This module, created by Liz du Plessis, supplements a presentation titled "Free Generative AI for Education: Getting Started with Microsoft Bing Copilot (GPT-4 Turbo) and Perplexity AI" delivered in person on May 15, 2024, on the Mizzou campus for the Celebration of Teaching hosted by the Teaching for Learning Center.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License

Presenters

Liz is a Manager of Instructional Design at Missouri Online, on the T4LC Advisory Committee for the University of Missouri-Columbia (MU), and an online instructor of History at MU (Fall 2023 & Spring 2024).

Tom Roedel, Instructional Technologist III, co-presented the in-person session.

Session Abstract

What can you do for free with generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools gaining attention in higher education? This session will provide live demonstrations of Microsoft Bing Copilot powered by GPT-4 Turbo (the latest generation language model developed by OpenAI) and Perplexity AI (a search engine that provides direct source linking for transparency and verification). Educators are using these tools to enhance efficiency and student engagement.

The presenters will compare the capabilities of free and paid versions of these AI tools. Since March, all Bing Copilot users have had free access to GPT-4 Turbo, and University of Missouri users also have access to free versions of AI extensions for Office365. (We’ll show the add-on for PowerPoint.) Perplexity offers GPT-3.5 for free to everyone and access to Perplexity Pro for a free trial period. (Pro users choose from the latest AI models like GPT-4 and Claude 3.)

The session will highlight use cases that exemplify the impact of these AI tools in fostering innovative teaching, such as exploring the latest research and pedagogical strategies.

Session interaction description

Participants will be invited to try out AI tools to explore the latest research and pedagogical strategies in their disciplines, brainstorm scenarios for authentic learning activities, and generate rubric elements that align with their learning objectives and assessment criteria.

Reflection opportunity for participants

Participants will be invited to share their ideas and perspectives about how generative AI can become a part of their teaching toolkit. One of the presenters (Liz du Plessis) is an instructional designer and adjunct MU faculty member. She will share her reflections on using AI tools in both roles.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

Distinguish between capabilities and limitations of Bing Copilot and Perplexity AI, free and paid versions.
Explore how to leverage these tools for enhancing efficiency and student engagement.
Make informed decisions about integrating these AI tools into their teaching practices.

References

Generative AI | Missouri Online website

Example activities for student use of AI

The following items in this Canvas module provide example activities for student use of AI along with other assignments associated with the Oral History project for context.