Like many of our colleagues, the emergence of ChatGPT and other generative artificial intelligence sites initially created a mild panic. Out of the panic, an emerging field of practical, practitioner-based research has begun to emerge. The call for calm, patient reflection has been noted (Naidu 2023, para 10). Others argue that AI, in various forms, has been used to elevate students’ performance in the classroom, and in some cases, overcome barriers to learning (Shippee 2020, 20). AI can also be used as a classroom tool to reframe the learning experiences and as a “partner” in learning (Benso ..read more

During his time at the Toyota Motor Company, Taiichi Ohno developed a tool for root cause analysis, the technique we know as the five whys.  According to Ohno (1988), “By asking why five times and answering it each time, we can get to the real cause of the problem, which is often hidden behind more obvious symptoms” (p. 17). Ultimately, this process allowed the company to focus on continuous improvement, in this case, the elimination of waste during the manufacturing process.  Purpose #1: Reactive root cause analysis  It does not take much effort to see the application of this ..read more

During his time at the Toyota Motor Company, Taiichi Ohno developed a tool for root cause analysis, the technique we know as the five whys.  According to Ohno (1988), “By asking why five times and answering it each time, we can get to the real cause of the problem, which is often hidden behind more obvious symptoms” (p. 17). Ultimately, this process allowed the company to focus on continuous improvement, in this case, the elimination of waste during the manufacturing process.  Purpose #1: Reactive root cause analysis  It does not take much effort to see the application of this ..read more

This article first appeared in The Teaching Professor on April 1, 2019 © Magna Publications. All rights reserved. Nearly all dedicated NPR listeners have had the experience of sitting in their car with the radio on after arriving at their destination simply because they could not tear themselves away from a fascinating segment. By contrast, most online students have had the experience of suffering through boring course content that produces little knowledge retention. The difference is not between entertainment and learning. NPR has some of the most educational content available, so much ..read more

According to Jandrić (2019) in “The Post-digital Challenge of Critical Media Literacy,” Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems can exhibit unpredictable and biased behaviors that their creators and researchers are unable to directly control. Jandrić argues that AI systems do not merely reproduce or embed existing biases found in their training data but can also recombine these biases in novel ways to generate new, unforeseen biases. More recently Dictionary.com made “hallucinate” the Word of the Year. “Hallucinate, (of artificial intelligence) to produce false information contrary to the intent ..read more

According to Jandrić (2019) in “The Post-digital Challenge of Critical Media Literacy,” Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems can exhibit unpredictable and biased behaviors that their creators and researchers are unable to directly control. Jandrić argues that AI systems do not merely reproduce or embed existing biases found in their training data but can also recombine these biases in novel ways to generate new, unforeseen biases. More recently Dictionary.com made “hallucinate” the Word of the Year. “Hallucinate, (of artificial intelligence) to produce false information contrary to the intent ..read more

As writing instructors, we often see students with rigid ideas about what writing is “supposed” to look like: Topic sentence here. Quote Sandwich there. Five-paragraph format to tie it all together in a neat package. Formulas like these are a double-edged sword for teachers. We know they can stifle creativity and voice, but they can also be a useful starting place for struggling students, like grabbing onto a life-preserver in the ocean because you can’t swim.   Teachers often use formulas to address such struggles to aid students as they learn new genres and genre conventions. But formu ..read more

As writing instructors, we often see students with rigid ideas about what writing is “supposed” to look like: Topic sentence here. Quote Sandwich there. Five-paragraph format to tie it all together in a neat package. Formulas like these are a double-edged sword for teachers. We know they can stifle creativity and voice, but they can also be a useful starting place for struggling students, like grabbing onto a life-preserver in the ocean because you can’t swim.   Teachers often use formulas to address such struggles to aid students as they learn new genres and genre conventions. But formu ..read more

Author Rie Kudan received a prestigious Japanese literary award for her book, The Tokyo Tower of Sympathy, and then disclosed that 5% of her book was written word-for-word by ChatGPT (Choi & Annio, 2024).   Would you let your students submit a paper where 5% of the text was written by ChatGPT?   What about if they disclosed their use of ChatGPT ahead of time?   Or, if they cited ChatGPT as a source?   The rise of generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Copilot, Claude, Gemini, DALL-E, and Meta AI has created a pressing new challenge for educators: definin ..read more

In the dynamic landscape of online education, the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications online graduate programs (UF CJC Online) stands at the forefront of innovation and quality. With a commitment to ensuring educational excellence and student success, in 2020, UF CJC Online developed a comprehensive course design strategy to elevate its online courses, a mission mandated by the State University System of Florida’s 2025 Strategic Plan for Online Education.  The state mandate established the goal of quality but allowed institutions to develop their own strategi ..read more