Generative AI in Higher Ed

This guide provides an introductory overview of generative artificial intelligence ("GenAI") for students as well as instructors within a higher education setting. We define GenAI, address its current affordances (or what it does well and what its practical and ethical limitations are), highlight some best practices for its use in study and research, offer sample syllabus statements and assignment design tips for instructors, and recommend some resources to learn more.

Generative artificial intelligence, or GenAI, is a type of artificial intelligence that allows machines to create new content (like text, code, images, videos, and music) based on a user's inputs or prompts. GenAI systems are trained on massive data sets and learn patterns and features from existing data. When you use a GenAI tool, it analyzes these data sets and generates new content that resembles what it has learned, much like the predictive text on your phone.

GenAI is making rapid advances! Email us at csbsjureference@csbsju.edu with suggestions or updates for this guide.

You can also reach out to your liaison librarian or an Instructional Technology Specialist to request programming on GenAI topics. Sessions can be geared toward faculty/staff or students, with formats including discussion forums, hands-on workshops, and in-class instruction sessions. We can help you and your students explore ethical and effective uses for GenAI tools and/or develop a better sense of its limitations.