{"id":5894,"date":"2026-03-12T08:46:11","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T16:46:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/osuteaching\/?p=5894"},"modified":"2026-03-30T16:50:22","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T00:50:22","slug":"intentional-ai-spotlight-quincy-clark-on-the-ethics-of-ownership-and-student-resistance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/osuteaching\/2026\/03\/12\/intentional-ai-spotlight-quincy-clark-on-the-ethics-of-ownership-and-student-resistance\/","title":{"rendered":"Intentional AI spotlight: Quincy Clark on the ethics of ownership and student resistance"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>By Demian Hommel, CTL AI in Teaching and Learning Fellow in partnership with the AI Literacy Center<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/1441\/files\/2026\/03\/Stories_of_AI_OSU_3to1_hero_text_D73F09-Copilot-11mar26.png?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1536\" height=\"512\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/1441\/files\/2026\/03\/Stories_of_AI_OSU_3to1_hero_text_D73F09-Copilot-11mar26.png?resize=1536%2C512&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Stories of AI at OSU.\" class=\"wp-image-5901\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/1441\/files\/2026\/03\/Stories_of_AI_OSU_3to1_hero_text_D73F09-Copilot-11mar26.png?w=1536&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/1441\/files\/2026\/03\/Stories_of_AI_OSU_3to1_hero_text_D73F09-Copilot-11mar26.png?resize=300%2C100&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/1441\/files\/2026\/03\/Stories_of_AI_OSU_3to1_hero_text_D73F09-Copilot-11mar26.png?resize=1024%2C341&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/1441\/files\/2026\/03\/Stories_of_AI_OSU_3to1_hero_text_D73F09-Copilot-11mar26.png?resize=768%2C256&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>As part of the ongoing <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/osuteaching\/tag\/stories-of-ai-osu\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/osuteaching\/tag\/stories-of-ai-osu\/\"><em>Stories of AI @ OSU <\/em>series<\/a>, I sat down with <a href=\"https:\/\/agsci.oregonstate.edu\/users\/quincy-clark\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/agsci.oregonstate.edu\/users\/quincy-clark\"><strong>Quincy Clark<\/strong><\/a>, an assistant professor who holds a joint appointment in the College of Education and the College of Agricultural Sciences. Dr. Clark directs the RAD4STEM Lab, where her work focuses on personalizing STEM education and exploring socio-technical approaches to instruction. While many faculty rushed to implement AI assignments following the debut of ChatGPT, Dr. Clark took a deliberate step back. Her research revealed a surprising tension: students at OSU aren&#8217;t just &#8220;jumping in.\u201d They are worried about their authorship, their creativity, and their ethical footprint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The challenge: Uncovering student resistance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The common narrative suggests that students are eager to automate their education. However, Dr. Clark\u2019s data tells a different story. After collecting nearly 600 data points from first-year engineering students, she discovered a significant &#8220;zone of discomfort&#8221; around AI use:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Ownership of authorship: Students expressed deep concern over where their own creativity ends and the AI begins.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The desire for options: Surprisingly, a group of students explicitly requested non-AI assignments, valuing the opportunity to choose when to engage with the technology.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ethical overwhelm: Beyond the classroom, students and faculty are grappling with the environmental and social costs of AI, from water consumption in data centers to the impact on rural communities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The innovation: AI as a &#8220;socio-technical&#8221; partner<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Dr. Clark\u2019s response to this tension was to pivot from <em>assigning<\/em> AI to <em>interrogating<\/em> it. She frames AI not as software, but as a socio-technical partner\u2014a system that interacts with a user&#8217;s values, norms, and culture. She puts this into practice in multiple ways: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The syllabus as a shared contract: On day one, Dr. Clark uses her syllabus to lay out a shared expectation. She explicitly distinguishes between AI as a learning partner (allowed) and AI as a replacement for thinking (prohibited).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The three-question framework: To help students reclaim ownership, her classroom discussions center on three critical pillars:\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>When does AI truly help learning?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>When is AI harming my learning?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What does transparency look like for <em>me<\/em>?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Personalized STEM pathways: For her PhD and master\u2019s students, the bar is even higher. She expects them to cite not just the work, but the <em>origin of the thoughts<\/em> generated during the AI interaction.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to these expectations, Clark also helps students understand the different roles AI can play in learning. Students learn to distinguish between automation, augmentation, and amplification. Automation occurs when AI replaces thinking, which is not permitted in her classes. Augmentation involves using AI to support research, generate examples, or reduce cognitive load while learning complex ideas. Amplification occurs when students use AI to expand their thinking or explore alternative perspectives while still maintaining intellectual ownership of the work. This framework helps students understand how to use AI responsibly while maintaining authorship of their ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Clark also believes that AI literacy is becoming a core academic skill. Students in her courses learn how to prompt AI effectively, verify AI-generated information, recognize the limitations of large language models, and determine when AI should not be used. Rather than treating AI as either a shortcut or a threat, her goal is to help students develop the judgment required to use these tools responsibly in future professions where AI fluency is increasingly expected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Reflection: Exploiting the tension<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Dr. Clark believes that the discomfort students feel is exactly where the deepest learning happens. By moving slowly and centering the user&#8217;s perspective, she aims to help students &#8220;exploit AI rather than letting AI exploit them.&#8221; Her practice is not static; it is an evolving negotiation between instructor and student.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>I want my students to leave my classroom with a more holistic understanding &#8230; to sit with AI and know that when they submit an assignment, they have fully authored it. \u2014 Quincy Clark<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Clark also emphasizes that AI integration should look different across academic fields. In engineering, AI may support debugging or design exploration. In writing-intensive courses, it may assist with style critique or revision. In the sciences, it may help generate hypotheses or organize literature. Because of these differences, she encourages instructors to design assignments that align AI use with disciplinary learning goals rather than adopting a universal policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Key advice for faculty<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Listen to the resistance: Don&#8217;t assume students want to use AI. Collect your own preliminary data to see if your students feel their creativity is being &#8220;hijacked.&#8221;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Offer a non-AI path: To respect student agency and authorship, consider providing an alternative, traditional assignment option for those who choose not to engage with generative tools.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Define your ethics early: &#8220;Ethics&#8221; is a large, often undefined term. Work with your students to construct a definition that includes the user\u2019s perspective on responsibility and resource impact.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Focus on wordsmithing vs. thinking: Encourage students to use AI to refine ideas or smooth out text, while remaining firm that the core ideation must remain human.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/1441\/files\/2025\/09\/Screenshot-2025-09-29-at-14-16-15-Demian-Hommel.jpg.webp-WEBP-Image-600-%C3%97-600-pixels.jpeg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"220\" height=\"220\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/1441\/files\/2025\/09\/Screenshot-2025-09-29-at-14-16-15-Demian-Hommel.jpg.webp-WEBP-Image-600-%C3%97-600-pixels.jpeg?resize=220%2C220&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Demian Hommel.\" class=\"wp-image-5278\" style=\"width:200px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/1441\/files\/2025\/09\/Screenshot-2025-09-29-at-14-16-15-Demian-Hommel.jpg.webp-WEBP-Image-600-%C3%97-600-pixels.jpeg?w=220&amp;ssl=1 220w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/1441\/files\/2025\/09\/Screenshot-2025-09-29-at-14-16-15-Demian-Hommel.jpg.webp-WEBP-Image-600-%C3%97-600-pixels.jpeg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 220px) 100vw, 220px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><em>About the Author:<\/em> <strong>Demian Hommel<\/strong> is a professor of geography and environmental science in the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences and is an AI in Teaching and Learning Fellow with the OSU Center for Teaching and Learning. When he isn&#8217;t exploring the societal and environmental impacts of AI, you can find him DJing under the alias <em>Dr. Gonzo<\/em> or trying to graft citrus trees in his greenhouse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p>Top image generated with Microsoft Copilot. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Demian Hommel, CTL AI in Teaching and Learning Fellow in partnership with the AI Literacy Center As part of the ongoing Stories of AI @ OSU series, I sat down with Quincy Clark, an assistant professor who holds a joint appointment in the College of Education and the College of Agricultural Sciences. Dr. Clark [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3089,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[448432,448597,448599,448598,448596],"class_list":["post-5894","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-ai","tag-ai-spotlights","tag-ethics","tag-stem","tag-stories-of-ai-osu"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/osuteaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5894","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/osuteaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/osuteaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/osuteaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3089"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/osuteaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5894"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/osuteaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5894\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5972,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/osuteaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5894\/revisions\/5972"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/osuteaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5894"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/osuteaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5894"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/osuteaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5894"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}