Like the other major writing assignments in this class, this project has two parts. First, you will complete four AI writing “experiments,” which are all specific tasks you will attempt to complete with at least two different AI tools. Check the course schedule for this, but you will need to share your examples with your classmates as you complete them. More details on these tasks is forthcoming, but for now, the four AI experiments are:
- “Talk” with AI about something.
- Ask AI to help you create a “text” with an accompanying image.
- Have the AI tutor/coach you and tutor/coach the AI to do something.
- Have the AI help you complete some sort of routine “work” task.
Second, write a 2000 (or so) word reflection essay where you share your experiences and where you explain what you learned about AI. Be sure to make connections to some of the relevant assigned readings and your research.
Here are some more details:
- As we will discuss, the key thing about working with AI on tasks like this is the prompt you create for trying to accomplish a task. There are numerous “AI Prompt Libraries” online you can turn to in order to get started (and we will review and discuss some of these as part of our readings), though you will want to of course customize your prompts for your own purposes.
- You will need to complete each of these experiments based on the course schedule, and you will need to share this work with the class. That means as you are experimenting with AIs on these tasks, keep track of which AI you are using for what prompts, the results, and so forth.
- For each of these AI writing experiments, you should use the same (or very similar) prompts with at least two different AIs so you can compare the results.
- Don’t worry if your AI experiments are not entirely successful. In fact, AI “failures” are often at least as interesting and thought-provoking as AI successes.
- As is the case with the other assignments, most of the grade for this project will be based on the reflection essay rather than the AI experiments themselves. In your essay, you will write about your experiences/experiments with AI, but it’s also where you’ll make connections to the assigned readings and some of our discussions. Also as is the case with the other assignments, you need to complete all parts of your essay in one Google document. Do not copy and paste stuff from an MS Word file, and also do not just copy and paste a version of your essay that you run through Grammarly or another AI writing tool.
- As is also the case with the other assignments, your essay should be written in a way that it can “stand on its own” and be accessible and understandable to an interested reader who is not in this class. Think of the assignment prompt here as a starting point for an essay where you share your reflections rather than as a question you need to answer.
- We will have a peer review of drafts of the reflection essays before you turn them into me for a grade.