Last updated January 2024
The Task Force on Guidelines for the Use of Generative AI Tools for Teaching and Learning at Amherst convened on Sept 8, 2023. On December 4, 2023, they presented a set of guidelines around the use of AI at Amherst College.
Last updated January 2024
The Task Force on Guidelines for the Use of Generative AI Tools for Teaching and Learning at Amherst convened on Sept 8, 2023. On December 4, 2023, they presented a set of guidelines around the use of AI at Amherst College.
Please see “The Charge” section below for details about the goals and scope of these guidelines.
Scott Alfeld Assistant Professor of Computer Science
Riley Caldwell-O'Keefe Director of Center for Teaching and Learning
Pawan Dhingra Associate Provost and Associate Dean of the Faculty; Aliki Perroti and Seth Frank '55 Professor of U.S. Immigration Studies, in American Studies
Carmen Granda Senior Lecturer in Spanish
Jaya Kannan Director of Technology for Curriculum and Research (Task Force Co-Chair)
Chris Kingston Richard S. Volpert '56 Professor of Economics (Task Force Co-Chair)
Kara McGillicuddy Academic Technology Specialist
Martha Umphrey Bertrand H. Snell 1894 Professor in American Government In the Department of Law, Jurisprudence and Social Thought
The task force, which will be co-chaired by the chair of the Committee on Educational Policy and the director of technology for curriculum and research, will comprise four faculty members (including the faculty co-chair), an associate provost and associate dean of the faculty, the director of the Center for Teaching and Learning, and an academic technology specialist in Academic Technology Services, who will support the work of the task force.
Generative AI tools promise to continue to result in opportunities, as well as challenges, for teaching and learning at institutions of higher learning. The pace at which these technologies are evolving suggests that having guidelines in place for their use would be helpful for many within the Amherst community—contributing to greater understanding about the implications of engagement with these tools in an educational context, and serving as a source of best practices for faculty and students. At the same time, it is clear that any guidelines that are developed will themselves need to evolve over time—as the terrain of AI continues to shift, and navigation must be adjusted accordingly.
The task force is charged with developing guidelines that will address the areas listed below, as well as any others that the members feel would be useful. In undertaking this work, the task force should consult with students, faculty, and staff, as needed, and, potentially, with colleagues at peer institutions that have already put guidelines/best practices in place, as well as drawing on other external resources. In creating guidelines, providing specifics will be particularly welcome.
These are large and complex questions. Nevertheless, it is essential that the task force develop draft guidelines by December 4, 2023, so that some guidelines can be put in place expeditiously. Once completed, the document will be forwarded to the Faculty Executive Committee.