AI Literacy in Teaching and Learning: Executive Summary
An EDUCAUSE Working Group Paper
Students, faculty, and staff need to understand the fundamentals of AI to able to effectively use AI tools and evaluate the outputs.
This report presents a comprehensive framework for AI Literacy in Teaching and Learning (ALTL) in higher education, addressing the need for institutions to adapt to the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence (AI). The framework equips students, faculty, and staff to engage effectively and ethically with AI technologies in academic and professional contexts.
ALTL involves understanding AI fundamentals, critically evaluating AI applications, and maintaining vigilance against misuse and bias. The framework provides tailored definitions, competencies, and outcomes for students, faculty, and staff, focusing on four key areas: Technical Understanding, Evaluative Skills, Practical Application, and Ethical Considerations.
For students, ALTL emphasizes understanding and ethically applying AI in academic contexts. The focus for faculty is on integrating AI in teaching, research, and administrative responsibilities. Staff concentrate on supporting AI implementation in administrative and operational processes.
The framework emphasizes proactive fostering of AI literacy to mitigate risks, maximize potential, and maintain a competitive edge. It emphasizes responsible AI use, addressing issues such as bias, privacy, and data security.
Recommendations include adopting and adapting this framework to institutional needs, developing comprehensive training programs, integrating AI literacy into existing curricula, establishing policies for responsible AI use, fostering continuous learning, and regularly assessing AI literacy initiatives.
By implementing this ALTL framework, institutions can lead in AI integration in education, preparing their communities to thrive in an AI-driven world while upholding ethical standards and fostering critical thinking.
EDUCAUSE Working Groups provide an opportunity for community members to come together around a topic of shared experience, expertise, and passion. The members of Working Groups collaborate to envision and develop products they believe will help the higher education community understand and address the topic.
This resource was developed by the AI Literacy Programs for Faculty, Staff, and Students Working Group. HP provided support for a 2023–24 AI Community of Practice, and this working group grew out of the rich discussions of that work. Statements of fact or opinion are the responsibility of the authors alone and do not imply an opinion on the part of the EDUCAUSE board of directors, staff, or members.
© 2024 EDUCAUSE. The content of this work is licensed under a Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 International License.