As AI reshapes higher education, instructors must design learning experiences that resist automation and affirm human thinking. Student athletes are especially vulnerable to AI’s efficiency appeal because of performance pressures and outcome-oriented thinking, by making tempting shortcuts. Given AI’s ease of access, how do we build human skills into learning environments while combating automation? This presentation will examine analog board games and game-like activities in first-year English Composition courses as a human-centered approach to cultivating skills AI cannot replicate. By pairing gameplay with reflective writing and discussion, students develop Habits of Mind such as critical thinking, creativity, and responsibility that are rooted in social interactions. This presentation will explore classroom implementation, observed outcomes, and connections to scholarship on play and cognitive development. The presentation will conclude by showing how analog board games and game-like activities foster critical thinking, agency, and meaningful learning while offering a model for AI-resistant, human-centered pedagogy.

Presenters

• Jessica LaBon jlabon@ussu.edu, United Stated Sports University