College students, professors are making their own AI rules. They don't always agree
#artificial intelligence #college education #ChatGPT #academic integrity #AI ethics #student experience #educational technology #generative AI
📌 Key Takeaways
- College students and professors are creating their own AI rules with varying perspectives
- 85% of undergraduates use AI for coursework, with 19% using it to write full essays
- Educators disagree on AI's value - some see it as detrimental to learning, others as a helpful tool
- Students are finding personal boundaries between helpful AI use and academic integrity
📖 Full Retelling
College students and professors across the United States are developing their own guidelines for artificial intelligence use in education as the technology becomes increasingly prevalent in academic settings, with institutions from Johnson County Community College in Kansas to Duke University in North Carolina grappling with how to integrate or limit these tools in learning environments since ChatGPT's debut over three years ago. English professor Dan Cryer compares using AI to write essays to 'bringing a forklift to the gym,' arguing that students need to develop their intellectual muscles through the writing process rather than outsourcing their thinking to machines. Meanwhile, other educators like Leslie Clement at Johnson C. Smith University view generative AI as a powerful collaborator that can enhance learning when used responsibly, having even co-created a course examining AI's impact on the African diaspora. Students are similarly divided, with many finding AI helpful for understanding complex concepts while maintaining personal boundaries against having AI complete their work for them. Recent statistics reveal that approximately 85% of undergraduates are using AI for coursework, with 19% employing it to write full essays, yet more than half of these users report mixed feelings about the technology's impact on their learning experience.
🏷️ Themes
AI in education, Academic integrity, Educational technology
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Original Source
College students, professors are making their own AI rules. They don't always agree March 3, 2026 5:00 AM ET Lee V. Gaines LA Johnson/NPR For English professor Dan Cryer, using generative artificial intelligence to write a college essay is like bringing a forklift to the gym. "If all we needed was the weights moved, then that would be great," says Cryer, who teaches at Johnson County Community College outside Kansas City, Kansas. "But we need the muscles developed, and students going through the process of writing are developing those muscles." Cryer says AI has also added a new type of labor for professors like him: trying to determine whether a student's work is their own. He says that problem is compounded by the fact that his community college, like many other higher education institutions around the U.S., provides students access to AI tools. Learning in the age of AI Research, curriculum and grading: New data sheds light on how professors are using AI He says the advent of these tools has created a new burden for students too: finding the line between responsible and irresponsible AI use. "It's not fair to them," Cryer says. More than three years after ChatGPT debuted, generative AI has become a part of everyday life, and professors and students are still figuring out how or whether they should use it, especially in humanities courses. A recent survey suggests many students are diving right in: According to a poll by Inside Higher Ed and the Generation Lab conducted last July, about 85% of undergraduates were using AI for coursework, including to brainstorm ideas, outline papers and study for exams. Roughly 19% of students also reported using AI to write full essays. More than half of students who used AI for coursework had mixed feelings about it, reporting that it helps them sometimes but can also make them think less deeply. Aysa Tarana, a recent college graduate, was in her first year at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities when ChatGPT was released. Sh...
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