This guide presents 10 hands-on “challenges” to help UVA students, faculty, and researchers explore generative AI in academic and creative contexts. Each self-contained activity promotes active learning, critical thinking, and reflection, and can be completed in any order based on your interests.
A 5-minute, method-first activity: students verify three references from their own draft bibliography before submitting - resolving DOIs and searching exact titles - then classify each as found-and-matches, found-but-differs, or not-found, and correct entries from the real record. Motivated by the rise of fabricated ("hallucinated") citations that look perfectly formatted yet point at nothing. Teaching point: "not found" does not automatically mean "fabricated".
This self-guided, active learning exercise for Zotero was originally created for a 1–1.5 hour standalone online workshop. Zotero is a free, open-source tool that helps users collect, organize, annotate, cite, and share references. It is easy enough for students to learn quickly, yet powerful enough to support dissertations, theses, and capstone projects. Zotero also provides a practical way to engage with the conceptual goals of the ACRL Framework, transforming abstract ideas such as “giving credit” and “joining a scholarly conversation” into concrete research practices.
Over 60 practical assignment prompts and ideas across disciplines to assist with teaching skills for using ChatGPT (and other AI tools), including prompt engineering, evaluating output, analyzing texts, writing, generating content, studying, and career planning.
The most powerful wizards have gathered to battle one another. Only one will win. Wizards must use reliable sources to research incantations for the battle, or their spells will fizzle. Truly wise wizards must learn to tell the difference.
Play-based learning activity asking students to intentionally create "fake news" and engage with their emotional reactions in coming across information.
Two librarians at NKU developed an Informed Voting workshop to help students navigate information during the 2024 election season. Attendees were provided a worksheet to learn about the candidates/issues on their ballot and dig into one issue/race to investigate during the workshop.
Informationliteracy.gov disseminates successful practices, tools, and programs related to financial, health, digital, and other information literacy subject areas. Focusing on resources and programs delivered locally, Informationliteracy.gov supports library and museum practitioners and community-based organizations across the country in their efforts to meet community needs and provide resources and trainings on these subjects.
Algorithms are everywhere, and they have increasing power over what we consume (Amazon, Netflix, TikTok), who we date (“the apps”), and how we understand the world (Google, ChatGPT). So, what are algorithms, and how did they become so powerful? Who are the humans that create them, and why does it matter?
In this workshop, we will explore how algorithms can perpetuate bias and discrimination, and discuss some preventive strategies. It is open to learners of all backgrounds and experience.
The Hidden Layer Workshop introduces key generative AI (genAI) concepts through a privacy lens. Participants probe the possibilities and limitations of genAI while considering implications for intellectual privacy, intellectual property, data sovereignty, and human agency. In the centerpiece activity, participants engage in a hidden layer simulation to develop a conceptual understanding of the algorithms in the neural networks underlying LLMs and their implications for machine bias and AI hallucination.
This workshop engages participants in exploring corporate data collection, personal profiling, deceptive design, and data brokerage practices. Workshop content is contextualized with the theoretical frameworks of panoptic sort (Gandy), surveillance capitalism (Zuboff), and the four regulators (Lessig) and presented through a privacy and business ethics lens. Participants will learn how companies make money from data collection practices; explore how interface design can influence our choices and behaviors; and discuss business ethics regarding privacy and big data.
This sex-positive privacy literacy workshop engages participants in exploring how sex tech impacts intimate privacy and intimate relationships. Workshop content is contextualized with the theoretical frameworks of artificial intimacies (Brooks) and consentful tech (The Consentful Tech Project) and the concept of intimate privacy (Citron) and presented through a privacy literacy lens.
Home for the IMLS Grant RE-72-17-0103-17 - “RE:Search” - Unpacking the Algorithms That Shape Our UX. Deliverables include a teaching curriculum, syllabi for a week-long workshop and semester-length course, an action handbook for teaching algorithmic awareness concepts, and a software prototype that demonstrates algorithms in action. Page maintained by Jason Clark.
Description: The Database Scavenger Hunt engages pairs of students in locating specific information or performing specific tasks across multiple resources. Each team works through a series of 16 questions/tasks, with verification of correct answers from the librarian/professor after every 1 or 2 questions, then places a mark on the corresponding wall grid of questions once an answer is deemed correct. The process repeats until the team completes all questions.
Algorithms are not neutral but this does not mean they are not useful tools for research. In this workshop on algorithmic bias, student learn how algorithms can perpetuate bias and discrimination and how to critically evaluate their search results.
This lesson actively engages learners in the process of evaluating an information source using the SIFT technique, designed by Mike Caufield. The approach uses lateral reading techniques and the lesson encourages learners to apply and reflect on the technique as it pertains to a specific information need.
To practice thinking about what sources work well together, instead of choosing sources, students will choose who to invite to a small dinner party. The goal is to put together a group of guests that will be able to find enough common ground to have interesting conversations.
In this scenario based activity, students are asked to help 4 of their classmates evaluate 3 sources they are considering using for their paper. Students can read the entirety of each source, then write a 2 to 3 sentence explanation of why their classmate should or shouldn’t use the source and why. Based on the concept of Calibrated Peer Review, there is one exemplar source, one substandard source and one bubble source.
Intended to provide a brief introduction to academic research. A video explains types of sources, a screencast tutorial demonstrates how to search Academic Search Complete, and students have the opportunity to practice search for an article related to their topic.
In this scenario based activity, students are asked to help 3 of their classmates narrow down their topics. By moving a series of sliders, students aim to develop a research question that is interesting, yet narrow enough to find scholarly sources.
