This non-profit grassroots site identifies and verifies courses where all student work is done in person, offline, and on paper (naturally, in addition to handwritten work, grades obtained from live presentations, oral examinations, and participation are fine). So, if you want to make your next course 100% AI-free — and give students public recognition for the effort — completing the form at the bottom of this site will let your course and their names appear in the spreadsheet directory:
Professors must design their course(s) to match the three criteria, turn in a PDF copy of their syllabus, arrange one visit by an agreed-upon auditor in their vicinity, and commit to keeping all written work, should anyone one day wish to verify a student’s performance. Updates are verified manually and take about a week to appear. Everything is free. No catch, no gimmick — just a desire to provide dissenters with a tangible alternative.
Profs should state in their syllabus: “This course is explicitly designed to teach you AI-free skills and knowledge. As a result, all student work will be done in person, offline, and on paper. Individuals who successfully complete the course will have the option of receiving public recognition for their effort on
https://certifiedaifreeskillsandknowledge.org/“
Students listed in the last column of the directory are encouraged to state on their CV, job applications, and social profiles: “I have certified AI-free skills and knowledge (link).”
Just a decade ago, before lockdowns and generative AI, a site like this was not needed. Alas, on many campuses, the lights aren’t on (see this comical but sad video). As if things weren’t bad enough, colleges and universities are preparing to self-lobotomize. Profs and students both realize that reliance on AI is eroding our ability to think. So, if you want to preserve genuine education, then you are not alone (see this by piece by Harvard students and news story about profs using only paper).
Unfortunately, those of us who skip Big Tech’s products are being portrayed as radicals. Naturally, nobody wants to be called names or be put at a disadvantage. But, in a setting where no one uses AI, it becomes a leveled playing field where actual learning is restored (with special recognition, to boot). As a hub of curated information, this site aims to change the landscape of incentives.
Worst-case scenario: A handful of profs and students will do this, work harder, and feel clean.
Best-case scenario: In time, employers will only pay attention to grades from courses certified as AI-free.
By analogy, consider that when Central Park in New York was initially zoned as development-free, it was a worthless plot of land. Now, people pay great sums to have an apartment with a view on Central Park. I surmise that something similar will happen, as the value of an AI-free education climbs.
Education is not the only domain were people are feeling a need to certify things as AI-free (see this example from book publishing). Is doing everything in person, offline, and on paper a perfect course format? No; there are trade-offs to every choice. Does something have to be perfect in order to be acted upon? No; a cure does not have to be a cure-all in order to cure. And we have ample evidence that this one works.
“Digital media have pros and cons, but we tend to forget the cons. Analog media also have pros and cons, but we tend to forget the pros.” (from Digital Age in Semiotics and Communication, vol. 8)
To clarify: this site is about keeping AI out of (some) university/college classrooms, not eradicating AI altogether. Making your courses AI-free won’t “deprive” anyone of anything since, outside of class, students remain able to type prompts in a chatbot. The reverse however does not hold, since those who are reliant on machines cannot do what truly skilled and knowledgeable people can do.
You will likely be called names if you go 100% AI-free, but don’t worry. Delineating a space for trees in a time of rapid urban expansion wasn’t backward-looking. It was simply very forward-looking. Let us therefore act now (while we still can).
If you have any questions, email me at marc.champagne@kpu.ca
Yours truly,
Dr. Marc Champagne, Founder and Web Administrator
FORM
*Appearing in the directory does not imply endorsement of any person, group, or idea.