At the University of San Diego, we recognize that generative AI is reshaping the landscape of teaching and learning. Whether you are integrating AI tools into your curriculum or seeking to mitigate their use through authentic learning and assessment strategies, our goal is to support you in rethinking how these technologies impact your teaching practice.
If students are going to use generative AI, it is essential that we equip them with the tools, strategies, and critical awareness needed to navigate its challenges and opportunities responsibly. This site provides evidence-based resources designed to help USD faculty develop effective teaching approaches and assessments that promote ethical engagement with AI while fostering meaningful learning and personal growth.
Learning Design Center Generative AI Positionality
- The Role of the Instructional Designer
- AI Positionality
- Commitments in Practice
We recognize that generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is changing how students learn, how faculty teach, and how academic programs prepare graduates for fulfilled personal and professional lives. As instructional designers (IDs), we approach these challenges in alignment with the culture of our discipline. This means evaluating tools and strategies intentionally, with evidence-based approaches to course design.
Instructional designers bring expertise in learning experience design, accessibility, assessment, and online pedagogy. A core principle of instructional design is that creating any meaningful learning experience requires partnership with faculty as the subject matter experts. Faculty bring disciplinary knowledge, content expertise, professional standards, and academic judgment to ensure that learning experiences are accurate, relevant, and aligned with the expectations of the field.
Our goal is to design learning experiences that are academically rigorous and aligned with the values and objectives as defined by the program and the University of San Diego. Regardless of modality, we approach our work with the belief that technology should enhance human learning, engagement, and critical thinking and that AI should not perform the intellectual work, such as reasoning, interpretation, synthesis, reflection, or application, that students are expected to develop and demonstrate through the learning outcomes. Accordingly, we design AI-supported learning to preserve the cognitive space students need to reason, reflect, and think critically.
We remain committed to designing transformational learning experiences that extend beyond academic achievement and support the development of the whole person across disciplines.