Temple and Thomas Jefferson Universities chart different approaches to student AI use

Colleges and universities can’t avoid AI tools in the classroom.

Guided by the widespread understanding that students need to be taught to think critically when they use AI, schools are catching up to integrate the tech in the classroom — and place guardrails to avoid misuse. But, as with any emerging tech, there’s no consensus on the “right” way to do it. 

In Philly, Temple University and Thomas Jefferson University are some of the colleges embracing AI, but showcasing two ends of the spectrum. Temple’s adoption is more cautious, with the school’s blanket policy advising students not to use AI unless explicitly allowed by their professors. Jefferson is leaning headfirst into the technology, asking deans in all of its schools to find new ways to incorporate it. 

Looking at both use cases, there’s one lesson that stands out. Proper AI use policies require a balance of allowing students and faculty to explore how these tools can enhance learning while also making sure they’re critical of the information and using them ethically. 

“We need to make sure that we’ve helped our students understand where the role of their own thinking comes in, where the role of their own judgments come in,” Stephanie Laggini Fiore, senior director of the Center for the Advancement of Teaching at Temple University, told Technical.ly. 

Throughout the country, higher education institutions are implementing policies that meet that balance by giving professors the final say in how AI is used in their individual courses. Now, as Philly grapples with AI changing the professional landscape, the region’s schools are setting themselves up to prepare students for their chosen careers, and how AI might impact every industry. 

Approach with caution

While Temple has a strict AI use policy, that doesn’t mean the university isn’t embracing AI at all. 

In 2023, Temple put in place a policy that says students can’t use AI unless their professors allow it. It was a way to help faculty catch up to understanding AI, especially during a time when many were hesitant to use the technology, Fiore said. 

This policy leaves the decisionmaking to the faculty member, which is a good thing because it allows professors to do what’s best for individual classes, Fiore said. Now, even though that policy hasn’t changed, her work involves encouraging faculty to learn about and use the tools, so students don’t get left behind. 

“Individual disciplines, individual classes have individual needs, and so you need the faculty member to be able to think about that and make those decisions,” Fiore said. 

Fiore and her team at the Center for Advancement of Teaching help university faculty understand what AI is, what tools are out there and how they might incorporate it into their classrooms. 

“It’s not one size fits all,” she said. “It’s not like your whole course has to be AI, or your whole course doesn’t have to be AI.” 

Some of the resources they created to demystify AI include a regularly updated faculty guide to AI, blog posts, workshops, individual consultations and custom programming for specific departments, she said. That includes showcasing faculty members already experimenting with AI to help skeptical professors understand real applications. 

Overall, Fiore encourages faculty to at least become familiar with AI tools and integrate some aspects into their course. She also helps faculty communicate their expectations for AI use to students, like making sure policies are outlined in the syllabus.  

Embrace potential 

Thomas Jefferson University is all-in on AI, according to university president Susan Aldridge. 

The university released plans earlier this year outlining how the school is encouraging students and faculty to embrace AI. The university’s plans require all deans to research how AI might best be used in their curriculum and incorporate it. Business courses, nursing courses and fashion courses are all incorporating the technology in their own ways, Aldridge said. 

“From a student standpoint, it’s all about preparing them for their future of work,” she said. “But with a very healthy perspective around the potential ethical risks associated.” 

For those who want to dive deeper, Jefferson also plans to launch online courses for students, faculty and staff that teach the basics of AI. 

While the school’s approach is largely AI-positive, Aldridge still wants to be cautious. Students are expected to learn how to be critical of the tools they use and the information they’re getting. And all tools professors use must be approved by the university’s AI governance committee.

For faculty, AI has the ability to bring in new content, make grading more efficient and refresh the curriculum. The goal is that using it will give professors more time for student support, she said. 

Humans at the center

Building a general framework for institutions could include establishing what acceptable use looks like, providing training and resources for faculty and including regular updates.

Administrators are tasked with striking a balance between preparing students for their future careers, while also encouraging ethical use of AI and being wary of potential cybersecurity risks. 

Jefferson and Temple represent just two examples of how AI is being approached in higher education. In Philly, the University of Pennsylvania has its own dedicated guidance, and it’s added AI degrees to its roster. 

Ultimately, the use of AI is meant to complement student-teacher interactions, enhancing student experience and helping professors teach their courses, according to Aldridge from Thomas Jefferson University.

“We’ll never take the human element out of the teaching, out of the advising, out of the support for our students,” Aldridge said, “but we certainly want to be able to take advantage of the technology that is going to permeate our work life as well as our personal lives.”