"University of Southern California professor Helen Choi had a pretty basic assignment for her students this fall: Read a book. To be sure, Choi's pedagogical choice isn't novel for many faculty; 71 percent of professors use print materials in some capacity in their classroom, a Bay View Analytics survey found. But Choi teaches Advanced Writing for Engineers, a course focused on teaching STEM students how to write across disciplines."
"Many of them "think nothing of shoveling a writer's work into a chatbot for a summary," Choi said. So this fall, Choi is encouraging students to close their laptops and spend time with Karen Hao's book Empire of AI, about the evolution and tech behind AI. Choi chronicled her decision in a Substack article titled, "I'm Making My Students Read a Book!" The post caught the attention of some faculty on Bluesky, including Vance Ricks, a Northeastern computer science and philosophy professor."
"Both Choi and Ricks hope to encourage their students to relearn how to read critically and engage in robust conversations with their peers. And after finishing the books, Choi and Ricks's students will get the chance to reflect together on the book during a virtual meeting, where they will discuss the role of AI in their lives. What's the need: In the past, Choi would assign short online articles for students to inform their writing responses."
A university professor assigned Karen Hao's Empire of AI and asked students to close their laptops and read. The course for engineering students focuses on communication across disciplines and on relearning critical reading. Many students habitually use chatbots to summarize others' work. A separate professor assigned the same book for master's students. After finishing, students will meet virtually to reflect and discuss AI's role in their lives. Previously, short online pieces led to shallow engagement and comprehension-level questions. National reading scores show a 10-point decline since 1992; only 34 percent of seniors were proficient in 2024.
Read at Inside Higher Ed | Higher Education News, Events and Jobs
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