AI Tools for Teaching and Learning

PSYC 148 Child Psychology

AI, Change, Co-sleeping

Reflection on Instructional Change:

With the skills I learned in the AI PLC, I created a discussion assignment related to course material. It is a low stakes assignment that includes a reflection related to course material and commenting on a classmates reflection. Because it is low stakes, has a reflection component, and is on a topic that many students can relate to, I believed that including an AI-component would encourage students to think critically about the assignment themselves, and not have AI do it for them rather use it help further their understanding.

The students seemed to enjoy using AI in this way. I asked them to respond to a prompt, then had them use AI to respond to the same prompt. They were able to compare and contrast. I heard a student say, "I like my response more than AIs, and I always thought AI would have better responses than me."

What most influenced my choose was the AI-generated content module. We went over what AI content looks like and we talked about the what it does well and where it still struggles. I was able to bring this into the conversation in my class and students got a first-hand look at some of its strengths and limitations.

In the observe and learn session, one of the most important things I learned came from the comments of the other participants. I initially discussed my idea of creating a low stakes assignment with the idea that this would reduce the students desire to use AI. They mentioned an alternative where, with the assignment, I have them use AI and allow them to compare responses. I implemented this idea and I really liked how it turned out. The combination of having a low-stakes assignment and a safe space to discuss AI generated text was, I believe, beneficial for the students and for me as an educator.

Evidence of Instructional Change

Evidence of Instructional Change
Example 1	Example 2	Example 3
Image 1 Screen shot of assignment discussed in observe and learn session	Image 2 The image above is supposed to represent the discussion we had in class related to the assignment. During class, I did not take a photo-- the above image is illustrative of the discussion we had in class.	Image 3 AI certificate

Practice and Reflect Teaching and Learning with AI:

Participating in the AI Tools for Teaching & Learning Workshop has made me feel more comfortable exploring and integrating AI into my teaching. I am now more aware of both the strengths and limitations of these tools, which has helped me make more informed decisions about when and how to use them. One opportunity I’ve embraced is using AI to support student writing and research skills by using AI as a class for brainstorming ideas. A key challenge has been guiding students in using AI ethically and critically, rather than as a shortcut. In my PSYC 251 course, I encouraged students to use AI to help summarize peer-reviewed articles in preparation for class presentations. This helped them better understand complex material and reduced anxiety about academic reading, while also giving me the opportunity to discuss the importance of verifying AI-generated content.

Course Syllabus

PSYC 251 syllabus Spring 2025 2.doc

Faculty Bio

Faculty Bio
Faculty Picture	Faculty Professional Background
	My name is David Giguere and I am a professor in Psychology Department. My area of expertise is in Developmental Psychology, specifically my research looks at bilingual language and literacy development. This is my third year at Sacramento State, I moved here from South Florida. So far I have enjoyed living in California.

Funding Source
	This work was supported by: US Department of Education P031S230256 and P031C210012 *Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation or the US Department of Education.