AI Tool Exploration

Assignment created by Traci Gardner (Department of English), using prompts with ChatGPT

Rationale

This assignment introduces students to specific AI tools, asking them to evaluate the strengths and limitations of a specific tool.

Objectives

• Explore and experiment with AI tools.
• Analyze the tool’s features, strengths, and limitations.
• Draw conclusions about the usefulness of the AI tool.

Activities

1. Readings: Read or view these resources to introduce key concepts and background knowledge before students begin evaluating AI tools.
   • Anderson, Daniel J., C. Edward Watson, Lee Rainie, and Anderson, Janna. 2025. “Student Guide to Artificial Intelligence.” Elon University, and American Association of Colleges and Universities. https://studentguidetoai.org/.
   • Couros, George. 2025. “Decoding Digital Deception: A Journey into AI and Bias.” George Couros (blog). January 14, 2025. https://georgecouros.com/decoding-digital-deception-a-journey-into-ai-and-bias/.
   • Zewe, Adam. 2023. “Explained: Generative AI.” MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology, November 9, 2023. https://news.mit.edu/2023/explained-generative-ai-1109.
2. Discussion Questions: Use these questions in small group discussions or online forums to explore the readings and AI before students complete their AI Tool Reflection Worksheet.
   • What do you expect an AI tool to be able to do? What do you expect it not to do?
   • What counts as “good” or “useful” output from an AI tool? How do you recognize it?
   • What ethical concerns come up when we use AI in academic or professional settings?
   • In what types of writing tasks might AI be most helpful—or most risky?
   • What are your current habits with tools like Grammarly, ChatGPT, or Quillbot?
   • How might using AI shape your thinking or your writing process—for better or worse?
3. Explore and Analyze an AI Tool:
   1. Have students choose an AI tool to explore, such as one of these examples:
      • ChatGPT: Conversational assistant for brainstorming, writing, coding, and tutoring.
      • Grammarly: AI writing assistant that offers grammar, tone, and style suggestions.
      • Claude (Anthropic): Conversational AI with a strong focus on safe and helpful responses.
      • Quillbot: Paraphrasing and summarization tool useful for rewriting and idea generation.
      • Perplexity: AI-powered search tool that provides sourced, conversational answers.
      • DALL·E: AI image generator that creates visuals based on text prompts.
      • Notion AI: Integrated AI assistant for note-taking, productivity, and task management.
      • Canva Magic Write: Text generator embedded in Canva for use in visual design projects.
      • Copilot (Microsoft): Embedded AI writing and coding assistant within Word, Excel, and more.
      • Scribe: AI tool that automatically creates step-by-step guides from screen recordings.
      • Runway ML: Generative video and image editing platform for creative projects.
   2. Ask students to experiment with the tool, noting its features and capabilities.
   3. Have students complete the AI Tool Exploration Worksheet: Strengths & Limitations, documenting their findings.

Rubric

Table 1. AI Tool Exploration Rubric

Criteria	Excellent	Good	Fair	Poor
Tool Exploration Worksheet	Thorough and insightful; clearly documents strengths, limitations, and ethical considerations with original analysis	Complete and mostly clear; some thoughtful observations; addresses most required elements	Basic responses; limited depth or critical insight; may overlook ethical concerns	Incomplete or missing key elements; lacks analysis or relevance
Use of Examples	Provides well-chosen examples that strongly support observations; includes specific AI output or tasks	Includes relevant examples; supports most claims with specific references to tool output or use	Few or vague examples; examples may not clearly support the evaluation	No examples provided or examples are irrelevant
Critical Reflection	Demonstrates thoughtful consideration of how AI shaped thinking or writing; clearly articulates user decisions	Reflects on AI use with some depth; considers personal writing process or decision-making	Some reflection present but may be superficial or underdeveloped	Little or no reflection; lacks engagement with personal experience
Clarity & Organization	Responses are well-organized, clearly written, and free of distracting errors	Mostly clear and organized; minor errors do not interfere with meaning	Some disorganization or unclear writing; several noticeable errors	Disorganized or difficult to follow; frequent errors impact readability

 

Last Updated on June 30, 2025