Topic Proposal Details

Proposed Topic Title

Experiences with Generative AI in Earth System Science Education

 

Submitter's Email Address

guarente@ucar.edu

 

Proposed Topic Description

Generative AI tools have moved rapidly from novelty to near-ubiquity in academic and professional settings, and Earth System Science (ESS) classrooms and labs are no exception. Students are using large language models (LLMs) to summarize literature, draft explanations, and support their learning. Educators face parallel challenges: AI offers genuine productivity gains, but deploying it without attention to pedagogical quality risks substituting efficiency for rigor.

 

This session invites presentations that examine generative AI through the lens of ESS teaching and learning at any level — undergraduate, graduate, professional development, or informal education. Instructors might share experiences integrating AI into course development, assessment design, or the generation of scientifically robust content. Researchers and practitioners might present evidence on whether AI-supported study habits lead to durable learning and retention, or examine strategies for teaching students to critically evaluate AI-generated content. Students and early-career scientists might contribute reflections on how AI tools have shaped their learning experience, including where those tools have clarified understanding and where they have created false confidence.

 

Abstract submission date for speakers/presenters:

11 August 2026 at 5:00 PM ET