Lorena A Barba
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labarba.bsky.social
Lorena A Barba
@labarba.bsky.social
Engineering professor, computational scientist, jazz buff, techie, academic writer & font geek. Faculty director of the GW Open Source Program Office.
https://lorenabarba.com
www.linkedin.com/in/lorenabarba
The serious conversations about pedagogical approaches that harness AI productively rather than making human learning obsolete 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘺𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨! How are other educators navigating this?

🎥 Check out this short video demo—and I'm curious to hear your thoughts:
youtu.be/6q5CtXD5koY
Comet Assistant in Jupyter: First Impression of the Agentic Browser
YouTube video by Lorena Barba
youtu.be
September 26, 2025 at 8:51 PM
We're facing a 𝘄𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲: motivating genuine learning when the tools have become this capable. Assignments should help critical thinking rather than just testing procedural knowledge. But the pace and the scale of the changes required are 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴.
September 26, 2025 at 8:50 PM
What I witnessed:

– The AI assistant analyzed the entire Jupyter notebook
– Executed code cells autonomously
– Wrote proper NumPy functions
– Solved exercises completely
– Even explained its reasoning

All faster than students could read the problem statement.
September 26, 2025 at 8:49 PM
This raises a critical question: Are certain genres of scholarly work—especially simple literature reviews or trend summaries—no longer valuable as original scholarship? It's time for academia to rethink what we consider "original."

What do you think? #PeerReview
September 13, 2025 at 9:29 PM
The paper's abstract promised a "review of key trends" in AI for engineering education.
My reasoning for immediate rejection: anyone can generate this with a single, well-crafted prompt. I tested it in Gemini 2.5 Pro, and the results were stunningly good and likely similar to the submitted article.
September 13, 2025 at 9:28 PM
Bonus:
In support of my statement in highlight 1), above, you need to see this video by Prof. Giordano Scarciotti of Imperial College London (posted May 10, 2025):
youtu.be/lSbnMBb6INA
Can ChatGPT Pass a Top-Tier Engineering Coursework?
YouTube video by Prof. Giordano Scarciotti
youtu.be
August 14, 2025 at 7:03 PM
7) Beware wearables: Smart glasses can photograph exam questions and get live AI answers. Your syllabus needs wearables policies NOW.

Bottom line: Students will use AI anyway. Let's redesign courses to help them thrive with it.

Full piece: doi.org/10.6084/m9.f...
8/8
Colleagues: what to know about AI as you plan your Fall 2025 courses
This is an incomplete list of major developments and items to consider about the state of generative artificial intelligence, as we approach the Fall 2025 semester. My goal is simply to bring to your ...
doi.org
August 14, 2025 at 6:53 PM
6) The AI polarity: It can amplify learning OR create cognitive laziness. The difference is in how we design assignments and teach usage. How might you design for active AI use and promote user patterns that result in positive outcomes?
7/8
August 14, 2025 at 6:53 PM
5) AI is much more than chat. It's autonomous agents doing research, filling forms, completing coursework. One prompt = entire literature review. Will you change expectations of what students do in your class?
6/8
August 14, 2025 at 6:53 PM
4) Entry-level jobs were down 15% in 2024, and unemployment for new grads hit 4-year high this year. Meanwhile, companies now require AI use in their teams, and are conducting AI-enabled job interviews. Are we preparing students for this?
5/8
August 14, 2025 at 6:52 PM
3) Students perceive that they know AI better than faculty (they're probably right). This gap is creating stress and missed opportunities for everyone. What are you going to do about this?
4/8
August 14, 2025 at 6:52 PM
2) ChatGPT now has "Study Mode" and Gemini has "Guided Learning"—both promise Socratic tutoring versus immediate answers. But will students choose the hard path when instant answers are a click away? (They can turn Study mode on/off!) 🤔
3/8
August 14, 2025 at 6:52 PM
1) Google just gave all US college students free access to Gemini Pro. They just need an .edu email for verification. This means validity of your take-home assignments is cooked: Gemini can do complex work for students and they don't need to think…
2/8
August 14, 2025 at 6:51 PM
Here's a practical intro for anyone who values simplicity, openness, and wants to build their own online presence the #OpenSource way.

Full tutorial (~40 min): youtu.be/j-tXer7dIes
Jekyll and GitHub Pages basic tutorial
YouTube video by Lorena Barba
youtu.be
May 18, 2025 at 7:44 PM
You can read all about my #GenAI adventures (and misadventures) here: doi.org/10.6084/m9.f...
Let's chat – what are YOU seeing in your classrooms? #teaching #python #highered
Experience embracing genAI in an engineering computations course: What went wrong and what next
This paper is a candid reflection on adopting generative AI in an undergraduate engineering computations course, revealing unforeseen challenges despite best intentions. Students quickly developed pat...
doi.org
May 4, 2025 at 4:25 PM
Key takeaway: We have to adapt. AI isn't going away. We need to find the line between helpful tool and crutch. And share our failures, not just our successes. It requires courage!
#genAI #learninginpublic
May 4, 2025 at 4:25 PM
Tried to adjust the exam format, and the students revolted. 😬 It highlighted a key issue: are our assessments valid in the age of AI?
What now? I've scrapped homework and exams (yes I did!) and moved to in-class, collaborative exercises. It's better, but still a WiP…
May 4, 2025 at 4:24 PM
The "illusion of competence"—that's when learners think they understand, but the knowledge isn't really sticking (like what happens after a "clear lecture"). AI gave them quick answers, but they didn't actually get the concepts. Sound familiar?
May 4, 2025 at 4:24 PM