Generative AI is right here and is creating challenges in larger training (Balch, 2023). As instructors, we’re fighting the necessity to educate our college students needed and marketable abilities for his or her evolving world (e.g., Balch & Blanck, 2025; Butulis, 2023; Parks & Oslick, 2024; Schoeder, 2024), whereas sustaining tutorial rigor and integrity. Our college students are conscious of and are utilizing generative AI in some ways (Kichizo Terry, 2023), and generative AI might change the best way that we and our college students understand the position of instructors in larger training (Saucier, 2025). I share my current experiences with and reflections on my college students utilizing generative AI in my courses beneath within the hopes that the teachings I’ve realized will assist different instructors navigate related experiences with college students of their courses.
On the finish of the semester, I obtained an e-mail from a scholar in my basic psychology course to ask me what he ought to do a few paper he wished to show in. The paper was an article abstract and reflection paper that college students can full in my course in lieu of collaborating in analysis. The analysis participation requirement, and thus these papers, don’t rely for factors – the analysis requirement simply has to be accomplished (I’ll be aware right here that this can be a division coverage for all basic psychology programs – not a coverage I personally created for my course). He ran his paper via an AI checker “only for enjoyable” and it reported his paper was 43% written by AI. He puzzled tips on how to proceed as a result of he stated he didn’t use AI to write his papers and didn’t need to get into bother. Figuring out that AI checkers should not that dependable, I informed him that if he had not used AI to write his paper, then he can be superb. He submitted the paper (and a few others) and I shortly forgot about his e-mail within the chaos of the top of the semester.
In processing the papers submitted by the scholars in my class with an enrollment of 206 college students, I later found a difficulty. The paper project asks college students to retrieve, learn, and write a abstract and reflection on analysis articles printed within the present calendar 12 months from one in every of two specified journals. The primary a part of the project asks them to supply the reference for the article they used for his or her paper. Because of my questionable determination to not spend a lot time on APA format in my course, most of the college students offered references in numerous states of incompletion and disrepair. Consequently, I copied and pasted the article data they did present into Google Scholar to test to see if the articles used for every paper have been in actual fact from one of many specified journals for the present calendar 12 months. Throughout this tedious job, I discovered that some articles weren’t from the desired journals, and a few weren’t from the present calendar 12 months. This was not stunning. What was stunning is that I discovered that a number of the articles (together with the three utilized by my scholar above) didn’t exist.
Over many e-mail exchanges and Zoom conferences over the subsequent a number of days with two college students who used non-existent articles for his or her papers, I found that every had used generative AI to finish their papers. Thrice, the coed above put the instructions from my posted project into generative AI, and every time generative AI obligingly produced one thing the coed thought was an article from one in every of specified journal within the present calendar 12 months. The articles have been authored by “Smith”, “Johnson”, and, my private favourite, “Doe.” The coed then clarified that he requested a abstract of every article, not the precise articles to assist him write the papers in his “personal phrases.” What was attention-grabbing to me was, that in reviewing the papers submitted, I do imagine the coed wrote the papers as I directed, however used the article summaries offered by AI moderately than the total articles. I totally acknowledge that I can’t completely decide by studying them if papers have been written by college students or by AI, however the concepts, language, and grammar errors within the papers lead me to imagine my scholar on that time. My scholar did acknowledge he knew this was flawed, however was overwhelmed by his workload on the finish of the semester and made a foul determination for papers value no factors. The opposite scholar informed me that he uploaded articles into generative AI and requested for summaries that match the project instructions, and stated that the AI botched the references which was why the papers didn’t exist. On condition that the articles the coed later offered me that he stated he uploaded to AI had totally different authors and matters from what he reported on his initially submitted papers, I believe the coed was not fully trustworthy with me.
Each college students appeared genuinely shocked that AI would retrieve articles for them that didn’t exist. Each college students acknowledged that they knew what they have been doing was not allowed and that they’d violated our college’s honor code. Each college students famous that finish of the semester stress and the low stakes of the project have been components of their selections to make use of AI. Particularly provided that the papers they’d used AI for have been value no factors in my course, I handled these as teachable moments. I mentioned with every scholar the problems with their utilizing AI and so they appeared receptive to this dialog. Every promised to not use AI for coursework ever once more. I’m not optimistic sufficient to assume that this can be a binding settlement, however I do assume each college students have been impacted by this expertise. I allowed every scholar the possibility to redo their papers with out the usage of AI.
Classes Realized
These experiences have been unsettling for me and induced me to assume deeply about AI and the way I may regulate my programs to keep away from future conditions like these. These are a couple of of the teachings I’ll take with me from these conditions:
First, I’ll have a helpful AI coverage in my programs that helps college students higher perceive what’s and isn’t allowable.
Each course ought to have a clearly said AI coverage – and my course did. My AI coverage said that college students are prohibited from utilizing AI for any coursework except I explicitly inform them they might accomplish that. I believed this offered sufficient steerage for my college students (and suppleness for me if I ever wished my college students to make use of it for one thing), however the first of my college students above noticed no moral distinction in utilizing AI to search out analysis articles than in utilizing a database like Google Scholar or PsycInfo. Somewhat than typically stating to “use library sources,” offering express instructions to make use of these particular library sources would have been precious. Additionally, discussing how AI might or is probably not used for “thought technology” (and what meaning) can be precious, versus utilizing it to finish coursework.
Second, I’ll talk about why I’m not permitting AI for a minimum of a number of the coursework in my class.
Whereas AI and the abilities to make use of it successfully and appropriately are necessary, they’re not necessary for every little thing. I’ll talk about with my college students the need of their independently studying content material information and abilities with out the usage of AI. Relatedly, I’ll talk about with my college students that AI usually will not be capable of do the desired duties reliably (e.g., discovering related articles that truly exist). I’ll clarify to my college students that my insurance policies and course selections are designed to assist them be taught, to not present boundaries to their success. It will spotlight that my objective is to interact and assist my college students of their studying (Saucier, 2019; Saucier, 2022).
Third, I’ll have clear and actionable plans for actions and penalties if college students violate my said AI coverage.
One of many points I encountered was what to do with the scholars who violated my AI coverage. When reporting circumstances to our college Honor and Integrity system, we’re requested to suggest a sanction. I used to be unsure what an acceptable sanction can be in these conditions wherein college students used AI inappropriately to finish papers value no factors. I may have really helpful that the scholars fail the course resulting from a tutorial integrity violation, however this appeared too harsh to me (and I acknowledge some readers might disagree) with out my having indicated in my syllabus that this penalty can be sought in circumstances like these. My future AI insurance policies will probably be extra express in how I pursue penalties when the insurance policies are violated.
Fourth, I’ll attempt to assist my college students by decreasing finish of semester stress in my programs.
As a part of empathetic course design (Saucier, Jones, Schiffer, & Renken, 2022), I like to recommend spacing out assessments. I like to recommend utilizing extra decrease stakes and fewer larger stakes assessments. I like to recommend not having a excessive proportion in fact factors due within the final weeks of sophistication. I like to recommend utilizing the minimal efficient dose of evaluation, reminiscent of by setting maximums (e.g., not more than two pages) moderately than minimums (e.g., a minimum of three pages) on assignments – which is a choice that additionally streamlines and positively impacts my expertise in processing my college students’ work.
Conclusion
Generative AI is right here and our college students are utilizing it in our programs. We should always anticipate having to cope with our college students utilizing AI in ways in which might shock us. Accordingly, our insurance policies and instructing practices ought to be designed to assist them (and us!) navigate the conditions wherein our college students use AI in unauthorized and inappropriate methods. It will make their experiences higher as learners and our experiences higher as lecturers.
N.B. I uploaded my conclusion to ChatGPT and requested if it agreed. It did, concluding that, “The purpose ought to be to assist college students turn out to be savvy, moral customers of AI whereas sustaining the integrity of the training course of.” Effectively stated.
Donald A. Saucier, Ph.D. (2001, College of Vermont) is a College Distinguished Educating Scholar and Professor of Psychological Sciences at Kansas State College. Saucier has printed greater than 100 peer-reviewed journal articles and is a Fellow of the Society for Character and Social Psychology, the Society for the Psychological Research of Social Points, the Society for Experimental Social Psychology, and the Midwestern Psychological Affiliation. His awards and honors embrace the College Distinguished School Award for Mentoring of Undergraduate College students in Analysis, the Presidential Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Educating, and the Society for the Psychological Research of Social Points Educating Useful resource Prize. Saucier can be the School Affiliate Director of the Educating and Studying Heart at Kansas State College and provides a YouTube channel known as “Interact the Sage” that describes his instructing philosophy, practices, and experiences.
References
Balch, D. E. (2023, August 25th). Synthetic intelligence: The rise of ChatGPT and its implications. School Focus. https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-with-technology-articles/artificial-intelligence-the-rise-of-chatgpt-and-its-implications/
Balch, D. E., & Blanck, R. (2025, March 31st). AI-powered instructing: Sensible instruments for group faculty school. School Focus. https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-with-technology-articles/ai-powered-teaching-practical-tools-for-community-college-faculty/
Butulis, M. (2023, December 6th). Embracing synthetic intelligence within the classroom. School Focus. https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-with-technology-articles/embracing-artificial-intelligence-in-the-classroom/
Kichizio Terry, O. (2023, Could 12th). I’m a scholar. You don’t have any thought how a lot we’re utilizing ChatGPT. Chronicles of Greater Training. https://www.chronicle.com/article/im-a-student-you-have-no-idea-how-much-were-using-chatgpt
Parks, M., & Oslick, M. E. (2024, Could 22nd). Empowering scholar studying: Navigating synthetic intelligence within the faculty classroom. School Focus. https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-with-technology-articles/empowering-student-learning-navigating-artificial-intelligence-in-the-college-classroom/
Saucier, D. A. (2019, September 9th). Bringing PEACE to the classroom. School Focus. https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/philosophy-of-teaching/bringing-peace-to-the-classroom/
Saucier, D. A. (2022, February 23rd). Bringing PEACE to assist all college students. Inside Greater Ed. https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2022/02/23/professors-should-learn-about-respond-students-unique-experiences-opinion
Saucier, D. A. (2025, Could 12th). What can faculty instructors provide their college students within the age of AI?. School Focus. https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-with-technology-articles/what-can-college-instructors-offer-their-students-in-the-age-of-ai/
Saucier, D. A., Jones, T. L., Schiffer, A. A., & Renken, N. D. (2022). The empathetic course design perspective. Utilized Economics Educating Assets, 4(4), 101-111.
