The future of academia: The role of AI in higher education

Concerns. 

For educators across the field, plagiarism is a top concern when considering using AI within the classroom. Since AI has the ability to learn from the input it receives, it is constantly evolving and providing better responses. Dr. Kristi Bunton currently serves as the Dean of the Bob Schieffer College of Communication at TCU. “With things like artificial intelligence, we really need to approach it like we do everything else. One problem I’ve seen come up in the many discussions is how do we attribute work that is generated by AI? In most models it grabs information from various sources, but does not provide its source lists, that’s problematic when students are using AI to assist them on assignments. It other instances, it makes up information and presents it as factual.” Plagiarism is no new concept and regardless of how students gather information for assignments, attributing work where attribution is due is the foundation of integrity. Yet the concerns run deeper than plagiarism. Ethical concerns of AI are an issue educators must work through. As self-learning AI gowns, biases can form and provide unethical or subjective answers.  

Changing the current model. 

For decades we have used the same model to teach, evaluate, and determine competency of students. As technology has evolved, the current model has largely stayed the same, with only minor changes to account for technology. A good example of this would be the adaptation of laptops and the internet in the classroom. Students are no longer required to visit the library to spend hours pouring through textbooks. Technology has evolved and students now have access nearly every scholarly resource the library provides. Now with artificial intelligence being the latest technological advancement, the current model will have to take steps that have never been done before to adapt with how students learn. Even some educators are asking if this current system can remove some of these outdated steps as a means to dissuade students from using artificial intelligence to cheat on assignments. Educators must adapt to AI and find new and creative ways to educate the next generational workforce. “I’m aware that students are out there using AI, it’s something I always bring up on the first day of class,” said Alexander. “I’ve slowly started to alter my assignments in a way that makes it more challenging to use AI. I care more about their critical thinking and ability to work through a problem than I do their ability to just complete an assignment for a grade.”

What TCU is doing.

Currently TCU is taking steps to address AI in the classroom. Research groups like AI@TCU have already begun the steps to tackle this problem. “It starts by acknowledging what AI can do and taking the steps to better understand the role it plays in higher education,” said Dr. Floyd Wormley, Interim Provost at Texas Christian University. “The professors have complete control of how they see fit to use AI within their classroom, artificial intelligence is something we believe needs to be controlled at their level.  Because AI is so vast, a one size fits all model does not work.” A great example of this is the comparison of two students. A student who is a business major will use AI differently than a student who is an education major and so. "We have an obligation to provide students every opportunity to learn and grow while they're students here at TCU. Right now, that means teaching them the ethical use of AI," said Wormley.

A great example of acknowledging the impact of AI comes from the Department of Strategic Communication. Departments who acknowledge the impact of AI and manage students' expectations up front, are more likely to see positive results with the use of AI.  "I don't think any tool is inherently evil, or unethical, but I think any tool can be used unethically," said Bunton.

Ways Professors can implement AI in the classroom.

When AI first rolled out, it left many scrambling to find a way to deter and detect AI. As AI continues to evolve, AI detection software is evolving at a similar rate. Early models of AI detection were flawed. So much to the point that these detection websites were giving a false positive. This spawned a knee-jerk reaction forcing professors to invoke a zero tolerance AI policy. Now with these detection systems slowly becoming more accurate, educators can change their AI policy and still feel comfortable that they can hold their students accountable. At least in theory they should feel comfortable. On the flip side, students can use the same tools that detect AI to avoid being caught by educators. Other software like PowerNotes is currently being tested in the classroom. This type of software uses AI to help students organize their research and find gaps in the work they've already completed. The AI tool within PowerNotes can be controlled by the professor to limit AI use by the student.

Conclusion.

While AI is on the rise and is the latest technology, there is still a long way to go when deciding how it fits into our current education model. While most higher level educators agree there is a place for AI in the classroom, the implementation looks different across departments and even classrooms. If artificial intelligence is going to be allowed in the classroom, it will be because the professor has outlined parameters for the students to operate within to maintain ethical standards, mitigate any harm that can come from using AI, and keep classroom standards.