“The course is called Cultural-Historical Overview. It is a terribly boring name, but it is my passion project,” says Felix Riede, Professor of Archaeology, with a smile.

On the course, archaeology students gain a broad overview of what has happened in Scandinavia in interaction with developments in the rest of the world, from the earliest humans nearly three million years ago and onwards. They also cover topics such as the space age and the material traces humans have left on the Moon and elsewhere.

The course consists of a combination of practical exercises, including the study of objects and discussion of specific texts, as well as lectures.

“In many ways, Cultural-Historical Overview is a bit old-fashioned and demanding, but that is entirely deliberate. The students need to meet the whole department, so different teachers give lectures on the periods they know best. Because it is a first-semester course, it is also designed to help students settle into university life, learn study techniques, get to know one another, and establish themselves as a group,” he explains.

The course examination is the students’ first meeting with a larger written assignment. For that reason, some course activities are linked to student guidance events at Arts. In addition, students are introduced to literature searching, formal requirements, and reference management, and they take part in a short writing workshop.

Generative AI as part of the basic academic skills

As the course has developed in recent years, Felix Riede has identified new needs and opportunities in the students’ working processes. This led him to consider how generative AI might play a role in the part of the course that focuses on writing skills.

“University teaching needs to relate to what is happening outside the university. AI has simply become another tool that we use in our research practice and in many other contexts. I think it is positive that AU has a relatively open approach to AI. Anything else would be unrealistic. Students need to become competent in using it in meaningful ways. That is why it made sense to introduce AI in the first semester as part of the course,” he explains.

He also recounts an experience from fieldwork last year that made him aware that students had changed how they search for information. Instead of using Google, they began their searches by asking questions in ChatGPT.

“And I still think that is quite striking. It has more or less replaced all sorts of conventional search tools. You could easily imagine that many students starting university now simply use AI as their first point of entry to everything,” he says.

Felix Riede explains that his aim is to work more proactively with generative AI, so that students are not left alone with the many questions that arise. He points out that they are often unsure where the boundary lies between legitimate support and actual cheating, and that they are not as ‘digitally native’ as one might assume.

“Some students often have limited experience with the more advanced capabilities of a computer, beyond standard functions such as word processing programs,” he notes.

Generative AI as a supplement in the writing process

To put his reflections into practice, Felix Riede sought input. In August, the CED held a workshop on generative AI in teaching at the Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies. Afterwards, Felix Riede received resources on generative AI and writing processes, which he used when planning his writing workshop.

“Inspired by a correspondence with the CED, the most important thing for me was to explain to the students that there are two extremes. You can outsource the work to AI, and that works reasonably well, but you do not gain anything from it. Or you can involve AI as a tool or a partner in the learning process,” says Felix Riede.

He also provided students with some basic guidelines on how to work responsibly with generative AI output, and how to assign a specific role to the AI tool so that it becomes a more targeted and useful resource in the writing process.

“For example, I have set mine up to function as a research assistant and to use the kind of language that is closest to the type of output I need. I think many students are not aware of that way of using it,” he elaborates.

At the same time, he notes that the wide variation in students’ digital skills presents a significant challenge when it comes to planning teaching on generative AI. Each year, archaeology admits both students with advanced technological skills, who are already familiar with AI and IT, and students at the complete opposite end of the spectrum, with almost no experience. Accommodating this range is challenging.

Growing importance in archaeological research and teaching

Although the wide variation in students’ prior digital experience makes the teaching complex, Felix Riede has no doubt that generative AI holds considerable potential for the discipline of archaeology, where it already plays a significant role in both research and practice.

He explains that since research archaeology has become a largely digitised field, it is important to learn what the tools can do and how to rein them in, so they can be used for one’s own purposes.

“This tool is extremely powerful. I mainly use it to help with programming, text summaries, and similar tasks. There are many tasks that can be done much faster and quite accurately with AI,” Felix Riede emphasises.

In addition, he highlights that AI can become a particularly powerful tool when students at the Master’s level begin working with data analysis, which many find challenging. Some of the programs used to generate and structure data are based on programming languages such as R and Python rather than traditional point-and-click programs like SPSS and Excel. Here, generative AI can make a substantial difference. He explains that large datasets can be processed using relatively simple programming prompts.

“So, I think it makes sense to think of AI alongside the other digital tools we already work with. It should be an element that accompanies students throughout their entire programme,” he concludes.

A powerful tool that requires academic rigour

Felix Riede expects that, over time, the technology will raise the standard of students’ written work.

“In many ways, I expect the quality of students’ writing to improve. If they use AI as a sounding board, as an advanced spelling and language check, it improves their written products,” he says.

For him, AI is not, in itself, a threat to academic formation, but a tool that, when used thoughtfully, can improve both writing and disciplinary learning. He points to how the technology has already changed researchers’ working processes.

“It can easily be part of a learning process, both as tool-based learning, where students learn how the tool can be used, and as genuine disciplinary learning that helps them write better texts. I can clearly see this when I collaborate with international colleagues and we write in English, which is our second language. AI is simply a game changer when it comes to producing clear, precise text. In that sense, it is not a threat, but rather a support,” Felix Riede observes.

At the same time, he stresses that the technology does not remove the need for academic rigour. On the contrary, classical skills such as source evaluation and critical source awareness become even more important, since generative AI sometimes draws on content from the internet without regard to credibility.

The new possibilities also bring practical challenges for teaching. Felix Riede emphasises that finding a sustainable way of working with AI requires care, both because of the rapid development of the technology and because contact hours are increasingly limited. This means that teachers must constantly balance prioritising disciplinary content with making room for the development of general academic competences, which generative AI is now part of.

Resources and courses on generative AI in teaching

For teachers who wish to work more systematically with generative AI, the CED offers a range of resources and workshops.

• On the AU Educate page on generative AI and chatbots, you can read more about how generative AI and chatbots are used in teaching.
• If you want a basic understanding of generative AI, you can take part in the course Generative AI in teaching – Getting started.
• If you already have a basic understanding of generative AI, you can instead take part in Generative AI in university teaching.
• You are also always welcome to book an GAI specialist from the CED for individual advice.