Students use AI tools for research, writing, homework, and daily life, sometimes without fully realizing it, through tools like Google’s AI Overview. As student AI use grows across disciplines, we need to encourage students to become critical consumers, rather than passive users, of this persistent technology.
Developed collaboratively with members of the history department and the Oliver Wendell Holmes Library (OWHL), our AI Literacy program builds student understanding about how AI works and encourages them to critically evaluate outputs and use AI tools responsibly. The pilot has two parts: graded history assignments that embed an element of AI usage and short “pocket lessons” on AI literacy available in various classes through OWHL.
This program responds to a growing concern among educators that unexamined AI use can undermine the process-based thinking that strong humanities education depends on. The goal is to create a reusable framework that other teachers, librarians, and departments can use, ultimately promoting a culture of transparency and accountability around AI use.
