Teaching AI Use Responsibly

AI in the Classroom

Many professors are facing uncertainty as artificial intelligence disrupts traditional writing assignments. Data indicates students are widely using AI, but guidance from institutions is limited, and many postsecondary instructors don't feel confident using generative AI in the classroom.

A survey showed undergraduates want more instruction in AI use, but many instructors haven't incorporated it into their courses. Many students report weekly use of AI tools for writing but are unsure of their effectiveness. One student expressed the need for instructors to help them use AI appropriately.

Risks and Benefits

A concern is that AI use can hinder learning. Research suggests that those who rely on technologies may struggle without them. A study showed that math students in Turkey using AI performed better on practice problems, but their advantage disappeared in later testing without AI; the unrestricted ChatGPT group performed worse than controls.

AI may improve short-term performance but affect longer-term learning if adopted without guidance. Despite the risks, banning AI isn't ideal because it's hard to detect reliably. The Turkish study suggests that using AI as a tutor is better than using it as a cheating tool. Students need training in how to use AI effectively for their future careers, but which skills will become obsolete remains unknown.

Professors should experiment with AI and guide students on its helpful and harmful uses. In a scientific writing course, AI use is allowed with restrictions. Course AI policy is in the syllabus, which explains the approach to AI use, transparency, and data privacy. Assignment-specific guidance is also helpful for students.

The policy's success depends on student buy-in, as unauthorized uses are hard to detect. The instructor reveals how they use AI in preparing teaching materials and evaluating assignments. An analogy is used to explain how unrestricted AI use can impair learning: using AI to automate a task prevents learning. Students understand the relationship between effort, skill development, and education.

When students write their specific aims pages, AI can check grammar and analyze structure, but it cannot generate research ideas or suggest hypotheses because those are core thinking skills.

Looking Ahead

Questions about AI use reflect anxieties about the changing educational landscape. Rather than focusing on detection and punishment, students are open to guidance on how AI affects learning. Guidance should communicate which thinking skills are essential and integrate AI tools meaningfully. Addressing these issues can inspire discussion on how AI can serve the goals of education.

There is concern that AI technologies are negatively impacting students. Different educational environments will need specific strategies. Guidance on AI use may be a short-term solution, and educators may need to rethink pedagogical approaches and the purpose of higher education. AI presents a challenge and an opportunity to reassess what and how we teach in a world where knowledge is evolving.

This course acknowledges the altered writing landscape due to AI tools and will encourage students to use them responsibly. The course requires an AI use statement with every assignment. It will outline acceptable and unacceptable uses of AI. Principles include the idea that learning to write requires unassisted effort and struggle.

Over-reliance on AI may allow you to pass this class in the short term but will interfere with acquiring professionally valuable skills in the long term. On the other hand, AI tools promise to reduce unnecessary inefficiencies and struggles that plague many writers and may even contribute to undesirable disparities in science and industry. This course will help students navigate the tricky balance between skill development and practicalities of academic and professional life in the era of generative AI. Acceptable uses: Grammar and minor clarity improvements, Using the “Core Logic” worksheet to ensure your aims page contains all required components, Analyzing other aims pages for structural guidance/inspiration