Since the open release of ChatGPT, students have been left to manage the uncertain landscape of GenAI in the classroom. While recent data gathered by the Digital Education Council seems to show a level of student comfort with the use of GenAI in their studies, classroom observations sometimes tell a different story. While it seems clear that students are using GenAI, what’s less clear is the extent to which students use GenAI on course level assignments. 

A recent survey sent to U-M undergraduate students sought to gain insight into the prevalence of GenAI use in courses. The responses showed mostly that GenAI tools were not permitted in courses or that they were permitted within certain parameters, such as requiring that students submit a record of how they used GenAI on the assignment. 

The policy of allowing students to use GenAI as long as they show how the tool influences their work, doesn’t automatically encourage student use of GenAI. In a U-M writing class where an instructor explicitly encouraged students to use U-M GPT to revise their writing assignments and to reflect on the feedback provided, only one student in the class opted to revise their assignment with the assistance of GenAI. While observations like this one are limited, there seems to be a hesitation to use GenAI openly in coursework. 

At the 2024 Enriching Scholarship conference, panelists from the Student Voices panel were asked to share how they have used AI in courses. Students cited using GenAI to translate their ideas from a language other than English into the language of instruction–English. Students also mentioned using GenAI tools to write emails when they were unsure of the appropriate structure or tone. While both use cases supported students in an academic setting, students did not offer a course specific use case of AI in their responses.

Another trend among the students serving on our panel was the use of GenAI as a means of developing professional skills that students felt they lacked. One panelist mentioned using ChatGPT to come up with catchy session titles for conference proposals. Using ChatGPT for developing professional skills was also a use case mentioned by students participating in the Student Panel Discussion: Student Experiences with Generative AI hosted by University of Texas San Antonio. One UT student described using ChatGPT in their capacity as a student employee at a tutoring center to design teaching material for upcoming tutoring sessions. Once again, students demonstrate a growing familiarity with GenAI tools, but a persisting reluctance to openly share examples of how they use GenAI in their coursework. 

This may be a result of course policies that prohibit the use of GenAI tools for classwork. Students at Colorado School of Mines who spoke on the Student Panel: What Mines Students Think About Generative AI & Their Learning expressed frustration that GenAI tools were banned in their courses. One student in particular shared that through their internship they learned it was considered acceptable in professional settings to ask colleagues for coding support or to use ChatGPT to write code. The student described a feeling of disappointment when professors chose to forbid the use of ChatGPT in coding courses saying that this approach is “not how the real world works.” This sentiment was echoed by the other panelists.

Alternatively, in the article, “Student perspectives on the use of generative artificial intelligence technologies in higher education,” the majority of students who were asked if they “do or do not support other students using these technologies [GenAI] for writing an entire essay (Johnston, 2024),” said that they were unsupportive. When the same respondents were asked if they supported other students using GenAI technologies for grammar help, the majority of students supported this use case. This shows an attempt from students to discern what academic use cases of GenAI are ethical and in line with disciplinary expectations.

What is clear from listening to students is that GenAI is being used as a tool to enable learning. The article “What Students Said About the Spring of ChatGPT” published by Inside Higher Ed describes student use cases that champion the belief that GenAI has the power to combat educational access issues. One student, an English Language Learner quoted in the article, described GenAI tools as a “blessing.” While use cases of students calling on GenAI for general learning assistance were well documented in this article, specific examples of students using GenAI in their courses were missing. Students stated only that they use GenAI in courses “where permitted.” 

While much remains to be learned about students' use of GenAI, it is clear from student responses that they are actively considering how—and to what extent—GenAI tools should be integrated into their coursework. The range of GenAI policies encouraging or banning its use in coursework, or even, the lack of clear policies surrounding these tools may be one of the reasons students are unlikely to provide transparent examples of how they use GenAI in their classes. It is also important to note that the same students who report frequent use of GenAI tools also report limited confidence in their AI literacy skills. By explicitly teaching acceptable use cases of GenAI within their disciplines, instructors have the opportunity to empower students to use GenAI to enhance their learning.

If you would like to speak with someone about drafting course level AI policies or incorporating AI Literacy goals into your course, you can schedule a consultation with the LSA Learning and Teaching Consultants. We will be glad to help!

Citations

Johnston, H., Wells, R.F., Shanks, E.M. et al. (2024). Student perspectives on the use of generative artificial intelligence technologies in higher education. Int J Educ Integr. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40979-024-00149-4

Kuo, A., and Aikins, R. (2023). “What Students Said about the Spring of CHATGPT (Opinion).” Inside Higher Ed | Higher Education News, Events and Jobs. www.insidehighered.com/opinion/views/2023/09/07/what-students-said-about-spring-chatgpt-opinion

Kelly, R. (2024). Survey: 86% of students already use AI in their studies. Digital Education Council,).  https://campustechnology.com/Articles/2024/08/28/Survey-86-of-Students-Already-Use-AI-in-Their-Studies.aspx 

Moulton, C. (2023). Student Panel: What Mines Students Think About Generative AI & Their Learning. Trefny Center Spotlight Series. 

Wyatt, T. (2023). Student Panel Discussion: Student Experiences with Generative AI. UT San Antonio Academic Innovation. 

Resources

U-M Teaching with GenAI Canvas Course

U-M Guidance for Faculty/Instructors

U-M Course Policies and Syllabi Statements

Guidelines for using Generative AI @ Mines