Empowering Social Sciences Educators on the Use of Artificial Intelligence in the Classroom

Implementing

The two-hour workshop was designed to be an interactive learning experience where students could actively experiment with AI tools. It was structured as follows:

Introduction to AI in Academic Research
- Brief overview of AI’s capabilities and limitations in academic writing.
- Discussion on ethical considerations and academic integrity.
Hands-on Exercises
- Students used AI to generate and refine research questions.
- AI-assisted brainstorming sessions for defining key concepts.
- AI-based analysis plan structuring, focusing on data selection and methods.
Guided Discussions
- Students shared their AI-generated results and compared them with traditional methods.
- Reflection on the reliability and accuracy of AI-generated suggestions.
Student Reflections and Feedback
- Discussion on how AI changed their research approach.
- Consideration of AI as a supplementary tool rather than a primary source.

A key insight was that students needed some prior knowledge of their research topic to use AI effectively. Without foundational understanding, they struggled to evaluate AI-generated outputs critically.