EP 41 - Moving Beyond Copy-Paste AI Syllabus Policies with John Nash & Jason Johnston

In EP 41, John and Jason discuss the evolving challenge of moving beyond 'copy-paste' AI policies to create syllabus guidelines that encourage students to engage in the 'productive struggle' of learning.

See complete notes and transcripts at www.onlinelearningpodcast.com

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Host Bios:

Walk into schools today and generative AI is on the agenda—and many leaders aren’t sure what to do with it. John Nash helps them figure it out. An associate professor at the University of Kentucky and founding director of the Laboratory on Design Thinking, he makes AI practical and useful, not just theoretical. He’s on two generative AI advisory boards at the University of Kentucky and one at MidPacific Institute in Honolulu, advising educators from local superintendents to teachers in international schools. He teaches courses in design thinking, leading deeper learning, and mixed methods research, and his research interests study the application of human-centered design in organizational leadership.

Jason Johnston is the Executive Director of Online Learning & Course Production in Digital Learning at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. His background includes developing and launching online degree programs, directing educational technology, teaching, and working as an audio engineer. Holding a PhD in Educational Leadership, an M.Ed. in Educational Technology, and an M.Div., Jason advocates for humanity and equity in online education while helping educators leverage technology for the future. He co-hosts the podcast Online Learning in the Second Half (www.onlinelearningpodcast.com) and enjoys playing guitar, building Lego, and traveling with his family.

Resources:

• University of Kentucky Syllabus Policy: https://celt.uky.edu/ai-course-policy-examples
• University of Tennessee, Knoxville Syllabus Policy: https://writingcenter.utk.edu/sample-syllabus-statements-for-ai-guidelines/
• Jason’s Policy Icons: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MG9h68__uqPSz6HXNeVymJhal1VNapjyK-2PFa5QFxI/edit?usp=sharing
• John’s Policy Example: https://johnnash.notion.site/John-Nash-s-Stance-on-Generative-AI-Use-by-Students-in-Courses-2eff24fd17cc8043ae2be34712680c28
• Chronicle article by Geoff Watkinson “I’m an AI Power User. It Has No Place in the Classroom. Learning to think for yourself has to come first.“: https://www.chronicle.com/article/im-an-ai-power-user-it-has-no-place-in-the-classroom (paywalled - should be able to read for free with login)

Theme Music: Pumped by RoccoW is licensed under an Attribution-NonCommercial License.

Battle Hymn of the Republic is public domain from the Library of Congress https://www.loc.gov/item/jukebox-767050/

Transcript

We use a combination of computer-generated transcriptions and human editing. Please check with the recorded file before quoting anything. Please check with us if you have any questions or can help with any corrections!

[00:00:00] Jason: Can we do the quick intro?

[00:00:02] John Nash: Yeah,

hold on.

[00:00:03] Jason: That was the intro to your other podcast.

[00:00:06] John Nash: Yeah,

[00:00:06] Jason: John, have you

[00:00:07] John Nash: exactly.

[00:00:08] Jason: Beyond My Back?

[00:00:10] John Nash: No, I am not podcasting. Behind your back.

I'm John Nash here with Jason Johnston.

[00:00:15] Jason: John. Hey everyone. And this is Online Learning in the second half the

[00:00:19] John Nash: I.

[00:00:19] Jason: Learning podcast. Mm-hmm.

[00:00:20] John Nash: Yeah, we're doing this podcast to let you in on a conversation we've been having for the last three years about online education. Look, online learning has had its chance to be great, and some of it is, but a lot still has a way to go. How are