research and asking high-level non-specialized questions about their goals
- Proofreading or correcting existing text similar to what is provided by tools such as Grammarly (which relies on AI in its main functionality)
- Gathering references and resources for research, with great caution towards unreliable and fabricated content (sometimes called “hallucinations”)
- Summarizing large datasets that are either publicly available or don’t otherwise violate data privacy policies. An example would be extracting verdicts from hundreds or thousands of publicly available legal cases
- Analyzing existing and non-protected sets of data for correlations or possible patterns
- Generating images with caution towards possible copyright infringement (note that Adobe Firefly is trained exclusively on licensed or freely available content and thus poses no risk regarding copyright)
Common uses for instructors
Common uses for instructors
- Instructors are expected to use great caution in employing AI technologies in teaching and are responsible for ensuring accuracy. However, like traditional internet searches, AI-generated content can provide a useful starting point and inspiration for
- Drafting lesson plans, exercises, or quizzes; note that output will almost always contain problems and requires careful review
- Summarizing, simplifying, or customizing existing material such as lecture notes; when asked to edit text, AI generally won’t introduce new or misleading concepts, but vigilance is key
- Note that while it is inappropriate for instructors to use AI for providing feedback on student work, it may be appropriate to ask students to seek AI-generated feedback on their work as part of a carefully framed assignment (e.g., AI tools may be getting better at auditing a design project for compliance with codes or other specifications)
Covering the cost of AI tools
Covering the cost of AI tools
- Instructors are encouraged to utilize AI tools in their courses that Harvard or the GSD provides on enterprise agreements as they become available. In partnership with HUIT, the GSD is actively exploring how to make desirable tools available at no additional cost to users, and contract negotiations are ongoing
- Instructors may also require students to purchase individual licenses to a specific generative AI tool not provided by Harvard or the GSD and are asked to include information and the expected cost on their syllabus, treating it the same as any other expected expense associated with courses, such as materials for fabrication
- Instructors may not use course budgets to pay for or reimburse students for using AI tools in their courses but may use available research funds to pay for AI tools for their own research and experimentation; contact [email protected] to learn whether HUIT can offer support or access to a desired tool for your course needs