Artificial intelligence is transforming how universities teach, conduct research, and carry out their work. At Montclair State University, we are approaching these developments strategically, seeking opportunities to advance our mission while ensuring that AI is used responsibly, ethically, and in ways that support academic excellence.
Regardless of where you stand on AI as a disciplinary practitioner and a human being, as a pedagogical issue in higher education it requires instructor awareness, attention, and thoughtful consideration. Two things are clear: banning AI is not effective (many students use it anyway, and likely ineffectively), and there are no fail-proof AI detection systems.
AI Tools Available at Montclair
- Members of the Montclair community can access Copilot with Enterprise Data Protection by visiting copilot.microsoft.com. Log in with the “Continue with Microsoft” login option, and then use your NetID@montclair.edu credentials to ensure your work is protected under Montclair State University’s enterprise security standards.
- Khanmigo Teacher Tools is integrated into Canvas, offering instructors a variety of educational uses, such as creating rubrics, designing lesson plans, and writing discussion prompts. Access will end June 30, 2026.
- Gemini and Notebook LM are available with your Google Suite.
- Adobe Firefly: image generator licensed for Montclair users (sign in with your Montclair email)
For a comprehensive list of AI tools relevant for higher education, with key features, pros, and cons, see Generative AI Product Tracker (maintained by Ithaca S+R).
Promoting AI Literacy
AI’s impact on higher education extends far beyond concerns of cheating and non-learning. While plagiarism and ethics issues are very real, the advance of generative AI also created an opportunity for educators to focus on the challenges of cheating and work out strong solutions. Another important consideration is the changing job markets. For many fields and professions, digital fluency and proficient use of generative AI have become essential competencies that employees are expected to use every day on the job. For these reasons, it is crucial to integrate the basics of AI literacy in college curriculum.
Work is currently underway to create a graduation requirement at Montclair to ensure that all our students are provided with foundational knowledge they need to use AI safely and effectively, although that work is underway. However, instructors are encouraged to implement course policies and pedagogical approaches that promote AI literacy among students and assess student learning in plagiarism-resistant ways.
- Develop a course policy on AI use. Continue discussing the relevant aspects of the policy throughout the semester.
- Students are likely facing major differences in faculty opinions about AI. Whether or not you allow AI in your classroom, be very clear about your expectations.
- Teach your students to use AI safely. Personal and sensitive information, as well as any unpublished work in its entirety, should never be entered into AI chatbots.
- Teach your students to cite AI correctly.
- Ask your students to examine AI outputs critically.
- Encourage students to learn more about ethical uses of AI: personalizing learning, enhancing productivity, streamlining routine tasks that do not involve concerns of privacy or authorship.
- For more ideas, see Teaching with ChatGPT: Assignment Design Tips and Ideas.
Mitigating Cheating and Non-Learning
Using AI without proper acknowledgement to create or enhance submissions when an assignment does not explicitly call for it is academically dishonest. It is not, in fact, fundamentally different from having another person write your paper, take your test, or complete your assignment. While it may be difficult to come up with assignments that are completely AI-proof, the tips below can help you make your classroom more resistant to plagiarism.
- Talk to your students about academic integrity, broadly. Remind your students of the University’s Academic Dishonesty policy, raise questions to stimulate reflection: why is academic integrity valuable? Give examples.
- See Academic Dishonesty and Student Cheating for additional guidance.
- Think about plagiarizing in the context of academic and professional value: if a task is easily performed by AI, does it need to be tweaked to continue fostering skills that are valuable on the job market?
- Shift from assessing products to assessing processes and student metacognition.
- Flip the classroom to have students learn at home and produce in the classroom.
- Emphasize hands-on work in diverse media and connections to real-world experiences.
- Be on the lookout for AI-produced texts.
- Currently, the University does not license or endorse any automatic AI detection tools, due to unreliable performance and bias concerns.
- Always consider student history and the broader context of the assignment before making a decision. When plagiarism is suspected, talking to the student individually is the easiest first step to addressing the problem.
- Alby, C. (2022, December 17). ChatGPT: Understanding the new landscape and short-term solutions. Google Doc. Retrieved January 4, 2023, from https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ERCgdylG2LyOeL93aWrK6Jf97N_m1qaueN9W4kzO0Rk/edit
- AI and Ethics: Investigating ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot. Presentation by Dr. Torrey Trust.
- Artificial and Generative Intelligence Tools: From Central Carolina Community College, a collection of AI tools organized by disciplinary relevance (chemistry, history, etc.)
- Bowen, J. A., & Watson, C. E. (2024). Teaching with AI: a practical guide to a new era of human learning. Johns Hopkins University Press.
- Mollick, E. (2024). Co-intelligence: living and working with AI. Portfolio/Penguin.
For additional resources, see AI Writing and Creating Bots (Montclair netID required).
Last Modified: Monday, June 22, 2026 5:24 pm
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