Generative AI bots like ChatGPT and Google Gemini have are working their way into college campuses.
The University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, conducted a study to find out how students and faculty are using generative AI. Steven Varela, Director of the Office of Information Technology’s Teaching & Learning Technologies team, and Alex Ambrose, Director of the Lab for AI in Teaching and Learning, said they had around 30 faculty and over 1,000 students participate in this study.
“What kinds of questions or what kind of prompts are students asking? We have also looked at when they are using it,” said Varela.
Through this study, Notre Dame found many students are process-oriented while using AI. Varela said many students did not ask for a final product but to help them understand the topic matter.
“They’re not only trying to understand the complexity of how AI can help enhance their learning but also how they can engage with it and elevate and enhance their learning overall,” said Varela.
The university also learned how to best ask generative AI questions and how to frame questions to get the best answers.
“The more intentionally that students and faculty utilize AI within their coursework and within the ecosystem of their learning, the better they’re definitely going to be using it,” said Varela.
Both directors said users should be strategically asking generative AI bots questions to receive the best answer. This is a practice being taught at IU.
Brian Williams, IU professor and chairperson of the Virtual Advanced Business Technologies Department, said AI can be like an eager intern.
“If you talk to it like a human, you’ll actually get responses like a human,” said Williams. “Sometimes it’s too eager to please you, so it will make things up that aren’t right because it wants to try to answer your question or keep you interacting with it.”
Steven Varela, Notre Dame’s Director of the Office of Information Technology’s Teaching & Learning Technologies (TLT) team, talks about an AI study Notre Dame conducted.
Notre Dame is not the only university aiming to learn more about generative AI. Indiana University rolled out a new course, GenAI 101, to help students learn how to use AI.
Every student at IU was enrolled in the free AI class at the beginning of the Fall 2025 semester. Brian Williams is one professor who helped create the course.
“I taught the first few GenAI-focused courses at Kelly, so I was able to draw on my experience there and develop this course,” said Williams.
Williams explained how AI is working its way not only into the classroom but also the workforce, and this is why it is vital for students to learn how to properly use the tool.
“What we were hearing at IU from employers is that they really wanted our students to know these skills,” said Williams. “IU leadership tried to do something as quickly as possible and offer this course to try and upscale everyone in a broad way.”
The course is a YouTube style of class and is completely online. It is comprised of four sections with eight modules in total. Students can watch videos that will teach them various AI skills, such as how to build better prompts, navigating AI at IU, and how to build your own AI assistant. Williams also used AI to help create the scripts for the seven-minute-long videos.
“I probably averaged somewhere between 20 and 50 iterations with AI for the scripts,” said Williams. “Trying to make sure I didn’t miss anything, make things a little more funny—it was a fun process.”
The overall goal of the course is to equip students with the skills they need to use AI effectively and responsibly.
“One thing this course can give students, especially students who aren’t as familiar with AI, is an equal playing field with their peers who are.”
Brian Williams, IU professor and chairperson of the Virtual Advanced Business Technologies Department, talks about IU’s GenAI 101 course and how he uses AI in the classroom.
Varela and Ambrose both said AI is constantly changing, which can make it difficult to keep up with the tool and effectively teach others.
“Something we teach this week could completely change next week,” said Varela. “Then we have to go back and reteach it.”
Due to this ever-changing environment, it is not only a learning process for students but also for those teaching these skills. However, Varela, Ambrose, and Williams all feel AI can be used as a tool to enhance the work humans complete.
“I’m a firm believer that AI does not replace humans,” Williams said. “It just helps amplify humans.”
