All the fuss around AI tools and their implementation into educational practices has led me to the University of Michigan's Exploring Generative AI for Learning Design Course.
This Course is part of the Generative AI as a Learning Design Partner Specialization and consists of three Courses: the one mentioned above, Using Generative AI for Learning Design Activities, and Strategizing the Use of Generative AI in Learning Design.
I came across the Course accidentally and got hooked. I decided to start with it and see if it's worth diving into the whole specialization.
Well, what are my overall impressions? To begin with, I can't help but pay close attention to how any course I take is organized. From how the learning objectives are crafted to how the course outline is presented—I soak it all in. Honestly, it's one of my favorite parts! My joy doubled with this Course, I even borrowed a few ideas on structuring courses for my projects—it's that good!
I won't show too much of the Course itself, which would be crossing a line when so much hard work went into creating it. Instead, I'll summarize my impressions and group them into Content, Delivery, and Assessment categories.
Content. The Course is divided into three modules:
The first Module focuses on the syllabus and learning objectives and provides a detailed description of the Course Outline. It contains a quick introductory activity—a discussion prompt where participants introduce themselves. Some basic information about AI and its common opportunities is also given.
The second Module finally starts the learning process. It provides an overview of the design process and connects the basics of this process to the idea of using AI as a partner. The graded Assignments start here as well.
The third Module explored the topic further, offering some basic ideas about how AI can be applied to learning design. This part contained more practical tips and fantastic reading materials on the most recent research in the field. The videos in this Module were incredibly engaging and featured a great infographic.
Course Outcomes (from coursera.org) Delivery. The part I like the most about the Delivery is the balance between video and reading materials. The videos feature clear sound and visuals, with engaging presenters who made it feel more like a conversation with colleagues than learning. I also enjoyed the variety of activities, from creating a design map to engaging in reflective writing and participating in discussion prompts.
On YouTube, I came across a video from this Course, that highlights the idea I liked the most: to view AI as a partner in the designing process.
Finally, the Assessment part. The only graded assessments in the Course were knowledge check-ins, which were straightforward tests. While these were fine, I enjoyed the non-graded assessments more. One of them used an interesting third-party app that I hadn't used before, and it was interesting for me both as an educator and a learner to try a new tool.
So, what's my verdict? I think I will take the following courses to finish the specialization and learn more about incorporating AI features into my work. The Course was engaging, the instruction easy-flowing, and I'm curious to see what comes next. I hope for more practical tips and tools in the following courses, but overall, I'm excited to continue this journey. It's also better to remember that this Course is more like an introductory one, and I feel like there's more severe and practical stuff in the following two Courses.
Stay tuned!
References:
Coursera. (n.d.). Exploring generative AI for learning design. Coursera. Retrieved November 30, 2024, from https://www.coursera.org/learn/exploring-generative-ai-for-learning-design#outcomes
Coursera. (n.d.). Generative AI as a learning design partner specialization. Coursera. Retrieved November 30, 2024,
from https://www.coursera.org/specializations/generative-ai-as-learning- design-partner Michigan Online. (2024, August 28). Gen AI as a Design Partner | Generative AI as a learning Design Partner [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_0k8UvuchY
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