NAMPA, Idaho — In the evolving landscape of education, artificial intelligence is being integrated into teaching methodologies, emphasizing the importance of AI literacy for students of all ages.
At the College of Western Idaho , the integration of AI tools aims to support students’ learning without replacing the fundamental aspects of education.
Brian Jagger, founder of Guardrailz, explained, “Our systems also focus more on tutoring them. So if you ask one of our assistants that's in 'education mode' to write you an essay, it won't write the essay. It will help you write the essay.”
This approach encourages students to engage with AI as a supportive tool rather than a substitute for their own work.
Sheridan Palmer, a CWI student, shared their experience, “To actually give you a paper? It'll straight up tell you it can't. It says I'm not allowed to do that, and it'll give you tips and suggestions on how you can do it, and it'll even offer brainstorming advice.”
The importance of AI literacy extends beyond just knowing how to use these tools; it also involves understanding their limitations and ethical considerations.
As Gigi Smith, Writing and AI Center Director, noted, “Fast forwarding that to the college environment becomes a lot more high stakes, but still the same fundamental. Like, how do I engage in my learning experience and my learning environment in a way that helps me build my intellectual capital and not create knowledge gaps in my learning.”
Guardrailz’ AI platform further personalizes the learning experience by inquiring about students’ interests and tailoring explanations to those interests. For Sheridan Palmer, who is passionate about Dungeons & Dragons, the AI explained complex psychological concepts in terms of story arcs and plot points.
Sheridan remarked, “So when I was talking about these complex ideas and emotions, it started talking to me in story arcs and relating it to plot points and hooks and stuff like that. That's one of the ways that I think it related to me was... relating it back to you because I'm a really big story person and create these grandiose tales, it started doing that.”
