Back to school this fall brings not only syllabi and lectures, but growing uncertainty about how artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping Canadian classrooms.

That uncertainty is part of a larger shift. Canada’s new AI strategy calls for broader AI literacy, stronger public trust and responsible AI adoption, including AI learning for post-secondary students.

In a Canadian university case study on AI policy in higher education that I co-authored with Emily Ballantyne, acting director of teaching and learning at Mount Saint Vincent University (MSVU), we examined how faculty experience AI policy direction.

We heard that faculty need practical ways to decide when AI belongs in learning, when it does not and how it changes trust, assessment and student agency.

Across higher education, guidance about AI remains uneven. Comparative studies of university policies show approaches ranging from restrictions and academic integrity rules to disclosure requirements, faculty discretion and support for responsible experimentation.

Research also identifies recurring gaps in policy communication, assessment guidance, professional learning and consultation with faculty. Students may encounter different expectations across courses while instructors are often left to interpret broad institutional principles.

The relationship between students and educators is at the heart of deep learning. AI has changed the conditions under which trust, learning and assessment now happen.

There are thoughtful international AI policy frameworks for education, although many were developed before tools such as ChatGPT became widely available.

Cecilia Ka Yuk Chan, a professor of education at the University of Hong Kong, developed an AI Ecological Education Policy Framework. It identifies three areas (pedagogical, governance and operational) to help universities think about teaching, institutional rules and support systems.

When considering these areas in Canadian post-secondary institutions, universities also need to include equity commitments, including responsibilities to Indigenous........

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