The rise of generative Artificial Intelligence platforms this year has brought unique challenges and opportunities to colleges and universities, including at the University of Minnesota.
In April, ahead of the spring finals season, Executive Vice President and Provost Rachel T.A. Croson issued a memo to faculty and instructors outlining suggested syllabus language generated by the Senate Committee on Educational Policy (SCEP).
SCEP’s syllabus language includes “no restriction” language when it comes to ChatGPT and other AI tools and language restricting the use of such tools all-together.
“Important to think about the differences in different spaces,” said Assistant Vice Provost Senenge Andzenge. “With instructors, with context, with learners. And then create some language right that folks might be able to use that best fits their particular circumstance.”
According to an article published in April by the National Education Association, 43 percent of educators felt ChatGPT would make their jobs more difficult, meaning around 60 percent felt the AI platform would make their lives easier.
“We think about it like things like the internet or even calculators, they pushed us to imagine a little bit further, what could be possible,” Andzenge said. “When we have something like generative AI in learning spaces where the learners are constantly questioning things and pushing the boundaries of what we know, I think that's really exciting.”
The SCEPT suggested syllabus language outlines that proper citation must be used for AI language models such as ChatGPT. Additional language outlines how instructors may address an outright ban on AI language models, citing the Board of Regents Student Code of Conduct.
“Language like this helps somebody think, ‘Oh where some departments or some programs may be said absolutely not in my context it might make sense to invite learners to try certain tools so that we again might push the boundaries of what we're learning in our space a little bit further.’”
A Walton Family Foundation survey found 51 percent of educators reported using ChatGPT in K-12, with 40 percent using it at least once a week.
Only 15 percent of students admitted to using ChatGPT without their teachers’ permission.
Andzenge says the Provost addressing ChatGPT and AI programs helped address concerns about generative AI programs at the University of Minnesota.
“Having language like this is from the instructor's standpoint is really helpful. If we don't know what we can or can't do, now we have some guidelines if we're trying to figure out what works, or what might work for our particular situations. Now we have some guidelines because in some cases instructors have heard maybe the horror stories, so then they might thinking absolutely not, without thinking yet about what they might be able to do.”