How is AI shaping teaching and learning in higher education?
Instructors use a variety of technologies in their courses, from online homework and assessment tools to grading platforms and student learning aides. Now, new and evolving AI tools have the potential to considerably impact the education that students receive.
“There are a lot of potential benefits to using AI in the classroom as well as some potential drawbacks,” said Louis Leblond, teaching professor and director of online education in the Department of Physics. “It all comes down to the quality of the tools and what instructors are using it for.”
Leblond recently co-chaired a University-level committee to help instructors select and evaluate a wide range of AI tools, as well as provide examples for how these tools have been used in all areas of teaching. The resulting webpage and report, sponsored by the Digital Learning Academic Committee, is available to anyone at Penn State.
“There are a variety of pedagogical, ethical, and operational aspects to consider when deciding whether to use AI in the classroom,” Leblond said. “Although all courseware goes through an institutional review for elements like security, data privacy, and risk management, we wanted to provide a resource that would help faculty, department heads, and other members of the University who are trying to decide what constitutes a good use of AI.”
New and well-established education-related tools, whether standalone for specific functions or integrated into larger tools or chatbots, can have foundations in different types of AI. Some rely on symbolic systems, like tutoring scripts, while others rely on machine learning, like plagiarism detectors and quiz platforms that adjust difficulty of questions based on previous responses. Others are based on deep-learning models for scoring short answer responses or producing instructional examples.
Potential uses include optimizing course design, making course content more accessible, reducing jargon, and adjusting tone in course documents. AI tools could also be applied for assessment, such as designing assessments or clustering responses to assignments together to make providing feedback more efficient. AI tools could also support student learning, for example, by helping students create flash cards or other study aids or providing early feedback on assignments.
“We encourage instructors to consider their goals of using a particular tool and how it aligns with specific learning objectives,” Leblond said. “We also encourage them to evaluate the cost and accessibility of the tool, how it generates and stores data, and if there are safeguards for accuracy, bias, or ethical use. After a trial period, instructors should also evaluate if the tool met their goals and solicit feedback from the students who used it.”
Leblond said that the committee stressed the need for human validation, suggesting that instructors select tools that support but do not replace human instruction and decision making.
“Instructors need to ensure that somewhere along the line, a human evaluates any output and validates the accuracy of these AI tools,” he said.
The report also identifies several potential drawbacks to the use of AI tools. Instructors are encouraged to thoughtfully use tools to ensure that there is no reduction in human connection to their students or over-reliance by students or instructors on AI, and that data and student privacy is maintained.
“The challenge with some AI tools like ChatGPT and Copilot is that it not only gives results, but it also tries to interpret them for you,” Leblond said. “And some studies have shown that these tools can negatively impact our critical thinking skills and memory, though the tools are evolving rapidly and research in this area is relatively new. In some cases, instructors have changed how they are teaching and assessing students so there is less benefit of students using ChatGPT, or so that its use supports very specific tasks. Ultimately, we want instructors to be thoughtful and intentional in how they are using AI and in how they guide their students’ use of AI.”
Editor's Note: This story is part of a larger feature about artificial intelligence developed for the Winter 2026 issue of the Eberly College of Science Science Journal.