AI Tools for Teaching and Learning

Gero 101. Services & Strategies for Older Adults

interesting, enlightening, baffling

Reflection on Instructional Change:

One practice I implemented after learning tools in this course was a very simple AI assignment. wanted to give students an extra credit opportunity to explore AI and do some practice writing. The assignment I created was easy and reinforced the foundational pillars of the Wellness Program. Students had the choice of focusing on one pillars (physical activity, healthy nutrition, stress management, or social connections) to create an activity , seeking input from a text-generating AI.

This assignment did not impact my teaching nor student learning to any significant extent. It is possible after completing the assignment students are less skeptical about using AI for suggestions toward healthful activities. All students used ChatGPT, even though they had a choice of any generative AI tool. They all found it easy to use and below are some of their comments. They seemed to like the recipe collection idea the best, as that was the most often created activity.

The process was surprisingly easy, and this recipe sounds to me that it would not only work but may be pretty good! I am honestly pretty unfamiliar with actually using AI, I try to stay pretty far away from it as I have strong moral objections. This assignment was the second time I have ever used ChatGPT.

The AI’s suggestions were helpful, and the experience was seamless, offering solutions for plant-based cooking. I’d definitely use AI again for finding similar alternatives to recipes. It was both helpful and worth repeating.

Using AI to generate a recipe was very easy. Crafting the correct prompt was essential. I specifically stated plant-based, no oil, no salt, no sugar, heart-healthy garbanzo bean recipe to ensure the AI understood my requirements. The AI was helpful in providing a base recipe that met my dietary restrictions. I would use it again, but I would always double-check the ingredients and instructions.

I have a generally positive attitude about AI. I think it can be a valuable tool for various tasks, including recipe generation. I can see it being useful in other courses for research and information gathering. At home, AI could be useful for creating personalized meal plans based on dietary restrictions, generating grocery lists, or even helping to reduce food waste by suggesting recipes using leftover ingredients

I feel that AI is easy to use, as you can just type in a question or a prompt and it gives you multiple options, and it takes it step by step. I feel that it is very helpful if you have questions regarding a certain topic or like this finding a recipe. I really liked that AI gives you the list of ingredients and the instructions on how to make it. I believe that AI can be beneficial to a certain extent as you cannot rely on it all the time. For instance if AI is used for finding sources, you need to verify that what it is giving you is reliable.

My biggest boon from the course was creating my own AI policy, and the AI Policy Development Assignment was very helpful.

My biggest take-away from the “observe & analyze session” was clarification of the course calendar. I was very involved in this course the first semester, but I will share that this 2^nd semester has been difficult time-management-wise.

Evidence of Instructional Change

Evidence of Instructional Change
AI Assignment Created	Example 2	Example 3
During the Fall AI course, I created an assignment that required students to experiment with a text-generating AI tool of their choice. The course was GERO 101, a survey course on strategies & services for older adults. Students were undergraduates, health science and gerontology majors The assignment was an extra credit opportunity with objectives of exploring AI while reinforcing the foundational pillars of wellness (exercise, nutrition, stress management and social connections). It was presented in an asynchronous module. Assignment was Simple Directions were to use AI to find an exercise routine, a nutritional recipe, a stress management tool, OR a social connection activity. Include tips for doing the activity Cite AI use Evaluate ease and value of using AI Assignment was posted to Canvas and worth 15 points	Recipe: "Plant-Based 'Salmon' Fillets (Carrot Lox)" This recipe substitutes carrots for salmon, creating a heart-healthy, plant-based, oil-free, and salt-free alternative that can be used in salads, on bagels, or as a topping for crackers. Ingredients: 4 large carrots, peeled 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 1 tablespoon smoked paprika 1 tablespoon liquid smoke (optional, but gives a smoky flavor) 1 teaspoon ground turmeric 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon dried dill 1 tablespoon lemon juice • 1 tablespoon maple syrup (optional, for a hint of sweetness) Assessment of Recipe:The recipe seems quick, easy to prepare, and meets the program’s goals perfectly. It's a fun and creative alternative to traditional fish, and seems worth trying, this is definitely a recipe that my family might like. With plenty of herbs and spices I know the taste will be great. Using Chatgpt find a plant-based, heart-healthy, and oil-free recipe was straightforward and productive. This student enjoyed using AI to help find an acceptable recipe.	The specific policy regarding using AI in this gerontology course is outlined here. This policy governs all such tools, including those released during our semester together. You may use generative AI tools on assignments in this course when listed as okay. Some assignments will require use of such tools. If you do use generative AI tools on assignments in this class, you must properly document and credit the tools themselves. Cite the tool you used, following the pattern for computer software given in the specified style guide. Additionally, please include a brief description of how you used the tool. AI Citations: It might help to look at examples of AI citations. Some guidelines and several styles are listed here: https://libguides.brown.edu/c.php?g=1338928&p=9868287 If you choose to use generative AI tools, please remember that they are typically trained on limited datasets that may be out of date. Additionally, generative AI datasets are trained on pre-existing material, including copyrighted material; therefore, relying on a generative AI tool may result in plagiarism or copyright violations. Finally, keep in mind that the goal of generative AI tools is to produce content that seems to have been produced by a human, not to produce accurate or reliable content; therefore, relying on a generative AI tool may result in your submission of inaccurate content. It is your responsibility—not the tool’s—to assure the quality, integrity, and accuracy of work you submit. As specified elsewhere in the syllabus, this course may require electronic submission of papers or other written projects. Those assignments might be tagged to use the originality assessment service Turnitin. which will also attempt to detect AI-generated text.. If you use generative AI tools to complete assignments in this course in ways that were not requested, be mindful you stand the risk of receiving no credit for that assignment. In addition, you must be wary of unintentional plagiarism or fabrication of data. The course instructor will be reaching out to you in case of any suspected abuse of this concept. Please act with integrity, for the sake of both your personal character and your academic record My best accomplishment with the AI course was creating an AI policy.

Practice and Reflect Teaching and Learning with AI:

This course has not changed my teaching methods, but I am grateful for the heightened awareness of the multitude of resources. I continue to feel blessed that my course has no major writing assignments. I get the impression students have mixed feelings about using AI and I also have mixed feelings about spending time trying to develop it further. I do plan on spending time this summer learning more about image-generating AI, as I think that could be possibly very useful in the delivery of the materials I provide to wellness program participants.

Course Syllabus

Syllabus_Gero101_Spring2025.docx

Faculty Bio

Faculty Bio
Faculty Picture	Faculty Professional Background
	I am the Program Coordinator for a Sac State program called the Cardiovascular Wellness Program (CWP) and a part-time lecturer in the gerontology department. This is an “encore” career for me -- I worked for 30+ years as an exercise physiologist in outpatient cardiac rehab at UC Davis, and since 2013, I have been serving older adults in our community with the CWP. It is a comprehensive exercise/education program that promotes improving/maintaining fitness, heart-healthy, plant-based eating, and mindset activities to manage stress, and I am blessed to have many colleagues from my cardiac rehab career who help with this program, leaving me with time for the fun task of leading exercise sessions. Many students have participated in this program in its decade+ operation, and expanding my personal horizon to step up as faculty has created some great collaborations. I thoroughly enjoy watching generations work together efficiently in an environment where everyone learns. My wish is that this program fully cements itself as a viable experiential learning place that will keep serving students and older adults long after I retire fully.

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.