Lehigh has introduced new training and grants to help faculty integrate artificial intelligence into the classroom.
In 2023, an official AI policy was announced by Provost Nathan Urban, outlining ethical use, academic integrity, and responsible handling of sensitive information, while still encouraging innovation.
Urban also verified policies for the use of generative AI in an email sent to the campus community on Sept. 12. The email stated the importance of using AI ethically and responsibly, while detailing the university’s partnership with Google Gemini that grants students’ access.
Original AI policies enacted by Lehigh have since been re-envisioned to move from policy to practice, encouraging faculty to responsibly integrate AI into their teachings.
Greg Reihman, the vice provost for library and technology services, said Lehigh’s approach is meant to be individual-focused, giving faculty the flexibility to decide how AI can make their teaching more effective, while encouraging departmental discussions and providing guidance as needed.
“Individual faculty members make the choices within their classes about how AI should or shouldn’t be used,” Reihman said. “Sometimes you need coordination, some guidance, some support, and sometimes just the standard tools might not be the right ones as well.”
Faculty are participating in Strategic Methods in AI-Responsive Teaching program launched on Sept. 5 that provides workshops and resources to help professors use AI in their courses.
It combines self-paced online modules with in-person sessions that cover a range of topics, from constructing effective AI prompts to teaching with AI-inclusive or AI-resistant strategies, according to the LTS website.
Dr. Jeffrey Olimpo, who oversees the program and is the director of the Office of Educational Innovation and Assessment, said around 15 to 20 faculty members regularly attend in-person sessions.
He said the intention of the program is to empower individuals and create a broader awareness across campus about what people are doing with AI.
Olimpo said the program is multi-tiered, with the first level focused on building awareness where faculty are introduced to tools to explore applications like chatbots and tutoring systems.
He said the program also helps create a collaborative community for faculty to learn how to integrate AI productively in their teaching.
“We have a really good diversity of individuals in the room,” Olimpo said. “It seems to be pitched well, regardless of folks’ prior background or use of AI.”
Brian Davison, a professor and the chair for the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, said AI is impacting the way his students learn.
In his computer science and data science classes, he said students should learn the basics on their own before using AI tools.
He said while professors used to expect students to learn through various assignments, its now much harder to make that assumption.
“I don’t mind if they use these services to help them understand what they need to know,” Davison said. “But mostly I have students do the work themselves so that they know what’s happening.”
He also said relying too heavily on AI means students miss out on the “mental gymnastics” of working through problems themselves.
Davison said because AI is becoming a part of students’ learning experiences, faculty need to thoughtfully adjust their teaching styles. He said while adapting courses takes time, faculty can start with small changes to gradually incorporate new tools and methods.
While much of the early policies surrounding AI have focused on classroom integration, Reihman said the university is also exploring how it can enhance administrative operations.
“In the past year or so, we’ve broadened the scope to think more about AI in administrative activities as well,” Reihman said. “I think as a university, (we’re) trying to make a more concerted effort to really help.”
Lehigh is supporting faculty and staff experimentation with AI through initiatives like the Future Maker Grant: AI Enhancement, which funds projects that explore innovative uses of AI in teaching, research and administrative work.
Reihman said the grant received 18 proposals from different units across campus addressing the question of how AI could bring efficiencies or improvements to office operations.
He said he believes the grant will give Lehigh departments a chance to experiment with generative AI and explore ways to improve student engagement and understanding.
Reihman also said Lehigh’s approach to AI looks to improve efficiency, aiming for students to not only learn to use tools in their classes but to also think critically about larger implications.
“We want to collectively be working to help make sure that it’s making things better for us and each other, and not merely a time saver or an offloading of work,” Reihman said.