Survey: Faculty Say AI Is Impactful, but Not In a Good Way

"Faculty overwhelmingly agree that generative artificial intelligence will have an impact on teaching and learning in higher education, but whether that impact is positive or negative is still up for debate. Nine in 10 faculty members say that generative AI will diminish students' critical thinking skills, and 95 percent say its impact will increase students' overreliance on AI tools over time, according to a report out today from the American Association of Colleges and Universities and Elon University. In November, the groups surveyed 1,057 faculty members at U.S. institutions about their thoughts on generative AI's impact."

"Eighty-three percent of faculty said the technology will decrease students' attention spans, and 79 percent said they think the typical teaching model in their department will be affected by AI. Most professors-86 percent-said that the impact of AI on teachers will be "significant and transformative or at least noticeable," the report states. Only 4 percent said that AI's effect on teaching will "not amount to much." About half of faculty respondents said AI will have a negative effect on students' careers over the next five years, while 20 percent said it will have a positive effect and another 20 percent said it will be equally negative and positive."

"Faculty are largely unprepared for AI in the classroom, the report shows. About 68 percent of faculty said their institutions have not prepared faculty to use AI in teaching, student mentorship and scholarship. Most of their recent graduates are underprepared, too. Sixty-three percent of professors said that last spring's graduates were not very or not at all prepared to use generative AI at work, and 71 percent said the graduates were not prepared to understand ethical issues related to AI use. About a quarter of faculty don't use any AI tools at all, and about a third don't use them in teaching, according to the report."

Nine in 10 faculty members say generative AI will diminish students' critical thinking skills, and 95 percent say it will increase students' overreliance on AI tools over time. Eighty-three percent say the technology will decrease students' attention spans, and 79 percent expect typical teaching models in their departments to be affected. Most professors—86 percent—expect the impact on teachers to be significant or at least noticeable, with only 4 percent expecting little effect. About half of faculty foresee negative effects on student careers in the next five years. Many faculty report institutions have not prepared them or recent graduates to use AI or address related ethical issues.

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