Key Takeaways
- Texas universities are using AI tools to audit courses and syllabi for content that may be perceived as advocating for "race and gender ideology"
- The AI tools are being used to search for specific words and phrases, but experts warn that these systems do not actually analyze or understand course content
- The use of AI in this way could lead to courses being flagged over isolated words and further shift control of teaching away from faculty and toward administrators
- Faculty and experts are raising concerns about the reliability and accuracy of these AI tools, as well as the potential for them to be used to control education and remove it from the hands of professors
- The trend of using AI in this way represents a larger threat to the de-professionalizing of what universities do in classrooms, where the horizon of what’s possible is being narrowed
Introduction to the Use of AI in Course Audits
The use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools to audit courses and syllabi has become a growing trend in Texas universities. Recently, a senior Texas A&M University System official tested a new AI tool to find out how many courses discuss feminism at one of its regional universities. The official, Korry Castillo, asked the tool to search for courses that discuss feminism in a slightly different way each time, and each time she got a different number. This experience highlights the potential inaccuracies and limitations of using AI tools to audit courses.
The Development of AI-Assisted Course Audits
Texas A&M System leaders have described the new processes they are developing to audit courses as a repeatable enforcement mechanism. The system plans to use "AI-assisted tools" to examine course data under "consistent, evidence-based criteria," which will guide future board action on courses. The board of regents has approved new rules requiring presidents to sign off on any course that could be seen as advocating for "race and gender ideology" and prohibiting professors from teaching material not on the approved syllabus for a course. The use of AI tools is seen as a way to ensure that courses align with the system’s policies and values.
Concerns About the Reliability and Accuracy of AI Tools
However, experts are raising concerns about the reliability and accuracy of these AI tools. They warn that the systems do not actually analyze or understand course content, but rather generate answers based on patterns in their training data. This means that small changes in how a question is phrased can lead to different results, making the systems unreliable for deciding whether a class matches its official description. Additionally, the use of keyword searches provides little insight into how a topic is actually taught, and the tool is not capable of understanding how certain discussions that the software might flag as unrelated to the course tie into broader class themes.
The Impact on Faculty and Curriculum Decisions
The use of AI tools to audit courses is having a significant impact on faculty and curriculum decisions. At Texas State University, administrators ordered faculty to rewrite their syllabi and suggested they use AI to do it. The university flagged 280 courses for review and told faculty to revise titles, descriptions, and learning outcomes to remove wording that was not neutral. Faculty are being asked to use an AI writing assistant to revise their course materials, which has created pressure to comply and may have pushed some faculty toward using the AI tool. This has led to concerns about the de-professionalizing of what universities do in classrooms, where the horizon of what’s possible is being narrowed.
The Broader Implications of Using AI in Course Audits
The trend of using AI in this way represents a larger threat to the de-professionalizing of what universities do in classrooms. The use of AI tools to audit courses could lead to a loss of control over teaching and curriculum decisions, as well as a narrowing of the horizon of what’s possible in the classroom. Faculty and experts are warning that this could have serious consequences for the quality of education and the ability of universities to fulfill their mission. As the use of AI tools in course audits continues to grow, it is essential to consider the potential implications and ensure that these tools are being used in a way that supports the values of academic freedom and intellectual inquiry.
