Purdue drafts guidance on AI use in teaching and learning

Artificial intelligence continues to emerge as a powerful tool for education. Purdue is committed to being at the forefront of translating research to practice and extending the frontiers of excellence in teaching and learning. To that end, Purdue’s Office of the Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning has issued draft guidance for instructors on the use of AI in Purdue courses and learning environments for spring 2024, with input since summer from University Senate leadership, the Ad Hoc Committee on AI, the Center for Instructional Excellence, and the Innovation Hub.

The draft guidance can be viewed on the Office of the Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning webpage. Topics covered include academic integrity, syllabus statements, AI detection tools and instructor responsibilities regarding grading, as well as copyright, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and privacy considerations.

The Office of the Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning is seeking feedback on this guidance and welcomes input, via the Qualtrics survey on the office’s website, from faculty and staff teaching Purdue courses. The survey will remain open for feedback and review until Dec. 31. The Spring 2024 guidance will be finalized and published on Jan. 2. This guidance will be updated each semester.

This guidance will continue to evolve each semester as more feedback is obtained and instructors continue to explore the opportunities these tools provide in the classroom. Separate from this guidance to instructors, Vice Provost Jenna Rickus will continue to collaborate with the University Senate on possible future updates to the academic regulations that may codify AI considerations into university policy.

The Office of the Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning will hold a town hall in spring 2024 to solicit additional feedback and discuss the future direction of AI in teaching and learning. A date and more information on this event are forthcoming. In addition to faculty and staff, students will be invited to the town hall, building on conversations that took place with new students during Boiler Gold Rush this semester.

To develop the most effective and comprehensive draft guidance, university leaders have collaborated with multiple entities across campus, as mentioned above. Their efforts include funding an AI Innovation Fellow, Lindsay Hamm, at the Innovation Hub to help expand the transdisciplinary network of faculty and staff who are engaged with the innovative integration of AI tools into their teaching. The Innovation Hub also funded a series of AI in teaching and learning grants to provide faculty and staff the opportunity to rapidly deploy experiments for teaching and learning in an AI-rich environment and better understand dimensions of how AI might shape the future of education. On the Teaching@Purdue website, the Innovative Learning Team has compiled resources and suggestions for instructors who want to explore generative AI in their teaching practice. 

All instructors are encouraged to explore these resources, reach out to the Innovative Learning Team, or participate in Teaching & Learning Community of Practice events this spring. 

Source: Jenna Rickus