Manjeet Rege

In the News: Manjeet Rege on AI in the Classroom

Manjeet Rege, software and data science professor at the University of St. Thomas School of Engineering, recently spoke with the National Catholic Register about artificial intelligence and how it is impacting learning and classroom culture.

From the story:

But for schools that embrace AI, educators realize they have to pay close attention to it.

Manjeet Rege, professor and chairman of the department of software engineering and data science at University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, uses an AI program called “Honor Lock” as a proctor – when students take tests using a computer off-site, for instance, they have to stay within camera view, and a computer program produces red flags for possible cheating.

As a scientist, Rege embraces AI because it enables tasks that previously either weren’t possible or were much more time-consuming. But he also wants students to be aware of its limits, particularly when it comes to ethics.

He recalls when he was an undergraduate and a graduate student not having access to Google, and he worries about students over-relying on technology – including, now, AI.

“I often tell this to the students in class: If I ask a question, I say, ‘Don’t pick up your phone. Just keep looking at me and think it through,’” Rege said.

They’ll need that skill in their future jobs.