From Policy to Practice: Purdue instructors consider AI guidelines for their courses

As artificial intelligence (AI) starts popping up throughout higher education, Purdue instructors are getting ahead of the curve by discussing how they can include AI in their courses; some of these conversations have taken place during Teaching and Learning Community of Practice (TLCoP) meetings.

Exploring new guidance on AI in Purdue courses and learning environments

January 2024 was the first time TLCoP met since the university announced its new AI policy. These guidelines encouraged instructors to clarify their stance on AI usage within their syllabi and throughout the semester.

While some instructors have banned using AI altogether, many have embraced and integrated this new technology into their curriculum. 

“Generative AI has been around for a year, and we have been inundated with this technology everywhere,” shares Lindsay Hamm, assistant professor in sociology and the Innovation Hub’s inaugural AI fellow.

During January’s TLCoP meeting, Hamm discussed how she integrates AI into her classes by encouraging students to utilize AI chatbots as tools to deepen their understanding of difficult concepts.

“Instructors are still trying to figure out how we use AI ethically and responsibly,” she reflects. “For example, we often talk about how to use AI to enhance human thinking instead of replacing it.”

For Hamm, this means making students trace the sources AI chatbots use and citing them in their academic writing. 

“This way, when students submit their final papers, the original source is clear,” Hamm says. “If they can’t trace the source, usually that means it’s not a scholarly resource or the AI chatbot made up the information.”

Later in Hamm’s TLCoP presentation, instructors expressed interest in more workshops and discussions to help them integrate AI into their curriculum. David Nelson, associate director of the Center for Instructional Excellence, hopes this interest spurs colleges and instructors to create resources and guidelines exploring how AI can benefit students’ learning. 

PWL instructor-student conversations on incorporating GenAI

In February, Hamm opened the meeting by sharing an anecdote from her class. She said that large language model chatbots like ChatGPT were advancing and were now able to answer her test questions correctly 90% of the time. For this reason, she scrapped her classes’ exams and instead had students vote on an alternative assignment.

“We need to keep a close eye on how AI is developing,” Hamm urges. “What tools are becoming available, how can they benefit us, and how can our students use them?”

Robin Tanamachi, assistant professor of earth, atmospheric, and planetary sciences, says many of her students are concerned about developments in the technology that could potentially take over their careers. 

“Students are very aware and anxious that they will need to be better than AI to get a job,” she shares. “You have to teach your students skills that will give them a competitive edge and make them better than AI.”

Assistant professor in computer science Andres Bejarano and his graduate student Ethan Dickey work in their lab to teach students how to utilize AI tools efficiently.

“We designed an intervention to do two things,” Dickey explains. “First, to show students the benefits of AI and how creatively it can be used. Then second, to have them experience the tools fail in a controlled environment.”

The duo wanted to make sure students were clear on the basics of a new technology they will likely be asked to utilize in the job market.

“Things are changing fast,” Bejarano says. “We don’t know what the industry is going to look like in a couple semesters, let alone in 10 years.”

Reacting to AI in the classroom: Faculty and student perceptions on the use of generative AI tools

During the Fall 2023 semester, TLCoP featured two student panelists, Benji Milanowski and Nischay Uppal, who shared the student perspective on AI with instructors.

Milanowski, a nursing student, uses ChatGPT to create scenarios that allow him to practice treating patients during simulation labs. Uppal, on the other hand, uses AI to complement his lectures and better understand the content in his data science and political science classes. 

“It’s nice to have something that I can bounce ideas off of. Plus, it helps clarify complicated topics and connect different concepts to increase my understanding of a subject,” Uppal reflects. 

As AI continues to evolve, instructors continue their mission to educate by engaging in discussions about navigating AI in academia. For those interested in learning more about the use of AI in the classroom, please visit the Teaching and Learning Community of Practice website. 
Members of the Purdue community can also sign up to receive a monthly email newsletter covering teaching and learning AI topics at Purdue.

Last updated: Feb. 9, 2024

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