J-Term Mini Course Helps Educators Think Differently About AI

As the role of artificial intelligence in education becomes an increasingly global conversation, the community of students and researchers at the Harvard Graduate School of Education are actively embracing this shift to shape learning in innovative and impactful ways. An example of this effort was the recent J-term mini course AI Tools for Learning Design, facilitated by master’s students Dan Be Kim and Blerim Jashari, and Ph.D. student and HGSE AI Fellow Max Lu. 

Sponsored by the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and held at HGSE, the non-credit mini course was open to the public and aimed to attract a diverse group of participants. It brought together students from Harvard schools, educators from the International School of Boston, and entrepreneurs, — all with varying levels of familiarity with AI — to engage in an immersive exploration of AI tools while focusing on experimentation, collaboration, and ethical awareness. 

“The intention wasn’t to promote specific tools or take a side on whether AI is good or bad,” said Kim, a startup founder with a passion for intentional design of education technology. “It was about building an ethical and functional framework so educators and professionals could start using AI efficiently and responsibly.”

Kim felt a need for such a space when she noticed the “glaringly large gap”  in the adoption of AI between the tech world and the world of education. To bridge this gap, she consulted with Professor Chris Dede and her peers to co-create this learning experience that focused on three aspects of using AI: the critical aspect, which addresses the ethics and biases in AI; the functional aspect, which involves understanding and efficiently using AI tools; and the rhetorical aspect, which combines both to foster seamless collaboration with AI. Kim observed that most educators often focus too much on the critical aspects of the ethics and biases of AI and do not experiment with AI tools and technologies. This observation informed the design of the course, which shifted away from a prescriptive model to an immersive, hands-on experience.

Over three days, students, teachers, and innovators tinkered with a variety of AI tools to collaboratively design lesson plans, using their expertise to evaluate outputs and iterating continuously to achieve better results. This approach not only demystified AI tools for participants but also empowered them to see the practical applications in their own fields.

“As an educator, I was initially worried that the learning curve for AI tools would be too steep, especially coming from an ELA background,” said Ginger Love Garcia, a middle school teacher at the International School of Boston. “But the hands-on experience in this course showed me that these tools can be empowering, not just for myself but for my students too. The diverse group of participants helped me see AI in new ways, identify blind spots, and learn techniques to guide students responsibly while applying a critical lens.”

The course’s collaborative environment provided a unique opportunity to explore and engage with a wide array of AI tools such as Synthesia, NotebookLM, Leonardo.ai, and Gamma. As the course culminated in final presentations and reflections, an insight emerged: Human expertise is critical in guiding and shaping AI applications. Participants noted how their group members' diverse perspectives enabled them to critically evaluate AI-generated responses, ensuring the quality and relevance of their designs. This exchange of ideas and expertise proved valuable even for more experienced participants, leading to more efficient and effective use of AI tools. 

“I spend all day working with AI tools, so I often get tunnel vision with certain tools. But collaborating with a diverse group of educators helped me step outside my usual process and discover AI’s potential in a more humanistic way,” said Janis Costa Deedy, an entrepreneur who is creating an AI tool designed to support actors and theater professionals. 

“It reinforced that AI isn’t here to replace us but to augment our abilities and make us better and faster,” she said. “Exploring this in a community that was intergenerational and cross-domain was invaluable.” 

The innovative approach of the AI tools for Learning Design course mirrors HGSE's broader commitment to embracing AI in education. In the wake of ChatGPT's disruptive release, HGSE swiftly established a steering committee, implementing AI policies and developing modules to guide students in ethical AI use. This responsiveness demonstrates the school's dedication to navigating the fast-evolving AI landscape.

While these initial steps are promising, Kim and Lu emphasized the need for a more holistic approach to AI integration in higher education. 

Said Lu, “HGSE's wealth of knowledge on learning processes and socio-emotional aspects of education positions it uniquely to shape the development of AI tools that are both pedagogically sound and ethically grounded.”