Tools and Brains: UX for Assignments

We cannot control whether our students use AI or not. Even with the strictest AI policy we ultimately cannot prevent them from using these tools. This is especially true now that ubiquitous AI is here (in Google search, in word processors, ChatGPT app, and so on). Many of us have turned to incorporating AI into our assignments. But this has left some confusion for both instructors and students: which parts are ok to use AI and which parts are not?

My colleague Anne-Marie Snider and I were chatting about this last spring. One of her areas of expertise is “User Experience” (UX). The designers of the operating system of the device that you are reading this on use UX principles to make using computers easy, fun, and intelligible. She had the idea of bringing those insights to course and assignment design. In our conversation, we came up with an emoji based UX guide for students. Part of UX is to use symbols as a shorthand to convey deeper meaning and aid understanding.

Here is our simple AI user experience design:

🛠️ When you see the tool symbol it means this assignment includes the use of AI

🧠 When you see the brain symbol it means this assignment needs to be your own thinking, no AI for this work

We are inserting this key into our syllabi and our assignments. I now use the tool and brain emoji in each assignment, including using both in one assignment to indicate where I expect students to use AI and where I expect them to do their own writing. We are asking our departmental colleagues to do the same. Over time we expect students in our program to understand these symbols and their meaning and our expectations.

We want our students to take responsibility for their learning and their own thinking even if they are using AI. While we can’t control what they do, we think that UX can help build norms and define expectations that are clear to understand, foster trust, and develop a sense of responsibility.

Feel free to borrow and adapt if you think this could be helpful for your classes or programs.