Whether we were ready or not, AI is in the room. And if you’re teaching online, you’ve probably already seen it at work in discussion posts, essays, or that strangely perfect email. Instead of panicking or pretending it’s not happening, we’ve got a better option. We can help students learn how to use AI responsibly, because it’s not going away. Honestly, some of them are relying on it more than we realize (Colvard 2024). If you’re going to teach with AI, you’ve got to know what it can (and can’t) do. I’m talking about tools like ChatGPT, Grammarly, QuillBot, or even Microsoft Copilot. Give yourself a little “playtime” with them. Open one up and ask it to write a discussion post. Then see what it gets right and what falls flat.
