A year ago, the challenge of regulating classroom use of artificial intelligence (AI) — a broad term that refers to advanced problem-solving machines — was relatively simple. It consisted of keeping control of academic services like Turnitin and Grammerly, tools that aid with plagiarism and grammar checks.
That changed with the introduction of a type of AI known as ChatGPT. Launched in November 2022, ChatGPT was created to mimic the network-like structure of the human brain. It uses a text-based website that allows people to ask it questions, drawing on its knowledge base of all Internet texts through 2021. It is highly advanced; often producing detailed, seemingly authoritative responses.
It has since been used by students and teachers alike, for writing essays, designing lessons and explaining concepts simply. But at DWU — and around the state and nation — its capabilities have led to a fight for regulation, which is quickly becoming complicated. That complexity is making it difficult for there to be any sweeping rules on its role in the classroom.
"We're watching. We're observing. We're seeing where we can integrate it, where we need to adjust policy," said DWU Learning Team Director Samantha Dunn, who works alongside instructors and professors on designing courses.
Dunn explained that because ChatGPT can be used in so many ways, taking the next steps to harness it will depend on individual teachers, who will document the ways ChatGPT affects their classes throughout the fall.
"It's about collecting the data, so that we can make data-informed decisions," Dunn said.
Joan Lubben, a math professor at DWU, already sees a couple different ways that AI will affect her classes. Besides teaching advanced math, Lubben is also slated for a computer programming class — with different thoughts on each subject.
On the one hand, Lubben is confident that ChatGPT can be used to further, not hinder, her upper-level math students' learning. She explained that when students work on proofs — proving mathematical ideas step-by-step — the exercise is about developing skills, an outcome that won't be harmed by using ChatGPT.
"For an upper-level math course, we do what we call proofs, where we're trying to prove things that have solutions that are available on the Internet," Lubben said in an interview. "It's like 'OK. ChatGPT gave you this, is it correct?' And students will have to go through the logic."
Lubben also cited another technique she uses to teach math, that is at its core about developing deep conceptual understanding. It's a process she expects will also remain untouched by the use of ChatGPT.
"I make my students do videos of themselves and explain the concept," Lubben said. "That way they have to take what they learn off the Internet and put it in their own words — which I don't care where they get that from. If they get it from ChatGPT, that's fine."
But on the other hand, Lubben was more concerned about her upcoming computer programming class, due to the way she said programming is learned.
She is worried students might just use ChatGPT — which can program to a certain extent — to copy and paste entire programs, forgoing the process of learning to build one themselves.
"You learn how to program by looking it up on the Internet. You go, 'Oh, somebody did this a certain way," Lubben said, explaining why her assignments are "open-note, open-book, open-Internet." But Internet access means access to ChatGPT.
Lubben said she is prepared to monitor students' screens as they work, as well as getting creative when posing problems.
"You have to write problems that ChatGPT cannot do," Lubben said. "It is going to be a little harder, but you have to make sure that what you're asking is something that is unique."
AI has shown up in just about every subject. Lubben cited ChatGPT being used to write a paper in an entry-level astronomy class, while Dunn, who also teaches freshman writing, said she is worried many students this fall will use it to write their essays. Other university uses include a librarian using it to aid in teaching information literacy, while a marketing professor has incorporated it into their lectures.
Policy making has been tricky. DWU doesn't have a specific policy to govern ChatGPT or AI in general, and many other colleges and universities are in the same situation.
The South Dakota Board of Regents — which determines policy for six of the state's public universities — has not specifically regulated ChatGPT yet. They do have academic integrity policies that have guided AI use in the past, which DWU has as well. But because ChatGPT is showing up in fields in so many different ways, banning it outright is not just a simple matter of ethics anymore.
"We have policies about cheating and we have policies about plagiarizing," said Pam Carriveau, a spokeperson with the Board of Regents. "We don't want to write a policy that specifically bans the use of these tools because we really do think that that used properly they're just that — tools."
At DWU, that means a lot of decisions will be made at the professor level.
"It's going to be very much somebody looking at their context, their curriculum, their course, their learning objectives — and making that call," Dunn said.
On the DWU library website, there is a page solely dedicated to information on ChatGPT, including tabs for students — and instructors. Lubben said that most faculty members she works with are up to speed on ChatGPT, and those that aren't are quickly getting there.
"I offered a little talk on, 'This is how we can use ChatGPT, how your students are using ChatGPT, what are some ways we can counteract [it] or teach students how to use ChatGPT," Lubben said.
Dunn said that this fall will be an observational period, during which professors will deal with challenges as they come up.
It is likely that universities will continue to be tested by AI. ChatGPT received multiple updates in recent months, with increases in its reasoning capability and creativity. Companies such as Google have also released competing models similar to ChatGPT, which can be expected to only grow more powerful by this fall. As AI technology becomes more capable, it will inevitably pop up in more places.
That's why DWU will be watching closely.
"The conversation is filled with a lot of questions, a lot of opinions," Dunn said. "Everyone has an opinion. What are the ramifications of those opinions? And how will they actually play out so that they lead to greater understanding?"
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