Elevating Educational Design with AI: Making Learning Accessible, Inclusive, and Equitable

by Catlin R. Tucker, Katie Novak

AI can’t replace the human element of education. It can elevate it.

Educators understand the crucial importance of developing learning experiences that are accessible, engaging, and student-centered. However, when faced with a long list of ever-increasing demands, teachers are often left without the time, energy, and resources necessary to turn best intentions into best practices. Enter Elevating Educational Design with AI, a guide for teachers who want to use technology to activate engagement, give students agency over their learning, and streamline workflows.

In an era when AI is rapidly reshaping our world, some educators feel apprehensive about integrating it into their practice. Without a focus on the humans behind the ideas, AI-generated lessons can end up perpetuating one-size-fits-all learning experiences, undermining efforts to create inclusive and differentiated learning environments where all students can thrive. The conversational, personable, and inquisitive approach of Elevating Educational Design with AI refocuses the conversation on how we can use AI-powered tools in the service of strong pedagogical practices that offer effective learning experiences for every student, demystifying the integration of AI in education, guiding educators, and helping them harness its power.

With their latest book, Catlin Tucker and Katie Novak empower teachers with an adaptable and rigorous educational design framework that embodies the best ideals of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and blended learning. They explain how readers can leverage modern AI as a dynamic thought partner to help transform insights into action. Each chapter explores a step in designing accessible, inclusive, and equitable experiences, highlighting how to employ AI to create learning environments anchored in strong pedagogical practices.

Genres: Nonfiction

248 pages, Paperback

Published December 20, 2024

Reviews

[Ray Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was another disappointing collection of buzz words and clichés. Apparently, AI, as a thought partner, will allow for the development of student centered, differentiated, cognitively appropriate, engaging, lessons that are aligned to standards, equitable, diverse, and aligned to UDL, UBD, and whatever this year's model for the levels on higher order thinking is. The authors discuss developing multiple entry points so the teacher will have 8 activities happening simultaneously so students can do whatever they want while teachers will no longer have to or be able to teach in any recognizable way. There are lots of examples of how to generate more activity ideas that a single human can possibly implement while quoting every education guru alive or dead.

I did find value in this book, though not very much. I know that there are many ways to design activities that will allow students to learn my content. I also know that AI can help me generate materials that will make it easier to choose and assign some of these. The point that Tucker seems to miss is that 1 teacher cannot support 25 activities simultaneously. So, did I really find this book valuable, not really. As with anything about AI these days, beyond the hype and buzz words, the authors inevitably give examples and insight into the AI tools they used. Knowing that Gemini is good for graphics and that ChatGPT generates nicely formatted lessons from uploaded content is helpful, but I am getting that kind of insight from colleagues exploring AI the way I am. Should you read this book? Probably not.

[Nicole Lawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book for a professional development class and I’m glad I did. It was an interesting, easy read. This isn’t always the case with professional books. The authors do a great job explaining how AI can help teacher save time and create more engaging, differentiated lessons.

As a Math Intervention Teacher for grades K-4, I found so many takeaways that I can use in my small groups. I especially liked how the book showed practical ways to use AI - particularly ChatGPT - to plan lessons, create activities, and adjust instruction based on what my students need. It gave me ideas for making my intervention time more targeted and creative.

Overall, this book left me feeling excited to bring AI into my daily teaching in a way that makes sense for my students. It’s a great resource if you want to try new tools like Chad GBT but aren’t sure where to start. I would definitely recommend this book to other teachers looking to learn more about using AI in their classrooms.

[Annette Bowman · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this book as part of a summer study for work. I found the writing style jargon-packed and condescending. I can imagine the authors, who are so certain that what they are presenting is "revolutionary," require all the education students in their classes to buy this book. It probably makes a nice profit for them.

This book offers nothing to any teacher who has been paying attention for the last 20-25 years. It is sad that educators early in their careers don't have the ability to analyze an educational standard and break it down into concepts and skills to teach their students-- the first activity in the book is to use AI to analyze an educational standard.

I had to complete the activities in the book for the summer study. None of the prompts produced anything that I could not produce with hardly a second thought. Don't waste your time with this book.

[Courtney Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a great resource for any teacher looking to diversify their lessons with the support of AI while maintaining a focus on Universally designed lessons. The book is well-organize and easy to read, making complex concepts accessible for educators at all levels of experience. The most consistent focus in this book is using AI to enhance, not replace, strong teaching practices. By addressing pedagogy first and then showing how AI can support lesson planning, differentiation, and assessment, Tucker empowers teachers to create meaningful lessons that keep teachers at the heart of learning while incorporating technology that continues to become prevalent in our day to day routines. I would definitely recommend this book to educators looking to create lessons that target every learner.

[Bonnie Brien · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this for a professional development class at work. It was interesting, but I feel like I could have learned the concepts within the book in a more concise article. However, I appreciated learning new ideas about how to use ChatGPT to help me plan lessons, differentiate instruction, and align curriculum to standards. The authors give several useful prompts to give an AI system, so that teachers can get useful results, so I'll keep the book as a reference.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

You will find many valuable suggestions for use of AI to make teaching more responsive to the individual learner. This book focuses on the use of Chat GPT to ease the burden of lesson planning and assessment using the Universal Design for Learning. It is well worth reading for the teacher who is entering the world of AI and needs support in prompt generation.

[Jessica Follansbee · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an educator, I found Elevating Educational Design with AI to be incredibly helpful. It was written in a clear and concise manner, making it easy to understand how to implement AI in the classroom. The authors were relatable, and the content was accessible throughout—I never felt overwhelmed or confused by the material. I'm excited to apply what I’ve learned to enhance my teaching practice.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a summer reading option at my school. I found it heavy on the design part of things. The authors give good reminders about leaving your ego at the door and making classrooms learning centered- not teaching centered. The AI portions were a little awkward- but how do you really write about how to input things into AI?

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a powerful and important instructional resource! Not only does this book focus on UDL and student-led learning, but the AI prompts are just what this teacher needs to see a way to actually get it done without being so overwhelmed I just go back to the way I’ve always done it. I am so inspired to start tomorrow what what I learned in this book!

[Kathryn Balmes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a powerhouse in effective design using UDL and enhancing it with AI. I loved the user-ability and immediate application of these concepts inclusive of a multitude of curricular areas.