Written by Zara Abrams – April 1, 2026

Nearly all undergraduate students (92%) now report using artificial intelligence for assignments, most often for writing and editing, according to a survey from the Higher Education Policy Institute (Freeman, J., Student Generative AI Survey 2025, Feb. 2025opens in new window). That has posed a major challenge for instructors, especially those who teach academic writing or courses built around reading and discussing scholarly research.

How instructors handle AI—specifically, generative AI, or tools that create text, images, or other new content—runs the gamut from total bans to head-on adoption. Those decisions are complicated and personal—and must be made as technology and institutional policies continue to evolve. But a growing number of instructors believe it’s important to engage with AI and update assignments and classroom rules accordingly.

“Engaging doesn’t have to mean adopting. But it can mean having conversations with students, having a clear AI policy, and being intentional around this topic,” said Liz Delf, an AI teaching and learning fellow with the Center for Teaching and Learningopens in new window and a senior instructor in the School of Writing, Literature, and Film at Oregon State University.