Perusall Exchange® 2024

This is an episode of our Materials Education Podcast, Undercooled. We talked to Chat GPT about pedagogy, teaching lab classes, the role of accreditation in engineering, and how to create Standards for an Introduction to Materials course. We also talk about how to make sure Chat GPT is telling us the truth and how to best use it to teach students Materials Science and Engineering.

Situated within the context of Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL), this presentation captures the instructors' experience implementing a project in MA English Language Teaching Methodology courses across two universities in HK and the UK. It discusses their use of Perusall in mediating student(-teacher)s' learning via the design of micro-teaching-focused activities guided by social learning theories, the affordances of Perusall in amplifying pedagogic, social and other benefits, the challenges both instructors and students faced, and strategies employed to overcome the hurdles. Evaluation of the COIL project is based on artefacts of the student(-teacher) s' work and their perceptions.

This presentation will discuss an exercise to be used at the brainstorming and thesis generative phase of a larger assignment. In this assignment, the instructor provides AI-generated responses to brainstorming questions, which are uploaded so students can annotate, ask questions, and think about what might be missing from the AI's outputs. The specific example provided will be from a college freshmen writing and research course that asks students to consider possible research topics and begin to think critically about their academic interests and research.

In Spring 2023, faculty decided to overhaul Yale’s popular ten years old Life Worth Living elective course in which students pursue questions of existential meaning. The teaching team viewed the proliferation of limited and generative artificial intelligence as an opportunity to revisit basic assumptions about what makes a Humanities seminar successful. This case study spotlights the principle of student personal engagement as a guiding factor in decisions involving appropriate use of artificial intelligence in the syllabus honor code policy, a major essay assignment prompt, and participation grading in the re-designed Life Worth Living course.

In the era of AI and technological advancements, fostering flexible collaboration is essential for both students and educators. This abstract advocates for a dynamic, robust learning environment enhanced by integrating technological advancements and real-world applications through problem-based learning. This strategy emphasises a holistic approach to education, advocating for the use of platforms like Perusall for clear role delineation and the evaluation of key personal and academic attributes. By introducing industry professionals and lecturers from diverse, interconnected disciplines, it aims to bridge theoretical learning with practical, real-world applications. Furthermore, incorporating top performers from previous cohorts as casual tutors is proposed as a means to enhance team performance through improved collaboration, leveraging the diverse roles within the Perusall ecosystem to foster a dynamic and interactive learning environment. A mixed-methods approach assesses these strategies' impact, aiming to enhance educational adaptability, relevance, and effectiveness, thus preparing individuals for future complexities.

Generative AI has the potential to transform instruction and make obsolete traditional resources like textbooks, re-define the role of the teacher, and change the way innovations like Perusall are used. This paradigm shift is not appreciated by many who have a limited understanding of a chatbot’s capabilities. Research into chatbots has progressed from a chatbot makes errors so don’t use it, to teachers considering potential use, to investigating how students actually use chatbots as a learning resource. In this presentation research will be shared from each of these stages with speculation for what may come next in this changing field.

Researchers assigned Perusall annotations in a class on U.S. American Cultures designed for first-year international students with limited English language proficiency. Social annotations were required to provide accountability for completing the readings, to encourage students to share the workload of defining terms, and to promote engagement with course concepts and peers. AI grading features in Perusall reduce required instructor time while providing data about time spent in app and number of responses. Annotations were coded to assess overall engagement in online discussions, cross-cultural exchange, and challenges related to language proficiency and cultural differences.

Perusall, as a virtual, social, collaborative platform, encourages students to read assigned journal articles while connecting with their peers outside the classroom. The chat feature on Perusall enables students to receive live feedback while reading materials and motivates them to connect with their peers. Undergraduate and graduate students have been tasked with reading journal articles outside the classroom and are assigned to complete each article before each class for one semester. Students have read before the class, and Perusall improved students’ pre-reading on assigned articles to save the class meeting time for more active learning activities and student-led group discussions.

This paper outlines a faculty development initiative centered on two evidence-based education (EBE) interdisciplinary workshops, employing quantitative and qualitative approaches. These workshops utilize Perusall, to assist faculty members at Mexico's largest public university in leveraging scientific evidence from literature to inform and enhance their teaching practices. To date, we’ve had 663 participants enrolled in Perusall, with an encouraging 70% of them actively engaging through comments on the reading materials. We have found that as the complexity of the texts increases, there's a decline in both the number of participants and the frequency of comments.

This paper explores innovative strategies for integrating AI tools like Grammarly or ScholarAI into the dissertation writing process. It outlines how these technologies can transform and enhance the clarity and mechanics of writing. Furthermore, these tools can assist in narrowing down their topic, identifying the literature for review and potential research gaps, guiding through the research design and data analysis mechanics, and reference management. This paper demonstrates the potential of AI to not only streamline elements of academic writing but also foster a deeper understanding of the subject matter and build expertise, ultimately leading students to academic success.

This flipped classroom study explored student satisfaction with asynchronous lecture video recording interactions on Perusall. An anonymous, mixed-methods survey revealed that nearly 75% of respondents had a positive perception of watching the pre-recorded videos in Perusall. About 50% of respondents positively perceived reading/writing/answering annotations, having assignment deadlines, upvoting, and watching an introductory “how to” video. Second-year students were more satisfied with asynchronous lecture video interactions than first-year students, particularly with watching pre-record videos on Perusall (Cohen’s d=0.92). Additional research is needed to understand the influence of demographic factors on student satisfaction with Perusall.

This research aims to present a new approach to teaching "Lecturing without Lecturing" which aims to enhance learners' interactions in the classroom and impact the knowledge acquisition process. The approach integrates the flipped homework instructions and the Pareto principle in the learning process. The implementation of Flipped homework allows learners to learn more effectively and influences knowledge retention for a longer time. Through instructions and the use of the Pareto principle and Bloom's taxonomy, the teaching model "Lecturing without Lecturing" gives more learning path diversity for each learner, while enhancing learner identity and competency development.Some examples are given of how the approach is implemented and demonstrated in teachers' courses designed and conducted by EduTechFlag.

Discover how artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping online education, and can restore active learning and social interaction at scale. Explore the integration of AI-powered tools, preparing students for an AI-augmented workforce. Uncover the potential of personalized learning experiences, tailored to individual interests and pacing. Addressing the challenge of isolation in online learning, deliberate inclusion of social interactions fosters engagement and connection. Join us to explore the future of education, where adaptability, collaboration, and lifelong learning are paramount in navigating technological advancements and shaping successful career trajectories.

Based on pedagogical experiments in history courses at the University at Buffalo, this presentation aims to explore how to introduce this new technology, instruct its "threat" to academic integrity in the classroom, and implement it in the integration of digital humanities into the classroom.

Perusall can be a valuable ally for instructors in the Humanities classroom, as it can promote active reading, critical thinking, and student collaboration. It can also give instructors valuable insights into their students' learning and allow them to adjust their teaching accordingly. In this presentation, we will share our practices for successfully incorporating Gen AI into the classroom and improving the quality of education while facilitating higher long-term memory retention, better student-centered learning, and hands-on applications that efficiently bridge the gap between theory and practice.

As teachers grapple with how to create “AI” proof assignments, Perusall offers teachers an opportunity to bring the “human” back into the reading and writing process. In this teaching demonstration, I will model how to use an on-ground gallery walk (or the use of Jamboard for online courses) to encourage students to make “schema connections” with texts and how to transfer those “schema connections” into active engagement with Perusall. In this way, teachers can use Perusall to introduce the “read-write connection,” guiding students to transform their reading experience of texts into papers that express their unique perspective as individuals.

Discover an innovative approach to incorporating AI in education with "Integrating AI into the Writing Process: A Reflective Approach to Enhance Student Learning." This presentation proposes a strategy that promotes responsible AI usage, enhances critical thinking, and retains student authorship. Aligning with the theme of "Trending Topics in Education & Social Learning," and answering the question, "How can we leverage generative AI to promote learning?"this talk offers a practical framework for educators seeking to balance technology with traditional learning methods.

There is a growing concern among faulty that the use of AI by students could negatively affect student learning as students are substituting their work rather than creating it. Students are able to upload laboratory manuals to generate reports, which bypass the learning benefits of writing a laboratory report such as intellectual merit, technical communication, data literacy, and independent thinking. I am proposing to incorporate reflective writing and thinking assignments after students compare original lab reports to AI generated lab reports.

Embark on a journey to redefine education in the age of GenAI. Join us to discover strategies for leveraging AI for enhanced learning,adapting assessments to safeguard against students' reliance on AI, maximizing Perusall's potential in an AI-driven era, and promoting social learning and human connection amidst AI advancements.

The presentation explores the potential of student-generated memes as a pedagogical tool and as an instrument of community-building in a first-year university level academic reading class. I emphasize that encouraging the students to create class-related memes and include them in their Perusall comments does not necessarily lead to the disruption of scholarly discussion. On the contrary, it helps the students master complex concepts easier and overcome the feelings of disconnectedness and loneliness that may arise in first-year students in a digital learning environment. At the same time, I note some of the potential pitfalls of this approach to education.

In a second-year occupational therapy workshop class, generative AI was used to enhance student learning. Students employed AI to brainstorm and refine therapy strategies for a client case study. Additionally, they engaged in a role-play activity with 'Mrs S', an AI primary school teacher character, to practice communication skills in realistic scenarios. This approach provided a safe, authentic environment for students to explore AI's potential in professional settings, improving their intervention plans and offering perspectives on ethical and professional AI use in occupational therapy.

Navigating generative AI's integration into curriculum is complex. This session introduces an innovative flowchart guiding educators through critical decision-making junctures as they consider their generative AI course policy. Taking a step-by-step approach that asks educators to reflect on critical questions, educators gain insights into crafting effective AI policies that enhance student compliance while upholding an inclusive learning environment grounded in a trusting and caring relationship between instructors and students. The flowchart also encourages educators to consider how their AI course policy aligns with course learning objectives and how it may impact the learning environment and their relationship with their students.

In this session learn how we conquered the challenge of rolling out Perusall at Pima Community College. The Academic Learning Technologies (ALT) Team, or ALT Avengers, used our diverse skills, from strategic planning to technical expertise, ensuring success. Informed by pilot survey findings, we meticulously planned, executed, and evaluated our strategy to maximize engagement. In the pre-launch phase, careful planning and promotion set the stage. Post-launch, 121 hours of instruction enhanced faculty proficiency. Our journey resulted in increased usage, robust support, and stronger collaboration. Join us to discover the power of careful rollout planning in driving your Perusall adoption.

The AI Institute for Teachers held at the University of Mississippi in July 2023 and in January 2024 helped enhance AI literacy for over 80 faculty across disciplines. The curriculum provided hands-on experience with generative AI tools for text, images, audio, and video, while critically exploring ethical implications like bias and academic integrity challenges. Participants gained pragmatic skills in prompt engineering, using AI writing assistants and reading tools, speech recognition applications, and building chatbots. With AI rapidly advancing sustainable professional development initiatives are crucial for equipping educators to responsibly integrate AI capabilities that can promote creativity and quality learning experiences.

We introduce a novel type of assessment that allows for efficient grading of higher order thinking skills. In this assessment, a student reviews and corrects a technical memo that has errors in its formulation or process. To overcome the grading challenges imposed by essay-type responses in large undergraduate courses, we provide a Visual Basic for Applications Excel tool for instructors, ensuring efficient grading of student submissions. We report our experience using it in a multisection introductory business analytics course over several years and present survey-based evidence indicating that students perceive it to be clear and beneficial for learning.

This presentation will introduce three simple yet transformative questions that educators can ask themselves while creating lessons, activities, and assessments. Attendees of this video session will be provided with inspiration for creating non-disposable learning materials that are fun, meaningful, and invite ethical use of generative AI. All academic disciplines welcome!

Both a challenge and an opportunity, generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) forces us to rethink our assessment practices. If the misuse of GenAI means students aren’t benefitting from certain formative assessments, do we give them up? Or can we find a better way forward? In this session, a college physics teacher discusses her struggles and successes dealing with rampant misuse of GenAI. As part of a multipronged solution, an activity will be shared that is designed to teach students how to use ChatGPT and similar tools to help rather than hinder learning during formative assessments such as Perusall annotations.

In the last couple of years, technology has evolved rapidly. As educators, we need to adapt and change accordingly. Putting learning into practice makes it fun, increases the involvement from participants and provide them chances to use what they have learned in a more applied manner. It is interesting to apply the experiential learning for students based on generative AI. We can start changing our assessments strategies to leverage generative AI as a learning tool.

The author has recently developed an Open Education Resource (OER) textbook utilizing ChatGPT. The textbook is currently being employed alongside Perusall in an Information Systems course at the graduate level. This presentation will outline the obstacles faced and the most effective methods uncovered when utilizing generative AI to produce an OER textbook.

This presentation reports my experience and recommendations on teaching generative AI to enhance learners’ creativity, develop critical thinking, and introduce unexpected uses for these new technologies. Since 2023, I have taught students ways to use generative AI in undergraduate courses at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. I will share details about assignment parameters, in-class processes, and work outcomes in this session. Participants will gain insights into how they can integrate generative AI use into their assignments at multiple stages of the problem-solving process in any discipline.

The transition to university poses significant challenges for students from underrepresented groups. These challenges are intensified by marginalisation, which disproportionately affects students, making the academic environment seem unwelcoming and discouraging their engagement with faculty. To address these issues, equity-based prompts focusing on widening participation, fostering a sense of belonging, and culturally responsive teaching have been developed. Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) was used in two areas: tailoring communications and streamlining assessment instructions. The preliminary outcomes indicate progress towards improving the academic achievements of underrepresented students in the New Zealand context (Māori and Pasifika).