Conceptual · Structural · Operative
Begin with what you can name. A conceptual literacy of AI starts with recognition — what tools exist, what they do, and whose knowledge they encode.
Structural literacy asks what AI systems reproduce regardless of user behavior. These are conditions built into the infrastructure — not choices individual users make, but effects that follow from the system's design and training.
Operative literacy is contextual judgment — not a rule but a capacity. Given your conceptual understanding and structural analysis, what does accountable decision-making look like in your discipline? This includes the conditions under which refusal is warranted.
Reviewing and drafting AI policy with the framework
Now read it against the three literacy levels. What does this policy ask students to know (conceptual), understand about the system (structural), and do as a matter of judgment (operative)?
A course AI policy should be legible against the program's student learning outcomes. Misalignment between the two produces policies that enforce norms the program doesn't actually hold — or ignore norms it does.
Policy language that works addresses all three levels. It names the relevant AI tools or categories (conceptual), grounds its limits in what AI cannot do for disciplinary learning (structural), and specifies the judgment it requires rather than reducing to permission or prohibition (operative).
From introductory through capstone
For each stage of the curriculum, note which courses occupy that stage, whether and how AI literacy appears, and at which level (conceptual, structural, operative). Leave cells blank where AI literacy is absent — that absence is part of the map.
| Stage | Courses at this stage | AI literacy present? (describe) | Level (C / S / O) | Where it lives (syllabus, assignment, discussion) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Introductory | ||||
| Core requirements | ||||
| Upper-division electives | ||||
| Capstone / thesis |
A curricular map is useful only if you read it. Answer these questions based on what you've filled in above.
The map produces choices. Based on what you can see, identify two or three specific curricular decisions the program could make to address what's missing or uneven.
Check what you want to do next. These can anchor a follow-up CWSP consultation.
Campus Writing and Speaking Program · NC State University · ai.ncsu.edu