In Spring 2025, the Generative AI Professional Development Committee (PDC) focused its efforts on academic integrity—specifically, the acceptable and unacceptable use of AI by students in their coursework. This initiative was driven by concerns about the reliability of AI detection tools (“AI checkers”) and both anecdotal and empirical evidence suggesting an increase in student use of generative AI.
Rather than banning AI use entirely, more institutions and faculty are exploring ways to integrate the technology into coursework in constructive and ethical ways. Numerous articles highlight that students themselves have mixed feelings about using AI, including concerns such as:
- Being falsely accused of AI use
- Observing peers using AI without repercussions
- Worrying that overreliance on AI may harm their learning
- Wanting to use AI effectively to remain competitive in the job market
- Feeling frustrated by faculty using AI in course design or grading
To better understand student perspectives, the PDC conducted a focus group, using a similar effort at the University of Minnesota as a model. Twelve students were recruited and six participated in the focus group. Dilnavaz Mirza Sharma, Assistant Director of Assessment in the Office of Research, Planning & Assessment (RPA), developed the questionnaire and facilitated the discussion. RPA’s graduate intern, Audrey Taylor, posed the questions, and Paul Keys from IDAT Services observed the session.
Key Takeaways
Sharma and Keys shared the focus group’s findings at this year’s PIE conference. Here is a link to the slide deck summarizing each of the questions and responses. Below is an image from the “Key Takeaways” slide.
Click for transcript of slide text
Key Takeaways from the Focus Interview
- Students would prefer faculty to educate students on ethical AI use rather than just prohibiting it
- There should be better communication about shy using AI in certain ways might harm learning
- AI was particularly useful for tasks perceived as “busy work”
- Students felt they neeed to be responsible about balancing AI use with actual learning
- Some suspected faculty were already using AI for creating quizzes and materials
Overall, students view themselves as thoughtfully navigating the integration of AI into their academic work and balancing ethical considerations with practical benefits.
Next Steps
The PDC plans to develop a broader student survey based on the insights gathered from the focus group. This survey will be distributed to incoming first year students in the fall and upperclassmen next spring.
If you have questions or are interested in joining the Fall 2025 Generative AI PDC, please contact Paul Keys.