Creativity is Not a Prompt: Promoting Student Originality and Reflection in an AI-Supported Classroom
As generative AI becomes increasingly embedded in education, creativity is often mistaken for effective prompting, and reflection is reduced to a standardized activity that can be automated rather than a genuine intellectual exercise. When students rely on generative AI for immediate responses, they bypass opportunities for creative thinking and metacognitive reflection, undermining the cognitive processes that reflection is designed to support. Grounded in metacognitive theory, reflection is understood as a deliberately cultivated process in which learners monitor, evaluate, and make meaning of their own thinking (Flavell, 1979; Schön, 1983).
While AI can generate content, it cannot generate purpose, judgment, or self-awareness. These are instructional outcomes that instructors must intentionally design. Melendez noted, “human experience and judgment are still critical to making decisions, because AI cannot reliably distinguish good ideas from mediocre ones or guide long-term strategy on its own” (2025). Instructors should carefully design educational activities that encourage students to think about their own thinking rather than consume AI-generated outputs. This interactive session will engage participants in examining how creativity and reflection can be intentionally cultivated in AI-supported learning environments.
Participants will work with sample assignment prompts and discuss how design choices can either invite or inhibit creative and reflective thinking. Through live polling, short reflective prompts, and collaborative whiteboard activities, participants will explore the difference between AI-generated output and human originality. By the end of the session, participants will have foundational knowledge of how to apply metacognitive strategies to foster originality, creativity, and reflection in AI-supported learning environments.
Lori Brooks, University of Phoenix, USA
Lori is a full-time faculty member at the University of Phoenix, teaching general education courses in critical thinking. She focuses on helping students think independently, communicate clearly, and apply what they learn in real situations. She is interested in exploring the role of AI in higher education, including guiding students in its ethical use.
Judy Drilling, University of Phoenix, USA
Judy is a full-time faculty member at the University of Phoenix, teaching general education psychology courses. She is passionate about helping students grow academically, professionally, and personally while developing independent thinking and real-world skills. Judy brings a supportive, student-centered approach to her teaching. She explores how AI can be thoughtfully integrated into the classroom to enhance learning while encouraging critical thinking and authentic student engagement.
