AI Literacy Faculty Playbook

Teaching AI Judgment, One Habit at a Time.

Appendix A

The BE Framework and the DEC AI Literacy Framework

The Digital Education Council (DEC) AI Literacy Framework (2025) defines AI literacy through five dimensions, each described at three competency levels. It is written for institutions and names what an AI-literate person knows and can do. The BE Framework translates those dimensions into five habits students can practice, notice, and reflect on across their courses.

Faculty Guide · Reference

How the BE Behaviors Map to DEC

BE behaviors mapped to DEC AI Literacy Framework dimensions
BE behavior	DEC dimension	The question students ask
BE Safe	Dimension 1: Understanding AI and Data	Do I understand this tool well enough to make smart decisions about how I use it and what I share?
BE Honest	Dimension 3: Ethical and Responsible Use	Am I accurately representing my own work and my use of AI?
BE Critical	Dimension 2: Critical Thinking and Judgement	Have I evaluated this information before trusting or using it?
BE Responsible	Dimension 3: Ethical and Responsible Use	Am I making an intentional choice and taking ownership of the outcome?
BE Reflective	Dimension 4: Human-Centricity, Emotional Intelligence, and Creativity	How is AI affecting my thinking, learning, and professional growth?

Three Translation Choices

One dimension, two behaviors. DEC's Ethical and Responsible Use covers both honesty about one's work and deliberate decisions about using AI. For students, these are separate habits that happen at different moments. BE Responsible is the choice made before the work. BE Honest is how the work is represented afterward.

Domain expertise is where Application happens. DEC's Dimension 5, Domain Expertise, is not a sixth BE behavior. Instead, it is the context for the Application stage, where students practice all five behaviors inside their program and field. A student can't evaluate AI output critically in the abstract; they evaluate it against something they know.

BE Reflective focuses on learning. DEC's Dimension 4 includes emotional intelligence and creativity. BE Reflective takes up the part most directly tied to learning: how AI is affecting a student's thinking, skill development, and growth. Creativity and emotional intelligence remain important, but BE does not track them as separate behaviors.

Source: Digital Education Council. (2025). DEC AI Literacy Framework.