AI isn’t just transforming how students learn. It’s reshaping how educators teach, and maybe not in the way you might think.
The Discover AI: Instructor's Guide to Understanding AI and its Place in Higher Education was our first resource designed to help faculty use AI thoughtfully in teaching and learning. We’ve recently added lesson plans, assignment strategies, and student-facing tools, all grounded in values that support ethical, effective use of AI across the academic experience.
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Together, these guides reflect our commitment to supporting and preparing both students and instructors for the present and future.
Instructors across disciplines are finding creative ways to apply these ideas in their courses. One example comes from the online course, PET 101: Games in American Culture, where AI is being used to support historical thinking and digital literacy in a hands-on, course-specific context.
Instructor Spotlight: Using AI to Think Like a Historian
Dr. Sean Bulger, Chester E. & Helen B. Derrick CAHS Endowed Professor, is leading this innovative approach in PET 101. We asked him a few questions about how he’s helping students build AI literacy while developing historical thinking skills.
Q: Describe how you have integrated AI in PET 101.
Dr. Bulger: I’ve tried to use AI in PET 101 more as a thinking partner than as a shortcut. Students don’t just plug in a question and take the answer. Instead, they use AI to draft timelines, test different perspectives, or connect themes across eras. Then they must step back and ask, “What’s missing here? What did the AI get wrong or oversimplify?” One of my favorite parts is the “Build a Better Prompt” activity. It really gets them to see that the quality of their question shapes the quality of the answer when using AI.
Q: What inspired you to incorporate AI into PET 101, especially in the context of historical thinking?
Dr. Bulger: Honestly, it came from seeing how much students were already experimenting with AI on their own but without much direction. I figured, why not meet them where they are and show them how it can be used to sharpen their thinking instead of replacing it? Sport history turned out to be a natural fit because it’s all about weighing evidence, comparing interpretations, and connecting the past to today. AI can generate interesting angles, but its effective use also necessitates that students slow down and notice bias, accuracy, and missing voices. That’s the kind of critical awareness historians need anyway.
Q: What kinds of skills or mindsets do you hope students develop through this assignment - both in terms of AI and historical inquiry?
Dr. Bulger: I hope they come away with two things. First, the historian’s mindset which includes asking good questions, recognizing multiple perspectives, and putting things in context. And second, some practical AI literacy like knowing how to craft a solid prompt, determining when a response is too generic or off-base, and treating AI as a brainstorming tool rather than an authority. If they leave the course curious, skeptical, and creative, comfortable using AI but not dependent on it, I’ll feel like it was worth the related effort.
Q: What’s been the student response so far?
Dr. Bulger: It’s still early, but the initial feedback has been encouraging. Some students have said AI helps them get started when they’re brainstorming or working through more complex ideas. The prompt-building activities seem to resonate because they feel useful beyond the class. I’ve also noticed that some students trust AI a bit too much at first, which presents opportunities for teachable moments about fact-checking and critical analysis. It’s been a learning curve for me as well, figuring out how to guide students in using AI productively without it overshadowing the historical thinking skills we want them to develop as our priority.
Instructors who are considering AI tools for their own courses might also find our Vetting AI Tools for Academic Use blog post helpful. It offers practical guidance for evaluating AI platforms with a focus on transparency, privacy, and pedagogical value. Whether you're selecting tools for instruction, feedback, or student support, this resource can help you make informed, values-based decisions.
Because AI isn’t just changing what we teach, it’s changing how we teach. And as Dr. Bulger’s work shows, that change might look a little different than you’d expect.
This post is the second in a three-part blog series exploring the School of Sport Sciences’ approach to AI in education. In our final post, we’ll share a badging opportunity for students to showcase their understanding of responsible and reflective AI use.