{"id":4065,"date":"2026-02-10T19:39:47","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T19:39:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/online\/?page_id=4065"},"modified":"2026-06-12T10:33:18","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T10:33:18","slug":"ai","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/online\/ai\/","title":{"rendered":"Teaching Online in the Age of AI"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:70%\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:100%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignfull size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2412\" height=\"590\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/online\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/72\/2026\/02\/Home-Banner-Example-6-1.png\" alt=\"Teaching Online in the Age of AI\" class=\"wp-image-4345\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/online\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/72\/2026\/02\/Home-Banner-Example-6-1.png 2412w, https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/online\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/72\/2026\/02\/Home-Banner-Example-6-1-300x73.png 300w, https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/online\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/72\/2026\/02\/Home-Banner-Example-6-1-1024x250.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/online\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/72\/2026\/02\/Home-Banner-Example-6-1-768x188.png 768w, https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/online\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/72\/2026\/02\/Home-Banner-Example-6-1-1536x376.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/online\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/72\/2026\/02\/Home-Banner-Example-6-1-2048x501.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2412px) 100vw, 2412px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Welcome! If you\u2019re teaching online right now, you\u2019re already teaching in the age of AI\u2014whether you\u2019ve invited AI into your course or not. Students are using tools like ChatGPT and other generative AI tools to brainstorm topics, summarize readings, clean up grammar, generate study guides, and (sometimes) take shortcuts in learning. That doesn\u2019t mean the sky is falling. It does mean the instructional landscape has changed, and online instructors deserve clear, practical guidance that doesn\u2019t require a computer science degree\u2014or a crystal ball.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em><strong>Update: ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½ Online has created a <a href=\"https:\/\/mtsu.instructure.com\/enroll\/X83H6N\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">full, self-paced Canvas course for faculty<\/a> on teaching and generative AI. Please visit it, and share.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>This resource hub is designed to help you do two things at once:&nbsp;use AI thoughtfully for curricular <span style=\"margin: 0px;padding: 0px\">needs&nbsp;<em>and<\/em><\/span>&nbsp;protect academic integrity by designing learning that discourages misuse. In other words, we\u2019re aiming for \u201csmart and realistic,\u201d not \u201cscared and reactive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Think of this page as your starting point. Each tab on this site digs deeper into a specific area, but the big idea is simple:&nbsp;<strong>AI is a tool, not a teacher\u2014and not a substitute for student learning.<\/strong>&nbsp;Like calculators, spell-check, or Google before it, AI can support learning when used intentionally and transparently. And like those earlier tools, it can also create confusion when expectations are unclear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-mtsu-blocks-expandable-block accordion expandable-group expandable-group-lightblock\" id=\"newExpandable\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-mtsu-blocks-expandable-item accordion-item expandable-heading expandable-heading-lightblock\"><h2 class=\"accordion-header\" id=\"heading1-understanding-ai-in-the-teaching-learning-context\"><button class=\"accordion-button collapsed\" type=\"button\" data-bs-toggle=\"collapse\" data-bs-target=\"#collapsenewExpandable1-understanding-ai-in-the-teaching-learning-context\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"collapsenewExpandable1-understanding-ai-in-the-teaching-learning-context\">1. Understanding AI in the Teaching &amp; Learning Context <\/button><\/h2><div id=\"collapsenewExpandable1-understanding-ai-in-the-teaching-learning-context\" class=\"accordion-collapse collapse expandable-content expandable-content-lightblock\" aria-labelledby=\"heading1-understanding-ai-in-the-teaching-learning-context\" data-bs-parent=\"#newExpandable\"><div class=\"accordion-body\">\n<p>In&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/online\/understandingai\/\">Understanding AI in the Teaching &amp; Learning Context<\/a><\/strong>, we\u2019ll translate the buzzwords into plain language. You\u2019ll see what generative AI is, what it\u2019s good at, where it tends to \u201challucinate\u201d (confidently wrong answers), and why so many universities treat AI as a teaching-and-learning issue rather than an IT issue. If you want to explore higher-ed perspectives beyond our campus, a few solid starting points are Harvard\u2019s \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.harvard.edu\/ai\/teaching-resources\/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Teach with Generative AI<\/a>\u201d page, Cornell\u2019s GenAI teaching guidance &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/academicinnovation.cornell.edu\/gen-ai\/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">GenAI in Teaching and Learning<\/a>&#8220;, and EDUCAUSE\u2019s AI in higher education resource collection (<a href=\"https:\/\/library.educause.edu\/topics\/teaching-and-learning\/teaching-with-artificial-intelligence?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Teaching with Artificial Intelligence<\/a>).<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-mtsu-blocks-expandable-item accordion-item expandable-heading expandable-heading-lightblock\"><h2 class=\"accordion-header\" id=\"headingstronga-hrefhttps-www-mtsu-edu-online-policies-target_blank-relnoreferrer-noopener-a-strong2-setting-clear-expectations-course-assignment-level-ai-policies\"><button class=\"accordion-button collapsed\" type=\"button\" data-bs-toggle=\"collapse\" data-bs-target=\"#collapsenewExpandablestronga-hrefhttps-www-mtsu-edu-online-policies-target_blank-relnoreferrer-noopener-a-strong2-setting-clear-expectations-course-assignment-level-ai-policies\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"collapsenewExpandablestronga-hrefhttps-www-mtsu-edu-online-policies-target_blank-relnoreferrer-noopener-a-strong2-setting-clear-expectations-course-assignment-level-ai-policies\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/online\/policies\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> <\/a><\/strong>2. Setting Clear Expectations: Course &amp; Assignment-Level AI Policies <\/button><\/h2><div id=\"collapsenewExpandablestronga-hrefhttps-www-mtsu-edu-online-policies-target_blank-relnoreferrer-noopener-a-strong2-setting-clear-expectations-course-assignment-level-ai-policies\" class=\"accordion-collapse collapse expandable-content expandable-content-lightblock\" aria-labelledby=\"headingstronga-hrefhttps-www-mtsu-edu-online-policies-target_blank-relnoreferrer-noopener-a-strong2-setting-clear-expectations-course-assignment-level-ai-policies\" data-bs-parent=\"#newExpandable\"><div class=\"accordion-body\">\n<p>Next,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/online\/policies\/\">&nbsp;<strong>Setting Clear Expectations: Course &amp; Assignment-Level AI Policies<\/strong><\/a>&nbsp;focuses on the easiest way to prevent most AI-related problems: removing guesswork. Students can\u2019t follow guidelines they\u2019ve never been given. In that tab you\u2019ll find approachable ways to state what\u2019s allowed, what isn\u2019t, and what needs to be disclosed\u2014without sounding like you\u2019re writing a legal contract. Clear policies don\u2019t just help students; they protect instructors by creating a shared reference point when questions or concerns arise.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-mtsu-blocks-expandable-item accordion-item expandable-heading expandable-heading-lightblock\"><h2 class=\"accordion-header\" id=\"heading3-academic-integrity-in-the-age-of-ai\"><button class=\"accordion-button collapsed\" type=\"button\" data-bs-toggle=\"collapse\" data-bs-target=\"#collapsenewExpandable3-academic-integrity-in-the-age-of-ai\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"collapsenewExpandable3-academic-integrity-in-the-age-of-ai\">3. Academic Integrity in the Age of AI<\/button><\/h2><div id=\"collapsenewExpandable3-academic-integrity-in-the-age-of-ai\" class=\"accordion-collapse collapse expandable-content expandable-content-lightblock\" aria-labelledby=\"heading3-academic-integrity-in-the-age-of-ai\" data-bs-parent=\"#newExpandable\"><div class=\"accordion-body\">\n<p>Then we move into the heart of what many faculty are asking for:&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/online\/integrity\/\">Academic Integrity in the Age of AI<\/a><\/strong>. This section takes cheating concerns seriously, but it also reflects a major consensus across higher education: AI detection tools are not reliable enough to function as \u201cproof.\u201d Instead, integrity is best supported through clear expectations, consistent processes, and good assessment design. We\u2019ll outline practical ways to respond when something feels off\u2014without turning your course into a surveillance operation.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-mtsu-blocks-expandable-item accordion-item expandable-heading expandable-heading-lightblock\"><h2 class=\"accordion-header\" id=\"heading4-designing-assessments-and-learning-activities-that-discourage-ai-cheating\"><button class=\"accordion-button collapsed\" type=\"button\" data-bs-toggle=\"collapse\" data-bs-target=\"#collapsenewExpandable4-designing-assessments-and-learning-activities-that-discourage-ai-cheating\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"collapsenewExpandable4-designing-assessments-and-learning-activities-that-discourage-ai-cheating\">4. Designing Assessments and Learning Activities That Discourage AI Cheating <\/button><\/h2><div id=\"collapsenewExpandable4-designing-assessments-and-learning-activities-that-discourage-ai-cheating\" class=\"accordion-collapse collapse expandable-content expandable-content-lightblock\" aria-labelledby=\"heading4-designing-assessments-and-learning-activities-that-discourage-ai-cheating\" data-bs-parent=\"#newExpandable\"><div class=\"accordion-body\">\n<p>From there, the most powerful section for discouraging misuse:&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/online\/assessments\/\">Designing Assessments and Learning Activities That Discourage AI Cheating<\/a><\/strong>. This tab is all about building \u201ccheating-resistant\u201d courses by shifting emphasis from polished final products to authentic learning processes. You\u2019ll see strategies like drafts and checkpoints, personalized prompts, reflection components, frequent low-stakes practice, and multimodal options that make it harder to outsource thinking.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-mtsu-blocks-expandable-item accordion-item expandable-heading expandable-heading-lightblock\"><h2 class=\"accordion-header\" id=\"heading5-responsible-ethical-and-secure-use-of-ai\"><button class=\"accordion-button collapsed\" type=\"button\" data-bs-toggle=\"collapse\" data-bs-target=\"#collapsenewExpandable5-responsible-ethical-and-secure-use-of-ai\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"collapsenewExpandable5-responsible-ethical-and-secure-use-of-ai\">5. Responsible, Ethical, and Secure Use of AI<\/button><\/h2><div id=\"collapsenewExpandable5-responsible-ethical-and-secure-use-of-ai\" class=\"accordion-collapse collapse expandable-content expandable-content-lightblock\" aria-labelledby=\"heading5-responsible-ethical-and-secure-use-of-ai\" data-bs-parent=\"#newExpandable\"><div class=\"accordion-body\">\n<p>Finally,&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/online\/ethical\/\">Responsible, Ethical, and Secure Use of AI<\/a><\/strong>&nbsp;covers the guardrails that protect you and your students: privacy, FERPA-aware practices, equity and access considerations, transparency, bias awareness, and what not to paste into public AI tools. This is the \u201cuse it wisely\u201d tab\u2014the one that keeps experimentation from turning into accidental risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bottom line: AI doesn\u2019t replace teaching. If anything, it highlights what great online instructors already do best\u2014design learning with intention, communicate expectations clearly, and create assessments that make thinking visible. Pick a tab that matches your immediate need, and let\u2019s make AI a manageable part of your course reality\u2014not a mystery lurking in the discussion boards.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-mtsu-blocks-expandable-item accordion-item expandable-heading expandable-heading-lightblock\"><h2 class=\"accordion-header\" id=\"heading6-additional-resources\"><button class=\"accordion-button collapsed\" type=\"button\" data-bs-toggle=\"collapse\" data-bs-target=\"#collapsenewExpandable6-additional-resources\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"collapsenewExpandable6-additional-resources\">6. Additional Resources<\/button><\/h2><div id=\"collapsenewExpandable6-additional-resources\" class=\"accordion-collapse collapse expandable-content expandable-content-lightblock\" aria-labelledby=\"heading6-additional-resources\" data-bs-parent=\"#newExpandable\"><div class=\"accordion-body\">\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.unf.edu\/cirt\/id-resource-Online-Assessment-Best-Practices.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.unf.edu\/cirt\/id-resource-Online-Assessment-Best-Practices.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Online Assessment Best Practices<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vanderbilt.edu\/generative-ai\/course-design\/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Incorporating Generative AI in Course Design and Teaching Practices<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.msudenver.edu\/ai\/ai-and-assessment\/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Generative AI<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/riseupp.com\/course\/university-of-michigan\/using-generative-ai-for-learning-design-activities?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Using Generative AI for Learning Design Activities<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/onlineteaching.umich.edu\/content-type\/technical\/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Generative AI for Course Design: Writing Effective Prompts for Multiple Choice Question Development<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/cetli.upenn.edu\/resources\/generative-ai\/using-ai-to-create-assessments\/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Using AI to Create Assessments<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:30%\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-left\">Table of Contents<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-lightgray-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-lightgray-background-color has-background is-style-wide\" \/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons alignfull is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-fe9cc265 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-mtsublue-background-color has-background has-text-align-left wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/online\/ai\/\">Teaching Online in the Age of AI<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-mtsublue-background-color has-background has-text-align-left wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/online\/understandingai\/\">Understanding AI in the Teaching &amp; Learning Context<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-mtsublue-background-color has-background has-text-align-left wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/online\/policies\/\">Setting Clear Expectations: Course &amp; Assignment-Level AI Policies <\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-mtsublue-background-color has-background has-text-align-left wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/online\/integrity\/\">Academic Integrity in the Age of AI<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-mtsublue-background-color has-background has-text-align-left wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/online\/assessments\/\">Designing Assessments and Activities that Discourage AI Cheating<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-mtsublue-background-color has-background wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/online\/ethical\/\">Responsible, Ethical, and Secure Use of AI<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Welcome! If you\u2019re teaching online right now, you\u2019re already teaching in the age of AI\u2014whether you\u2019ve invited AI into your course or not. Students are using tools like ChatGPT and other generative AI tools to brainstorm topics, summarize readings, clean up grammar, generate study guides, and (sometimes) take shortcuts in learning. That doesn\u2019t mean the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":165,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-4065","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4065","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/165"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4065"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4065\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4987,"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4065\/revisions\/4987"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4065"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}