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Ole Miss researcher co-authors national guide on artificial intelligence in higher education
The Norton Guide to AI-Aware Teaching gives instructors a framework for AI classroom policies. A study found 33% of students use AI regularly, but only 9% cheat.
A new guide co-authored by a University of Mississippi researcher will give college instructors a framework for deciding how to handle artificial intelligence in their courses. "The Norton Guide to AI-Aware Teaching," written by Marc Watkins, Annette Vee and Derek Bruff, will be available as an e-book in July and in hardcover this September.
The guide arrives as discussions about AI for Education intensify across universities. Unlike blanket bans or pro-technology mandates, the book offers strategies for teaching with AI, without it, or somewhere in between.
"This guide is for teachers to start really thinking about their values, learning outcomes and how AI can either complement or complicate those," said Watkins, director of the Mississippi AI Institute for Teachers at Ole Miss and a lecturer in writing and rhetoric. "We're trying to make many different options available for faculty and to show different approaches that we've seen work at other universities, as well as what we're using at our university."
Student use goes beyond cheating
A recent study in the journal Science found that roughly one-third of college students at major public universities use AI regularly, but only 9% have used it to cheat. Vee, an associate professor of English at the University of Pittsburgh, said the data shows a broader picture that instructors often overlook.
"Students are using this technology in a variety of ways, and it's not just cheating," Vee said. "They're using it to augment their reading, understand subjects better, plan study guides and structure their study habits. Students with disabilities are even using it for accessibility purposes."
Framing all AI use as cheating, she added, unfairly stigmatizes students who use the tools productively. Rather than banning AI outright, instructors need to teach "discernment" - when to use the technology, when to avoid it, and how to evaluate its outputs.
Giving faculty a range of options
Watkins acknowledged that faculty reactions to AI are mixed. Many are frustrated that Silicon Valley pushed the technology into classrooms without input, and they worry about skill loss. At the same time, employers increasingly expect graduates to know how to work with AI.
"We're not trying to be AI cheerleaders, but students do need to learn about AI, warts and all," Watkins said.
The guide does not tell instructors to adopt or reject AI. Instead, it helps them think through what fits their course goals, then provides sample policies and communication strategies to set expectations with students early.
Setting clear ground rules
Whether or not an instructor allows AI, the authors argue, transparency and disclosure are essential. Watkins said the book emphasizes practical pathways for each choice.
"This technology is very powerful, but we need ground rules about disclosure and transparency when it's used, if it's used," he said. "Regardless of whether you use it or to what extent you use it, there have to be ground rules in place. It's just not realistic to take your entire class up on academic misconduct charges when students don't understand the technology and instructors haven't asserted the guidelines."
Why this matters for educators
The guide supplies concrete models for AI policies, discussion prompts for students, and frameworks for evaluating AI use - all tied to specific learning outcomes. Instructors who feel pressure to both prepare students for a changing workplace and protect academic integrity can use the book's flexible approach to set clear, course-specific expectations. For those looking to build their own AI literacy, an AI Learning Path for Teachers can complement the guide's strategies.