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AI and Writing: A (Reasonable) Debate

04-09-26
4:00 pm - 5:15 pm
Stiteler Hall 264
Hybrid
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Generative AI is reshaping how Penn writes and learns. Across campus, reactions range from enthusiasm to concern. This panel brings GSE faculty together for a frank debate about what AI means for academic life right now. Should students use it? Should faculty? What new possibilities does it open—and what skills might we lose? Join us for a lively conversation that cuts through the hype and tackles the real stakes of AI in education at Penn.

Sponsored by:
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Speakers

Photograph of Jonathan Zimmerman Jonathan Zimmerman GSE Professor of History of Education and the Berkowitz Professor in Education at the University of Pennsylvania

Jonathan Zimmerman is Professor of History of Education and the Berkowitz Professor in Education at the University of Pennsylvania. A former Peace Corps volunteer and high school teacher, Zimmerman is the author of The Amateur Hour: A History of College Teaching in America and eight other books. He is also a columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer and a frequent contributor to the Washington Post, the Atlantic, and other popular newspapers and magazines. Zimmerman taught for twenty years at New York University, which awarded him its Distinguished Teaching Award. His next book, Schooling Citizens: How Education Can Save Democracy, will be published by the American Philosophical Society Press next spring.

 Photograph of Matthew Duvall Matthew Duvall GSE Senior Lecturer, Penn GSE

Dr. Duvall’s background includes experiences as a computer programmer, high school teacher, instructional designer, and writer — all of which inform his perspective on teaching, learning, and technology. His research interests include designing technology-enhanced learning experiences, game-based learning, computational thinking, teacher professional development, and corporate training. His work centers on improving learning experiences for those who are typically overlooked or underserved in traditional educational systems.

 Photograph of Ross Aikins Ross Aikins GSE Adjunct Associate Professor, Penn GSE

Dr. Aikins joined the faculty of Penn GSE in Fall 2013. He received his Ph.D. in Higher Education and Organizational Change from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2011, and specializes in collegiate substance abuse and student health research. Dr. Aikins has teaching, administrative, and research experience in K-12 and postsecondary settings, including the University of Southern California, Carnegie Mellon University, UCLA, and Occidental College. Prior to joining Penn GSE, Dr. Aikins received a Ruth L. Kirschstein National Institute of Health (NIH) Postdoctoral Fellowship at the National Development and Research Institutes (NDRI) in New York City, and lectured at CUNY Brooklyn College. In his current role, Dr. Aikins advises over 60 full- and part-time master’s students in the Higher Education Division, and oversees the Penn GSE Graduate Assistantship Program for full-time M.S.Ed. students. Additionally, Dr. Aikins teaches graduate classes, supports admissions functions of the Higher Education Ph.D., Ed.D., and M.S.Ed. programs, and manages the Higher Education Division.