GenAI in Student-Directed Projects
https://creativecomputing.gse.harvard.edu/genai/
How can generative AI support student creativity and learning rather than replace it? We explored how graduate students use AI tools in self-directed learning design projects, investigating the balance between human agency and AI assistance in creative, academic work.
Through interviews with 27 Harvard Graduate School of Education students and 7 faculty members conducted in early 2024, we documented how people were approaching generative AI at the beginning of expanded access to these powerful new technologies. Students shared how they used AI tools for everything from brainstorming and project planning to debugging code and generating visual mockups, while navigating the complexity of understanding their own roles as learners and designers.
Based on these interviews, we developed a comprehensive guide featuring over 30 specific strategies for using generative AI in student projects, organized around the project development journey, from initial ideation through final reflection. Released in December 2024, the guide (and the accompanying interactive website) offer concrete examples and prompts to help students and educators navigate the opportunities and challenges of AI-supported creative work.
- Tips for Using AI, From Grad Students and Professors, HGSE Usable Knowledge article from January 2025 about the release of the project report and website
- Haduong, P., Wolf, J. H., Kolluru, A., Yao, S., & Brennan, K. (2025, April). Supporting self-directed project-based learning in higher education with generative AI. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association.
