We’re in the tornado of AI, hands on our cheeks, breathless, as the stories of impending doom swirl around us. The Wicked Witch of the West pedals by, cackling about the end of days. While we may be powerless to decide whether AI gets its hands on the nuclear codes, we can, in higher ed, figure out how to address the issues facing us in our classrooms. The world is asking us yet again to reinvent ourselves and everything we do. A dichotomy seems to exist as far as how to make these AI-responsive changes, with one side being reactive (identify and respond) and the other proactive (build AI into your teaching—trot it right out front). Read the timeline below that details just one case of suspected student AI use in my first-year writing class, and you’ll see why I’m coming down firmly on the side of proactive measures.
