Using AI to Support Student-Friendly Course Design and Service-Learning Activities

Context

Last year, I participated in the AI Fellows Program through the League for Innovation in the Community College. Through that cohort, I was given access to BoodleBox as an AI tool.

Our cohort was the inaugural class, and we were given a great deal of information to process. Several teams formed from colleges that worked together on large projects such as AI oversight, including policy and guidelines, AI symposium events focused on ethics and usage, and sessions related to building chatbots specific to a course.

I was the only individual from Northeast State Community College at the time, and I was not in an administrative position. As a result, my project focused specifically on how I would use BoodleBox to create a student-friendly syllabus and incorporate it into my classes.

I wanted to do this because it became clear that the traditional syllabi for the course I teach most often, a First Year Experience course, were too detailed and ultimately boring for students.

The idea for my project came from a brainstorming question in which we were asked to consider what worked and what did not work in our courses and why. Instructional design has always been an important part of my learning journey. I have attended Lumens Training, ACUE, and multiple Go2Knowledge sessions that impacted my course design in ways that produced meaningful results.

Application

Full access to BoodleBox through the AI Fellows Program allowed me to explore its features without hesitation. Monthly meetings with the larger combined cohort also introduced additional features and uses for making the AI tool work in various instructional situations.

My interest in instructional design continued beyond the syllabus project. I found ways to implement classroom activities based on current events on campus, such as our 60th anniversary, and I focused on another series of projects for my Introduction to Service-Learning class. These projects encouraged students to consider how community impact affects decision-making.

I used AI to prompt a series of questions that asked students to consider, individually, what building they would most like to see added to our campus and for what purpose. Students then formed small groups, or committees, to determine which idea they would pursue.

Once a decision was made, each team built the new facility using a bag of Legos that had been intentionally distributed unequally. About 15 minutes into the building process, I introduced community impact cards. These cards included considerations such as wheelchair access, stakeholder perspectives, parking, limited budget, well-lit spaces, and related community needs.

Students moved beyond the simplistic idea of listening to the community and into the more complex reality that communities are not monolithic. Service-learning requires navigating competing needs, power dynamics, and difficult prioritization, which are skills students will need in authentic partnerships.

Using AI tools for brainstorming engaging student activities and developing clear guidelines became two essential parts of successful course design.

Outcome

Students appreciate the clarity of the student-friendly syllabus addendum, the ease of access to course materials, and the ability to locate exactly what they need without feeling lost.

Many students suggest that they feel more open to having conversations with the instructor and feel more assured in their own potential for success.

In the Service-Learning course, student groups presented not only their final Lego buildings but also their decision-making processes. For example, students explained who they heard from, why they prioritized certain needs over others, and who they still needed to consult.

The lessons learned through this engaging in-class activity will support students who plan to move into leadership positions and help them develop skills needed in the workforce.

Two images are included in the artifacts to display the considerations of the top two teams and their building processes. The first image features a mock trial location for Criminal Justice and Communication students, complete with safe spaces or quiet zones. This group also received a community impact card requiring the building to maintain the same design as other buildings on campus, including a curved entrance and open lobby area.

The second image features a greenhouse designed to serve science majors and all students through an open food market. This group received a community impact card requiring the building to be accessible to people with disabilities. Their presentation highlighted raised gardens and accessible entrances throughout the area.

Continuing conversations with AI, especially BoodleBox, can enhance the educational process. Because sources are often listed for reference during brainstorming and idea development, BoodleBox can support course design in ways similar to how calculators support mathematical applications.