Teaching Intro AI When the Tools Can Do the Homework: A Course Redesign and a Student Bill of Rights

Synthesis: This experience report describes the redesign of an introductory AI course at the University of Washington Bothell in response to LLMs being able to complete most assignments. The redesign retained the classical core (search, MDPs, reinforcement learning) while adding a strand where students build an LLM from scratch. Assessment was rebuilt around in-class exercises, reflective writing, and defended team projects, with examinations removed entirely. A participatory ethics sequence produced a 'Student Bill of AI Rights' governing the instructor's AI use, including a requirement that the instructor complete any AI-generated assignment before issuing it.

Key Findings

This experience report describes the redesign of an introductory AI course at the University of Washington Bothell in response to LLMs being able to complete most assignments. The redesign retained the classical core (search, MDPs, reinforcement learning) while adding a strand where students build an LLM from scratch. Assessment was rebuilt around in-class exercises, reflective writing, and defended team projects, with examinations removed entirely. A participatory ethics sequence produced a 'Student Bill of AI Rights' governing the instructor's AI use, including a requirement that the instructor complete any AI-generated assignment before issuing it.

The work contributes to understanding of Academic Integrity in educational contexts, with implications for AI Literacy, Assessment.

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Citation

Pisan, Y. (2026). Teaching Intro AI When the Tools Can Do the Homework: A Course Redesign and a Student Bill of Rights. arXiv:2608.05175.