A new law in Tennessee has officially mandated the use of an Artificial Intelligence policy in course syllabi for universities across Tennessee.
On Feb. 22, 2024, the Tennessee Senate adopted and passed Senate Bill 1711, which states that the Board of Trustees of the University of Tennessee, its board of regents and each local governing board of trustees from universities across the state must adopt a policy regarding the use of artificial intelligence, or AI, by students, faculty and staff. This policy is for instructional and assignment purposes.
The bill, although effective in Feb. 2024, was required to be implemented into the UT System and other university legislatures no later than July 1, 2025. Professors have now had a year to adjust and implement their required AI statements in syllabi.
As described in the amendment, “artificial intelligence” means a machine-based system that can, for a set of human-defined objectives, make predictions, recommendations or decisions influencing the work or environment of real world outcomes.
The bill came amid growing concerns in the university sphere regarding the use of AI. From plagiarism to artificially generated content for assignments, the bill has a few different goals in mind, such as promoting credible work, preventing academic dishonesty and ensuring consistency between assignments and student learning.
Adnan Rasool is an associate political science professor and director of UT Martin’s Center for Teaching and Learning. He has done a large amount of research around AI tools, specifically within education.
“The major success is that AI is highly useful in terms of what it can do for our students, our faculty, and our pedagogy,” said Rasool. “I firmly believe in its potential to enhance the educational experience. However, the biggest setback in all of this is the problem of ‘cognitive offloading,’.”
While Rasool thinks AI can be a useful tool, he feels at times the way it is used can be a setback.
“Because we are not currently spending a lot of time teaching our students how to use AI effectively, there are many cases where students are using it in most rudimentary ways, and the output from that is actually hurting them,” said Rasool. “Instead of using the tool to assist with complex tasks, they are offloading the core cognitive work and critical thinking to an external AI chatbot.”
Rasool explained that the technology, while new and evolving, should be utilized to help prepare students for its usage in the future.
In addition to the bill, institutions are required to post any AI policy made on the schools’ website and submit the policy to the chair of the education committee of the Senate and the chair of the education administration committee of the House of Representatives.
If the Board of the Institution of Higher Education fails to adopt and submit a policy as required by the amendment, then the board of the respective university or institution must appear before the joint government operations committee no later than 60 days to report on the board’s noncompliance.
Daniel McDonough is a historian and professor at UT Martin and is directly affected by the syllabus policy.
“We are in the midst of a technological revolution that will revolutionize the way lives are led, if, indeed, lives are led at all in the perhaps not distant future,” said McDonough. “Whether AI produces major or minor change, few predict that there will be no change. So, we move into the future without fear, but alert to the possibilities, both bad and good.”
Professors aren’t the only people affected by this bill; students are greatly impacted as well. In a growing world of ChatGPT and Claude, students are finding that the use of AI and coursework in the university sphere are either being praised or ridiculed amongst professors and administration.
Joseph Hamer, a senior graphic design student, talked briefly about the use of AI in the classroom and how he sees it in the arts.
“They have expressed that it should not be used for plagiarism or as a way to create art. I agree with that,” said Hamer.
