From Reluctance to Engagement: Aligning Institutional Policy with “Human-in-the-Loop” Pedagogy

Abstract

The rapid rise in generative AI (GenAI) in higher education creates a tension between institutional goals for AI literacy and everyday classroom practice: while universities increasingly call for ethical and skills-focused engagement, faculty adoption is uneven and often constrained by uncertainty. To examine this gap, we combined campus-wide attitude surveys, a longitudinal content analysis of 1716 syllabi, and a review of publicly available GenAI assignment collections. Results revealed a persistent implementation gap: although sustained professional development was associated with shifts in faculty perspectives, a majority of course-level policies remained prohibitive or punitive and were not aligned with stated institutional aims. While consistent professional development has helped faculty accept the need for GenAI literacy, most individual faculty policies remain prohibitive, at odds with both the institutional push for transparency in GenAI literacy and the faculty’s stated stance toward the need for teaching GenAI skills. Our analysis of publicly available GenAI-themed assignments demonstrated that engaging students with GenAI can take various shapes depending on instructor and course goals. This work positions AI-themed assignments as a practical solution to faculty reluctance, providing a promising pathway for hesitant educators to integrate AI literacy into their courses and meet the evolving needs of their students.

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