This principle means ensuring every member of the student cohort has fair and equal access to the GenAI applications used in teaching, learning or assessment. This supports the ‘Digital Inclusion’ element of Brookes’ IDEAS inclusive curriculum model.
As GenAI technology is developing at an ever-increasing rate, no university can guarantee to provide the latest version of every application which students might encounter in their future studies or careers. We must adopt a learning and teaching strategy which recognises this limitation while building digital literacy into our programmes of study.
It is important to distinguish between GenAI functions – what we can do by using some aspect of GenAI – and GenAI apps, such as ChatGPT, which usually have a range of functions which is likely to increase over time as the software develops. We can usually demonstrate a specific function in different ways, using different apps.
One key development during 2023 was the announcements from major software producers, including Microsoft and Google, that they would embed GenAI in all their major products. You can now complete tasks in the newest versions of Google Docs and Microsoft Word which use GenAI. This raises questions about the future of stand-alone apps and how much innovation we can expect to see in our standard software in the future.
We must also be mindful that commercial GenAI producers are typically adopting a multi-tier pricing structure. For example, they may offer a free version, with either limited facilities or access, alongside the paid versions which offer the full range of functions. Another common strategy is to offer a full or nearly full version of the software but only for a short trial period.
Pedagogic Practice 1: Select appropriate use of GenAI with inclusive teaching and learning in mind
Consider what you want students to do and achieve when using Gen AI. It may be that these activities can be managed within the standard University-supported software, and this should be the first thing to check.
If the functions which require GenAI cannot be achieved using University-supported software, staff must have a clear and justified educational rationale for other applications and ensure that all students will have free and equal access to that application for the full duration of the teaching and/or assessment involved. This means considering how access to the application will be managed in any re-assessment periods.
Any use of GenAI software not supported by the University must be in accordance with the IT Acceptable Use Policy and sanctioned by the relevant authority in the IT Directorate before being introduced (please contact info.sec@brookes.ac.uk to discuss your requirements).
Note any software or hardware "devices" not sanctioned found on the OBU network could potentially expose the OBU to the risk of a personal data breach or security incident.
Pedagogic Practice 2: Establish students’ ‘baseline’ knowledge of GenAI
How many of the students in your class are familiar with GenAI tools?
What do they use and how do they evaluate the products and outcomes?
It is important to know students’ levels of use and familiarity – their baseline – in order to implement GenAI effectively at modular and programme levels.
Nearly 80% of online teenagers in the UK now use GenAI (Ofcom, 2023). Meanwhile, the increasing popularity of GenAI resources aimed at school teachers suggest that incorporation of GenAI into the pre-university curriculum is becoming more widespread (see the YouTube channel Educraft for once such example).
We can expect that many of Brookes’ incoming students, many of whom arrive from school, will be increasingly familiar with GenAI. Mature and international students may have had a different pattern of previous experience which makes it even more important to establish our students’ ‘baseline’.
A brief online quiz completed by all the student cohort can establish how many students have used the major applications and how they have used them. Course teams can use this information to identify and resolve possible equity issues, e.g. establishing student discussion and project groups with an appropriate range and mix of expertise and experience.