Helping Students Check for Bias in AI Outputs

This assignment, by Michael McDowell, is from Edutopia. The summary from the site explains:

When students use generative artificial intelligence, they need methods to check for biases that may skew results to prompts.

Key Features of This Assignment

Integration of Critical Thinking and Criticality
This assignment emphasizes the combined use of critical thinking and criticality, as defined by Georgia State Professor Gholdy Muhammad. Students analyze AI-generated summaries, compare them with their own knowledge, and identify missing perspectives, fostering deep analytical skills and an awareness of power, equity, and anti-oppression in their writing.
Development of Questioning Skills
Students ask probing questions of AI outputs to test their validity and reliability. By formulating questions such as “What evidence are you using to ensure that this is accurate?” or “How would you rewrite your statement from a different perspective?”, students enhance their ability to critically engage with AI tools, improving their questioning and analytical writing skills.
Perspective Analysis Protocol
Inspired by Robert Marzano’s perspective analysis, this assignment guides students to examine controversial topics from multiple viewpoints. By generating and comparing AI-supported and opposing positions, students learn to identify biases and verify the accuracy of information, thus enriching their understanding and ability to present balanced arguments in their writing.