Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been growing exponentially over the past year and even months. Its development is moving fast, and society and education has been working to keep up.
Over this past summer, Westside High School teachers and administrators worked to create and implement an AI policy. The new sample policy states that AI can be used as a tool, but cannot be a replacement for individual thinking. Specifically, this Westside syllabi language is clear that when students are using AI, they must be transparent with their use and cite it where appropriate.
The policy also emphasizes that students ask their teacher if they are ever unsure if they can use AI for an assignment. Importantly, the policy states that the misuse of AI falls under the academic dishonesty/plagiarism policy.
In addition to the new sample syllabi policy, teachers and administrators at Westside created a guidance website with resources surrounding the use of AI.
Superintendent Dr. Mike Lucas left commentary on the website about how AI will transform the Westside district.
“Artificial Intelligence is rapidly transforming the world around us. As a district known for innovation and excellence, Westside Community Schools is committed to helping our students, staff, and community thrive in this evolving technological landscape,” Lucas said. “We approach this work thoughtfully, with a focus on ethics, efficiency, and doing what it takes to meet the needs of our learners, staff, and patrons.”
English teachers at WHS expressed the challenges and opportunities they believe AI presents and how the new policy has changed how their classrooms run.
While many teachers would have implemented AI into their curriculum regardless of the new AI policy, Elizabeth Grantham, who teaches Honors English 2 at Westside, believes that the new AI policy is the only reason she allows her students to use it.
“I’m gonna be for real. Without this policy, I probably wouldn’t really be using AI that much in my classroom, just as an English teacher, I have some ethical and moral concerns with it,” Grantham said.
The other question the new policy raises is whether or not students will use AI appropriately or not. Ms. Grantham believes that students are responsible enough to do their own work and only use AI as a helping tool.
“For my classroom, I’ve honestly been pretty impressed. They’ve been using it fairly appropriately, only using it to craft ideas. But they’re honors kids, so they’re pretty good at that,” Grantham said.
Ms. Grantham believes in the past, there has been new technology that supposedly threatened student intellect, but it all worked out in the end.
“When the calculator first came out, it was like, ‘Oh my gosh, we can’t use this. People are gonna like, really, really rely on that.’ And there’s some truth to it, like, for sure. And I think the same thing is with AI, you will have that risk of people who just can’t understand,” Grantham said.
Ms. Grantham isn’t the only one who believes there must be balance found between using and abusing AI in the classroom. Honors and AP English teacher at Westside High School, Melissa Inmon, says that with the new syllabus, it is up to faculty to dictate to what degree they will allow students to use artificial intelligence.
“There is a due diligence on the teacher for almost every assignment to say what that parameter is… if you [as a teacher] don’t clarify, either with a blanket statement that it’s not to be used unless instructed, then I think you are on the hook for every single assignment saying to what level you think it should be used,” Inmon said.
Ms. Inmon believes that where AI is taking us, society will inevitably adapt to new circumstances, because it has to.
“I think any new paradigm technology is scary, but we [education] will always find a way to adapt,” Inomon said.
To visit Westside’s new AI guidance website, visit: https://teachers.technology/ai-at-westside/
