Use Generative AI in Teaching

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How Can I Use Generative AI in Teaching?

Generative AI tools like Google Gemini can help you draft course materials, explain difficult concepts in new ways, and build practice activities in a fraction of the time. This article covers practical ways to use AI in your teaching, how to write prompts that get useful results, and how to use these tools responsibly.

Before You Start: Preparation Checklist

  • Sign in with your NECO Google account before using Gemini. When you use a Google Workspace for Education account, your chats are not reviewed by humans or used to train AI models.
  • Never enter identifiable student or patient information, such as names, IDs, grades, or real patient records.
  • Review your syllabus AI policy so your own use, and what you allow students to do, is consistent. Sample AI policy language is included in the syllabus template provided by Academic Affairs.
  • Plan to review everything. AI can produce answers that sound confident but are wrong.

Ways to Use Generative AI in Your Teaching

Personalize learning experiences.

Tailor content to meet individual student needs, such as different levels of explanation, extra practice, or quick review summaries.

Try: “Explain accommodative esotropia three ways: for a first-year student new to binocular vision, for a third-year student preparing for clinic, and as a one-paragraph board review summary.”

Create hypothetical case studies.

Build fictional patient cases for discussion, problem-based learning, or exam practice. Always start from invented details, never from real patient records (see Use Case-Based Learning).

Try: “Write a fictional case for second-year optometry students: a 58-year-old patient with gradually blurred distance vision. Include history, entrance tests, and exam findings, but don’t reveal the diagnosis. Then add four discussion questions and an instructor answer key.”

Generate examples and explanations for complex concepts.

Ask for analogies, step-by-step walk-throughs, or common misconceptions to address in class.

Try: “Explain the difference between with-the-rule and against-the-rule astigmatism using an everyday analogy, then list two misconceptions students commonly have.”

Draft emails, syllabus outlines, and rubrics.

Let AI produce a first draft of routine writing, then edit it in your own voice.

Try: “Create an analytic rubric with four performance levels for a student case presentation. Criteria: history, differential diagnosis, management plan, and communication. Format it as a table.”

Develop creative assignments and assessment questions.

Brainstorm assignment ideas or draft practice questions with explanations. Review any AI-drafted exam questions carefully for accuracy and quality before using them; the Faculty Item Development Guide covers NECO’s item-writing standards.

Try: “Write five practice multiple-choice questions on the pharmacology of glaucoma medications for second-year students, with a short rationale for each answer option.”

Writing Better Prompts

Google recommends building your prompt from four elements:

  • Persona: who the AI should act as (“You are an optometry educator…”).
  • Task: what you want it to do (“Draft…,” “Summarize…,” “Create…”).
  • Context: the background it needs, such as course level, topic, or learning objective.
  • Format: how the output should look, such as a table, bullet points, or under 200 words.

Treat it as a conversation. If the first result isn’t quite right, ask follow-up questions or request changes rather than starting over.

Try going to gemini.google.com and typing in the prompt:

How can optometry faculty use Google Gemini for teaching, course development, and student assessment?

Best Practices for Responsible Use

  • Verify everything. Check facts, clinical details, and especially citations. AI can invent references that don’t exist.
  • Protect privacy. Remove all identifying information (PII, PHI) before sharing any student work or clinical material, in line with FERPA and HIPAA.
  • Watch for bias. Review AI-generated cases and examples for diverse, realistic patient demographics and presentations.
  • Be transparent with students. Let them know when and how you’ve used AI, and state your expectations for their use in your syllabus.
  • You’re the expert. AI produces drafts; your professional judgment decides what reaches students.

IMPORTANT: Never enter student names, grades, or identifiable work, or any real patient information, into an AI tool.

Self-Check Questions

  • Did I sign in with my NECO account before using the tool?
  • Have I removed all identifiable student and patient information?
  • Have I checked the output for accuracy, bias, and alignment with my learning objectives?
  • Do my students know how AI was used in this course, and what’s expected of their own use?

Additional Resources

Need Extra Support?

Want more ideas for using generative AI in your teaching? Reach out to the TLC team!

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