Levels of Analysis: A framework for maintaining AI alignment across course design elements
Patricia Turner
Description
An orientation to the ethical use of AI in education has become a central focus in recent years (e.g., Eden, Chisom & Adeniyi, 2024, among many others). In this presentation, I will discuss the “levels of analysis” (Marr, 1982) of the “AI-vocado” framework (Turner, 2025) as a heuristic for creating and assessing teaching materials with a pro-human orientation. The goal of this framework is to support students’ responsible and safe use of AI through explicit signaling of ethical expectations for AI use by instructors. This presentation will engage participants by asking them to apply the levels of analysis to their learning outcomes, assignments, and their own approach to AI, to stimulate discussion of the many ways that faculty can center pro-human, critical AI use in their teaching.
Link to the video [video.ucdavis.edu]
Submit a question for Dr. Turner to answer during the live discussion panels at SITT.
About the Presenter
Patricia Turner, Ph.D., is an Education Specialist with the Center for Educational Effectiveness (CEE). Patricia earned her Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics from UCLA and has taught for 30 years in all three systems of public higher education in California. She has held faculty positions at UC San Diego, San Diego State University, and Santa Monica College and taught extensively at UCLA while completing her doctoral studies. Her pedagogical interests include inclusive and student-centered teaching practices, graduate student teaching development, online course development, and the teaching of disciplinary literacy.
At CEE, Patricia enjoys collaborating with faculty, graduate students and staff on the design and implementation of engaging, student-centered instruction that results in significant learning for diverse groups of students. Patricia received her B.A. in Psychology at UC Davis and is happy to return to UCD to engage in work on learning and teaching.
