Tag: hybrid assessment

Faculty innovate with, and avoid, AI in the classroom

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A split image contrasting two distinct classroom approaches to AI. On the left, a bright, modern classroom shows faculty and students collaboratively engaging with holographic displays and laptops, demonstrating "Innovative Integration" and "Collaborative Research AI." On the right, a darker, traditional classroom features a blackboard with a large red 'X' over "AI" and "NO AI TOOLS" written below it, with faculty and students avoiding technology, symbolizing resistance to AI. Image (and typos) generated by Nano Banana.
The academic world is currently experiencing a bifurcated response to artificial intelligence: while some faculty are enthusiastically innovating with AI to transform learning, others are deliberately avoiding its integration, advocating for traditional methods. This image vividly illustrates these contrasting approaches within university classrooms, highlighting the ongoing debate and diverse strategies faculty are employing regarding AI. Image (and typos) generated by Nano Banana.

Source

Cornell Chronicle

Summary

Cornell faculty are experimenting with hybrid approaches to AI: some integrate generative AI into coursework, others push back by returning to in-person, pencil-and-paper assessments. In nutrition and disease classes, AI is used to simulate patient case studies, generating unpredictable errors that prompt students to think critically. In parallel, some professors now include short “job interview” chats or oral questions to verify understanding. A campus survey found 70% of students use GenAI weekly or more, but only 44% of faculty do. Cornell is responding via workshops, a GenAI education working group, and guidelines to preserve academic integrity while embracing AI’s pedagogical potentials.

Key Points

  • AI is used to generate case studies, simulate patients, debate AI arguments, and help faculty draft content.
  • Some faculty moved back to paper exams, in-class assessments, or short oral checks (“job interviews”) to guard learning.
  • A campus survey showed 70% of students use GenAI weekly, vs. 44% of faculty.
  • Cornell’s GenAI working group develops policies, workshops, and academic integrity guidelines around AI use.
  • The approach is not binary acceptance or rejection, but navigating where AI can support without eroding students’ reasoning and agency.

Keywords

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URL

https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2025/10/faculty-innovate-and-avoid-ai-classroom

Summary generated by ChatGPT 5

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