Recently the Education Portfolio launched two Canvas courses on Generative AI for UTS staff: an introductory course and an exploration of assessment design strategies. Now, there is an additional Canvas course on GenAI that’s been designed for students, by students, to help them build their confidence using GenAI in their studies at UTS.
Students want more guidance on GenAI
Late last year, a collaborative research project that included UTS shared insights from a multi-university survey on student’s perspectives on GenAI. The survey, capturing data from more than 8000 students, highlighted that students are seeking better guidance to navigate the changes instigated by the greater presence and usage of GenAI. When asked if their institution gave them enough guidance to use AI effectively, the responses were 32% in their studies and 23% for their future profession.
These insights helped to inform one of last year’s Students as Partners grants. The provision of a SAP grant allowed a project team, a mix of students and staff from UTS, to develop a self-paced course to help address the gaps in guidance.
Enrol now: An introduction to GenAI for students
The course is now available for self-enrolment. It’s aimed at students enrolled in undergraduate and postgraduate coursework or research degrees at UTS, but we recommend staff to engage with this too.
This module covers GenAI basics, use of GenAI in higher education, prompt engineering, ethical considerations and AI’s impact on future workplaces. It also aligns with UTS’s ethical principles for AI use, encouraging students to engage with technology thoughtfully and responsibly.
We suggest sharing this course with your students, so they have the knowledge and confidence to engage with GenAI effectively and ethically. Consider it a stepping stone for them; you can then follow it up by informing them how GenAI is being used in their subjects and what tasks they should or shouldn’t be using GenAI for.
Check out the welcome video for the course:
Additional resources from the UTS Library
- Students can access an AI catalogue search tool – find out more about Research Assistant (noting that this tool does not draw on all academic sources that UTS has access to)
- Embed the Generative AI Study Guide into your Canvas site – for help, contact your faculty librarian or contact the Library via chat or an enquiry