Did anybody do the reading? Colleges grapple with a generational shift in learning — plus AI

Professors Adapt as Liberal Arts Student Participation Wanes

Luke Johnson, a sophomore English literature major at the University of Pittsburgh, has noticed a troubling trend in his liberal arts courses: silence. As one of the few students who completes assigned readings before class, Johnson frequently finds himself filling awkward pauses during discussions.

“I feel indebted to my teacher to make the class engaging,” Johnson said. “The majority of people in my class are taking it as a general education requirement and seem to discount the importance of doing the coursework.”

This phenomenon of declining classroom participation and reduced reading engagement isn’t isolated to Pittsburgh. Across multiple universities, professors are witnessing similar patterns and implementing creative strategies to address what they view as a systemic issue rather than individual student failure.

Ryan D’Souza, a communications professor at Chatham University, admits feeling “on edge” when his questions are met with silence. Rather than blaming students, he points to structural educational policies like the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, which emphasized standardized testing and correct answers over comprehension.

“The current generation of students would have been the ones really ingrained with the No Child Left Behind kind of policy where you no longer need to read something for comprehension, but to know the correct answer,” D’Souza explained.

In response, D’Souza has diversified his teaching materials beyond traditional academic texts, incorporating newspaper articles, comic books, and video essays to spark engagement. While he still believes in academically rigorous content, he avoids “burdening” undergraduates with material disconnected from their experiences.

A similar evolution has occurred in Brock Bahler’s teaching approach. After joining the University of Pittsburgh in 2014, the religious studies professor shifted away from assigning entire classical texts like Aristotle’s “Nicomachean Ethics” in favor of more accessible contemporary works that explore relevant social issues.

Bahler sees potential benefits in this changing dynamic. “We’ve had this assumption that learning can happen in these very autonomous, individualistic ways,” he said. “But maybe that’s not how learning happens, maybe learning happens in community?”

The professors interviewed recognize that students arrive at college with varying levels of preparation due to disparities in K-12 education. Hillary Lazar, a sociology instructor at the University of Pittsburgh, attributes this to the “opportunity gap” created by unequal distribution of educational resources.

“I don’t think it’s that our students are becoming less capable and competent,” Lazar emphasized. “I don’t know if they have the right training or if the right level of expectations are being put on them.”

To address these disparities, Lazar employs a “one-room schoolhouse approach,” providing materials that can engage both beginning learners and advanced students simultaneously. This strategy, reminiscent of early 20th-century educational practices, allows her to meet different needs within the same classroom setting.

James Swindal, a philosophy professor at Duquesne University, has found success with “precis questions.” Students submit questions about assigned readings, which Swindal projects onto a whiteboard for class discussion. This technique ensures students engage with the material in advance and often surfaces the very discussion points Swindal planned to address.

The emergence of artificial intelligence presents additional challenges for liberal arts education. Lazar hosts “AI confessionals” where students discuss how they use AI tools in coursework. By understanding these practices, she hopes to help students value their own intellectual voice.

Bahler occasionally permits AI use for critical evaluation but prohibits it for writing assignments. “You learn what you think about the world as you write,” he explained. He’s also concerned about AI’s tendency to homogenize language at the expense of linguistic diversity, including African American Vernacular English.

Jane Bernstein, an English professor at Carnegie Mellon University who has taught since 1991, hasn’t noticed significant participation issues in her creative writing courses. However, she emphasizes the importance of students engaging directly with literature rather than seeking “correct” interpretations through technology.

“Immerse yourself in the story,” Bernstein advises her students. “This isn’t about getting something right or wrong.”

As Bernstein approaches retirement at the end of the spring semester, she expresses mixed emotions. While she’ll miss teaching, she admits feeling relief about not having to navigate the growing influence of generative AI on student learning and writing.

The challenges facing liberal arts education reflect broader shifts in how students engage with information and learning. As institutions adapt, the balance between maintaining academic rigor and meeting students where they are continues to evolve, with implications for the future of critical thinking and literary appreciation in higher education.