By Sarah Freye
A recent webinar I co-hosted by MSU IT for new students shed light on the ongoing uncertainty among learners on campus. The webinar, designed to guide students through various AI tools and their potential as learning partners, took a turn during the anonymous Q&A session. The questions posed by students displayed some of their apprehensions:
- “If we used AI to polish a paper for us and paraphrase it, will it be considered as plagiarism?”
- “What if I am accused of using AI even if I’m not?”
- “Do professors use AI to grade papers?”
- “Do we need to cite the LLM that we use for citations?”
- “How do most professors at MSU feel about generative AI?”
- “I use Grammarly for writing papers, is that not allowed?”
These queries reveal a common thread: students are grappling with anxiety about using AI or being accused of its use, even when they haven’t employed it. Their questions also suggest an understanding that these tools can potentially open doors to issues of plagiarism, copyright infringement, and breaches of academic integrity.
While the students’ questions revealed their anxieties, our webinar aimed to provide practical guidance on using AI responsibly in academic settings. We emphasized several key points, including how students can cite their use of AI, proactively discuss AI policies with instructors, and refrain from directly copying generated content.
But despite our efforts to provide clear guidance, challenges remain in implementing these practices across the academic landscape. When I work with instructors who aim to address AI in their classrooms, the conversation is often focused on detection and mitigation. I worry about a degradation of trust between students and instructors as students use genAI to complete assignments and their instructors, in turn run their assignments through these same tools they aim to prohibit. Even this session I co-hosted, which aimed to demystify and empower students to use the technology, had to begin with the official university guidance and dire warnings about violating syllabus contracts prohibiting AI use. Indeed, I was advised by leadership that we must not be seen as encouraging use; again, a pervading anxiety of liability.
This webinar revealed that students are eager to engage in conversations about AI with university faculty and staff. Their questions and concerns highlight the need for ongoing, open dialogue about the role of AI in education with a focus on practical application, rather than policy and misuse. I wonder too, if students are more comfortable with the option to remain anonymous in these discussions as we work to establish a forum where students and educators can collaboratively navigate the AI landscape. Especially as we welcome over 11,000 new students to campus who are already anxious to succeed.
What kinds of conversations are you having with students about AI?
Sarah Freye is an Instructional Designer with MSU IT. She is also a co-founder of AI Commons.