Student AI Case Studies
Building AI Literacy
Guided Practice and Reflection
Strategy: Build Academic AI Literacy Through Guided Practice and Reflection
Artificial Intelligence can be strategically integrated into course design to support the development of core, multidisciplinary academic skills such as planning, note-taking, research, career exploration, and information verification. By embedding AI into low-stakes, reflective learning activities, instructors can create structured opportunities for students to evaluate AI outputs, consider ethical implications, and develop habits of critical thinking, academic integrity, and responsible AI use.
SLS 2901 – Academic Foundations
In SLS 2901 Academic Foundations, Dr. Caroline Twachtman partnered with Learning Designer Dawn Adolfson to design a series of scaffolded AI activities that help first-year students develop practical, ethical, and transferable academic skills. Across multiple modules, students in this course engage with Microsoft Copilot and AI-powered research tools to compare AI-generated outputs with their own work, evaluate accuracy and limitations, and reflect on academic integrity and verification practices. Activities include using AI to draft a weekly academic schedule, generate notes from a public TED Talk, explore ethical boundaries through a case study, locate scholarly literature using non-generative research tools, assess career pathways, and build a basic personal budget. This approach creates a safe practice space where students can experiment with AI, recognize its strengths and weaknesses, and develop habits of critical evaluation.
AI Tools Used : Microsoft Copilot, Research Rabbit, Elicit, Consensus
Digital Learning Designer Tips
1: Consider how the application of AI aligns to the field and the core purpose of the course. In this case, the goal of the course is for students to develop the academic skills needed for success, so all of the AI enhanced activities and assessments support are designed to support that development.
2: Look for opportunities to integrate AI into assignments that already exist, rather than adding new workload for students. This keeps the focus on learning outcomes rather than technology.
3: Add reminders in each activity or assignment to call students’ attention to the requirement to use AI and link to any support resources they might need.
Quick Details
Program: Undergraduate Studies
Learning Designer: Dawn Adolfson, Ph.D.
AI Tools Used: Microsoft Copilot, Research Rabbit, Elicit, Consensus