As the fall semester begins, Penn professors are split on artificial intelligence in the classroom — with some encouraging its use and others designing assignments to keep it out.
Penn’s AI usage policy was first announced in 2023, officially integrating the use of generative artificial intelligence into the school’s curriculum. While it encouraged the use of generative AI as long as it was properly reported and cited when used, it also stated that individual educators could form their own policies to better align with their goals. Although the University has an official policy, some faculty members say they still have reservations about the use of generative AI in classrooms.
In a written statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian, Marc Trussler, director of Data Sciences at the Penn Program on Opinion Research and Election Studies, said that while he believes AI is a “very cool thing,” it may interfere with undergraduate learning.
He added that increased AI usage forced him to decrease the weight of programming assignments that can be easily completed with AI and increase the weight of in-person exams in students’ overall course grades.
Trussler said that he also no longer offers remote exams, further shifting grading toward participation and pen-and-paper assessments.
“I’m not interested in policing my students’ AI usage,” he said. “If you’re using AI to do the work for you, you’re missing the point of being here — university is about learning how to think for yourself.”
Trussler said that his personal AI policy was formed “mainly through discussing what works” with colleagues, which revealed that many faculty members share similar sentiments and are setting boundaries to ensure that students engage with traditional learning material as opposed to relying on AI.
Conversely, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education for the School of Engineering and Applied Science and Andrea Mitchell University Professor in Mathematics and Electrical and Systems Engineering Robert Ghrist said he encourages students to use AI as a tool to enhance their learning, adding that he prefers to give them “the freedom to make good choices, and, in a limited way, to make bad ones” as part of their growth into responsible adults.
Ghirst states that with the exception of exams, he strongly encourages students to use AI in every aspect of his course. He described himself as “a very early adopter” of classroom AI, adding that the technology can help students learn how to handle powerful tools responsibly.
“[This is] an environment where the penalties for making mistakes are hopefully not going to really derail you or ruin you for life,” he said.
Ghrist said he has gone from merely asking students to disclose their AI use to mandating it for some assignments. This fall, he plans to adapt his Linear Algebra for AI course based on lessons from last spring and new AI capabilities, particularly in coding simulations. He added that future tools — such as AI-assisted oral exams that are currently impossible in large classes — could become viable for classroom use as technology continues to advance.
