Students will handle new technologies better if we discuss them clearly, coherently, and consistently across all UTK courses. That’s partly a matter of curriculum design (more information coming soon!), but you can start with your own course.
If you’re planning an overhaul to your course, consider these basic questions:
- What do you want your students to be able to do by the end of your course?
- How might GenAI get in the way of their learning?
- How might GenAI support their learning?
Depending on your answers, you may find one or more of the following resources useful:
Skills that Students Need: Critical Technology Resilient Literacies (CTRL)
The technologies you and your students use today will likely be obsolete or unrecognizable within a few years. We need to design courses—and help students learn skills—that will be more resilient in the face of new waves of technological innovation. We can begin to learn—and teach our students—Critical Technology Resilient Literacies. The CTRL framework, loosely based on existing multiliteracy frameworks (Gupta et al., 2024; Selber, 2004) and the insights of critical media literacy (Kellner & Share, 2005), comprises three levels that build toward advanced decision-making: Functional Literacy, Evaluative Literacy, and Ethical Literacy.
Roles for GenAI in Your Class
As you consider how to help students meet your learning objectives, you may find it useful to consider what role you may want the software to play. TLI’s page on GenAI roles provides a variety of suggestions, along with examples from UTK faculty.
Generative Artificial Intelligence Faculty Fellowship Program
The annual GenAI Faculty Fellows Program provides financial support to faculty who want to carry out a comprehensive update to an existing course, adding GenAI elements in a systematic and intentional way. Applications open in the fall and are usually due in January.
Self-Paced Course Update Guide
Coming soon! This material is based on the steps in the GenAI Faculty Fellows Program (above) and is available for you to work through on your own. We hope to have it ready within the coming academic year!
Teach with GenAI – Asynchronous Course
For those interested in a less intensive program, the Office of Digital Learning offers a summer asynchronous mini-course that covers the basics of GenAI in higher education. Here is the registration page for summer 2026.
Additional University Resources
For more information about how support units across campus can help you learn more, see the UT SharePoint Hub on Teaching and Learning with GenAI.