Generative AI is changing how students learn, create, and prepare for their careers. Helping students develop AI literacy equips them to use these tools responsibly and effectively.
AI is reshaping every field—from healthcare and engineering to business, education, and the humanities. Students need opportunities to explore how AI applies in their discipline and understand both its potential and its limitations.
Students enter our classrooms with varying levels of experience and access to AI tools. Providing structured opportunities to learn about AI helps ensure every student can build foundational knowledge and develop responsible practices.
AI literacy is about more than writing effective prompts. Students need to evaluate AI-generated content, recognize bias and inaccuracies, verify information, and make informed decisions about when AI should—and should not—be used.
Employers increasingly expect graduates to understand how AI can support communication, problem-solving, and decision-making. Developing AI literacy equips students with transferable skills they can apply throughout their careers.
The good news: You don’t need to develop AI literacy materials from scratch.
The Center for Teaching and Learning offers ready-to-use modules that can be incorporated into almost any course, whether as an introduction, just-in-time support, or a capstone activity.
There is no single “right” time to teach AI literacy. It can be integrated into any course at the point where it will have the greatest impact.
Depending on your course goals and discipline, consider incorporating AI literacy in one of the following ways:
Best for: Establishing a shared foundation for AI use.
Introduce AI literacy during the first week of class to help students understand the capabilities, limitations, and responsible use of generative AI. This creates a common starting point before AI is incorporated into coursework.
Best for: Preparing students to use AI on a specific assignment.
Assign a module just before students complete an AI-related activity or project. Students gain the knowledge and context they need to apply AI thoughtfully and in alignment with your course expectations.
Best for: Providing flexible, self-paced learning opportunities.
Offer optional or extra-credit activities for students who want to deepen their understanding of AI. This approach encourages exploration without taking class time away from course content.
Best for: Consolidating learning and preparing students for future use.
Use a module near the end of the course to help students reflect on how AI influenced their learning, evaluate their own AI practices, and consider how they will apply these skills in future academic or professional settings.
You can import one or all modules depending on your course goals.
The Center for Teaching and Learning is here to help you incorporate AI Literacy into your course.