Welcome to the Tuesday Teaching Tip, an easy-to-implement tool that you can use immediately in your classroom teaching.

TUESDAY TEACHING TIP: ASK YOUR STUDENTS HOW THEY’RE USING AI

There’s been so much talk about student AI use that sometimes we as faculty assume that all of our students use AI for everything. Instead of assuming, consider asking your students for more information about their AI use. Some students may use it and some may avoid it altogether. Some may use it for specific academic purposes (like brainstorming) while others may use it to make decisions in their personal lives (Chatterji, et al., 2025). Research has shown that student AI use is far more complex and varied than we often expect (Vee, 2025). Reports suggest that students are looking for faculty support around AI use (Walton - GSV - Gallup, 2025), but it is difficult to support them if we do not know where they are starting.

This week, we challenge you to ask your students if and/or how they use generative AI. 

Here are some ways to do this 

• Post a question on the board about AI use at the beginning or end of class and talk about it as a group for a few minutes. 
• Survey students anonymously about their AI habits and present the results to the class for further discussion.
• Invite students to use AI to support work on a small-group activity and circulate around the room as the students engage in the activity, posing questions about how they’re incorporating AI into their workflows.
• Assign a brief reflection on ways students use AI in the personal and social aspects of their lives, relating this practice to whole-person awareness and literacy.

DID YOU DO IT?

Let us know how it went. We would love to hear your feedback about how you implemented today’s Tuesday Teaching Tip in your classroom. Click here to fill out our 3-question survey.

 

Upcoming Events

• Repeat: AAC&U AI Faculty Listening Session on Wednesday, January 28 at 1:00pm RSVP

• Last Thursdays Shut Up & Write on Thursday, January 29 at 9:00am RSVP

• CAFE: Supporting Students Experiencing Grief & Bereavement on Wednesday, February 4 at 11:45am RSVP

• First Fridays Shut Up & Write on Friday, February 6 at 9:00am RSVP

 

WANT TO READ A LITTLE MORE? 

• For more info on introducing or teaching with AI, visit the SCU DRT page on Teaching & Learning in the Context of AI
• Ernesto Reyes, “Ask Your Students Why They Use AI” Inside Higher Ed, October 22, 2025
• Jennifer Trainor, “How are Students Using GenAI?” The Big Picture, June 23, 2025

This week’s Tuesday Teaching Tip was prepared by Loring Pfeiffer and David Coad on behalf of the Faculty Development and the Center for Teaching Excellence.

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And check out our full calendar of CAFEs and other Faculty Development events.