Conversational AI as a Creative Prism
Preparing a 4-week course for undergraduates
My college has a 4-week Spring Term in the month of May. In 2024, I’ll be teaching a course titled Conversational AI as a Creative Prism.
Course Description
Rapid advancements in AI bring significant potential and intricate ethical dilemmas for immersive films, games, and interactive storytelling. This course reimagines cinematic experiences through studying the impact of simulated conversations with lifelike avatars. Students will develop AI-generated story arcs, dialogues, and visuals.
The course explores AI's ability to produce adaptable content, from branching narratives to real-time dialogues that adapt to audience interactions. Through class discussions and readings, we aim to foster a nuanced view of AI by examining the foundational technologies and challenges of AI-driven storytelling. The class prepares students for harnessing AI in media creation, while valuing the timeless essence of traditional creative methods. By the end of the course, students will produce a short multimedia project using AI tools.
Structure of the Course
The 4 week course counts for 4 credit hours. The requirements to meet that standard:
For a 4-credit spring term course, contact time must include at least 12 hours of direct contact with faculty and an additional minimum of 24 hours of instructional time in or out of class for each student per week.
I oddly enjoy teaching the Spring Term despite the intensity. As instructor, I have flexibility in setting the schedule. I opted for morning sessions (8:30am - 12:30pm) Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Since I teach at a small liberal arts college, I’m setting the enrollment limit at 12 students, though I’m willing to go up to 16. A class that meets for four hours? I’ll keep it informal and we’ll take a break at the midpoint. I’ve done this type of arrangement before, and it works out well. Also, this type of schedule, particularly starting at 8:30am, keeps out the slackers.
Since the class is meeting 16 hours a week, students are expected to spend at least 20 hours outside of the class per week on readings, assignments, and practicing the skills for the course. During Spring Term, our students take only one course. Essentially, the course is their full-time job for the month of May.
Assignments
I’m still working out the details of the schedule. Also, the tools will certainly evolve over the next 6 months before I teach the course. Six months is a tremendous amount of time considering the pace of AI developments.
Here are the assignments for the course.
Lab exercises: Throughout this course, students will engage in six hands-on lab exercises designed to immerse them in the practical applications of conversational AI within the creative realm. These labs are structured to provide firsthand experience with the tools, techniques, and possibilities that AI offers to storytellers and creators. Each lab exercise is graded on a pass/fail basis, emphasizing comprehension and application over mere completion. Recognizing the challenges and learning curves associated with mastering AI tools, students are afforded the opportunity to revisit and repeat any lab exercise to achieve a passing grade. The goal of these labs is to foster a deep, experiential understanding of conversational AI's role as a creative medium, allowing for iterative learning and improvement.
Weekly learning journal: Throughout the duration of this course, students are required to maintain a weekly learning journal. This journal serves as a space for students to reflect on their evolving understanding of the applications of AI in creative domains. Each week, students will consider the lessons learned, the insights gained, and your personal growth in grasping the ways AI can be harnessed for creativity.
Students post their reflections to the course's Canvas site. To ensure timely progression and consistent reflection, entries must be submitted by the end of each weekend. While the depth and authenticity of the students’ insights are paramount, the learning journal is graded on a pass/fail basis. This approach emphasizes the importance of genuine engagement and understanding over mere completion. The intention is for students to engage deeply, reflect sincerely, and chart their journey through AI and creativity.
Exam: At the conclusion of the third week, students will be take a one-hour exam designed to assess their grasp of the specific facts, technologies, and concepts introduced during the early stages of this course. This exam serves as a pivotal checkpoint, offering both the students and myself a measure of how effectively they’ve internalized and understood the foundational material. This exam is not just about recalling facts but demonstrating a holistic understanding of the intricate interplay between the technologies and concepts. I’m not a fan of exams but the intention is for students to prepare thoroughly and use this opportunity to showcase their mastery of the course content thus far.
Culminating Insight (Oral Report): I might drop the exam in favor of an in person session with me. Here’s what I’m thinking: As we near the end of the course, students will have a private one-on-one conversation during week 4 with me about their insights on the course. This conversation is an opportunity for each student to discuss and synthesize viewpoints on the pivotal learnings, experiences, and transformative moments from the entire course. It’s an opportunity for students to articulate personal growth and understanding. This isn't merely a recap; it's a chance to vocally showcase the depth of insights and the connections the student has forged throughout the sessions. The grade for this assignment will be based on the student’s ability to articulate and discuss the knowledge gained form this course.
I know that many undergraduate students freak out at the idea of an oral exam, one-on-one with the professor. I like to think I’m a fairly approachable person. But, as professor, as the one judging the students by assigning a grade, I recognize that this situation has a power dynamic. I do not want the first time that a student comes to my office to be for an oral exam. Hence, I’ll be requiring at least one office hour session for each student during the 4-week term. In a small class, in most cases, I do have close interactions with the students. But I’ll build an informal office visit into the schedule for each student.
Project: One-Minute AI-driven Multimedia Story: For the culminating assignment, students are tasked with creating a one-minute multimedia project harnessing the power of AI tools. This project is an opportunity to showcase the student’s understanding and application of the AI concepts and techniques explored throughout the course. Their multimedia piece should be a synthesis of visual, auditory, and textual elements, all seamlessly integrated with the assistance of AI. Whether it's through dynamic visuals, AI-generated music, or interactive elements, the project should reflect both the student’s creativity and grasp of AI's potential in multimedia storytelling. One-minute is a long time. The entirety of week 4 is devoted to project, though students start thinking about their projects in week one on the very first day of class. All the lab exercises build the students’ skills towards completing the project.
Did I say that the 4-week Spring Term is intense? Generally, when I teach Spring Term, teaching is the only thing I do in my job for that month.
I think there’s something positive to be said about focusing intensely on one topic at a time. During the regular 12-week terms at my college, students usually take 4 courses per term. From talking with students, I get the sense that most are overwhelmed with their courses plus all their extracurricular activities (and with having a life as a college student). Not much can be done about course load as long as accreditation agencies require 120 semester hours for a bachelor’s degree. (At some point this century, I believe the entire concept of an undergraduate education will undergo a seismic change. But, that’s another topic.)
My favorite part of Spring Term is the festival held in the library on the last Friday of the term where students from all the different courses come together to present their projects. The event is a great way to close the academic year.
As I develop the course material, I’ll be posting it here and elsewhere. I’ll also be thinking of ways of offering this type of course outside of the traditional academic setting. I’m not yet sure what that would look like but stay tuned.