By Hannah Rozear and Remi Kalir
Duke University students and faculty now have access to a new AI Ethics Learning Toolkit, developed by Duke Libraries and the Center for Applied Research and Design in Transformative Education (CARADITE). This student-centered, publicly available resource supports hands-on learning and critical conversations about generative AI, ethics, and education. In collaboration with Learning Innovation & Lifetime Education (LILE), the toolkit has also been integrated into Duke’s Canvas LMS, making it easy for instructors to incorporate its activities and resources into courses across disciplines.
Aria Chernik, Faculty Director of CARADITE, explains that the AI Ethics Learning Toolkit is inspired by creative efforts to reimagine higher education curricula and pedagogy in response to student and faculty use of AI. “I am so excited about and proud of this project,” Chernik said. “Not only does it offer faculty across disciplines a flexible and innovative way to help students develop agency and intentionality with regard to their engagement with AI, it also demonstrates a design for pedagogical support that is research-based and openly accessible.”
The toolkit’s publication is timely and meets a pragmatic educational need at the university. During the 2025-26 academic year, Duke undergraduate students have no-cost access to ChatGPT as a part of the university’s suite of AI tools. We are excited to provide an open-access educational resource designed to guide faculty and students as they make sense of how AI is influencing both educational practices and society writ large.
Currently, the AI Ethics Learning Toolkit features ten topics, ranging from environmental impacts, to privacy and personal data, to hidden labor. Each topic is organized by urgent questions, such as “Can we trust AI?”, “Is AI biased?”, and “Does AI spread mis/disinfo?” The toolkit’s design team includes: Hannah Rozear, Librarian for Artificial Intelligence Learning at Duke Libraries; Remi Kalir, Associate Director of CARADITE; and CARADITE’s two undergraduate research assistants, Emma Ren (T’27) and Barron Brothers (T’26). The team worked throughout the spring 2025 semester to identify topics, curate resources, write content, design learning activities, provide feedback, and iterate. LILE team members–including Elise Mueller, Maria Kunath, Jess Dewey, and Sarah Wike–helped create and integrate student-centered activities into Canvas.
Every topic in the AI Ethics Learning Toolkit features a descriptive introduction and two types of original content: Learning Activities and Resources.
Learning Activities: The toolkit offers three types of activities:
- Conversation Starters–brief, student-focused prompts (e.g., 5-minute discussions or think-pair-share) that encourage personal reflection without needing prior knowledge.
- Active Learning with AI–hands-on exercises using AI tools, each paired with a “No AI Alternative” to address ethical concerns.
- Disciplinary Extensions–guidance for integrating AI ethics into advanced, discipline-specific courses.
Resources: A curated mix of videos, podcasts, and articles–both popular and scholarly–provides diverse perspectives on AI topics. Most are openly accessible, with some available through Duke Libraries. These resources can supplement course readings or serve as entry points for instructors to explore a subject on their own.
The AI Ethics Learning Toolkit aligns with the Duke AI Framework “Life with AI” pillar and the need to better understand AI’s impact on society, culture, and daily life. To that end, the toolkit aims to advance agency among both students and faculty about AI, promote critical thinking about AI through active learning pedagogies and strategies, and encourage cross-disciplinary dialogue about the role of AI in teaching, learning, and education.
With the launch of the toolkit, the design team at Duke Libraries, CARADITE, and LILE invites course instructors to get involved by becoming early adopters and testing the toolkit and Canvas content during the 2025-2026 academic year. Instructors can share feedback, suggest improvements, and contribute new content. Please visit the toolkit’s Get Involved section or contact aiethicstoolkit@duke.edu.
