AI is becoming more active and apparent within society, and with it comes questions, concerns, and to some, possibilities.
As it becomes a new part of daily lives, it has also become a prominent topic on college campuses, sparking debate over whether it should be supported or opposed.
While there is little to no specific information on AI users at Daytona State College, a Pew Research Center survey from April 2025 stated, “U.S. adults (27%) think they interact with AI at this rate.”
Not including personal life, colleges either have their own rules on AI, support it, or leave the decision to the professors. At DSC, the professors have individually outlined their AI usage policies within their class syllabi.
Depending on the syllabus, students either had complete control of their AI usage or none, and most lied somewhere in between.
Yet some students and faculty would have their own say in the matter.
DSC student worker in the IT Department, Aram Anderson, has had his own encounters with AI. “AI is a powerful tool, especially for learning, and for cheating your way out of learning,” he said. “Getting students to use it for the former and not the latter is the most important thing when discussing AI in a college setting.”
Communications Professor and Chair of Academic Support Elizabeth Barnes said, “My fear is that we will lose our ability to connect, think, feel, and communicate, if we just stay passive and outsource all of that to the robot.” Despite these concerns, she added, “I want us to be able to work with it.”
In response to these concerns, government agencies like the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), are working to create policies for AI usage to regulate safety and ensure that the systems are working properly.
“I do see some benefits with their use,” said Student Success Professor Theodore Sofianos. “But I am tentative to excessively use them and/or with too much consistency.” He added, “Education is based on this premise: first we must gain basic knowledge for ‘X’ discipline, and then to become critical thinkers we learn to evaluate and synthesize ideas and concepts.”
AI, with how many sources it has access to, is still a topic of debate with many, but within a college setting the main goal of professors is apparent, even with AI as a factor. “Our guidance, from teacher to teacher, from an administrative perspective, is use this tool to help students figure out what ethical behavior looks like,” said Barnes.