Staffordshire University taught coding course primarily using AI-generated materials
Students in a government-funded apprenticeship programme at Staffordshire University reported that a coding course was taught primarily through AI-generated slides and voiceovers for two years, leaving them concerned about the quality of their education and career prospects. The university subsequently published a policy justifying AI use in teaching, despite maintaining strict prohibitions on student use of AI-generated work.
What happened
For two years, a government-funded apprenticeship programme at Staffordshire University taught a coding module to 41 students using AI-generated slides and voiceovers rather than materials prepared by lecturers.
Students identified suspicious indicators of AI generation including inconsistent voiceover accents switching between British and Spanish, unusual file names, and generic surface-level content. In October 2024, students confronted lecturers about the AI-generated materials and recorded their concerns.
The university subsequently uploaded a policy statement justifying the use of AI in teaching through a 'framework for academic professionals leveraging AI automation,' despite maintaining strict rules prohibiting students from submitting AI-generated work.
Reported impact
Students reported feeling 'robbed of knowledge and enjoyment' and stated they were not receiving the career training they had enrolled for. One student said he had lost faith in the programme and worried he had 'used up two years' of his life on a course done 'in the cheapest way possible.'
A student expressed concern about his career prospects, saying 'I'm midway through my life, my career. I don't feel like I can now just go away and do another career restart. I'm stuck with this course.'
Index analysis
The incident illustrates a double standard in university integrity policies, where students face potential academic misconduct charges for using AI while the institution itself relies on AI-generated teaching materials without equivalent transparency or accountability.
Governance controls
The university's public-facing policies restrict students from outsourcing work to AI and require submitted work to be 'produced by yourself and as a result of your own research and learning,' under penalty of academic misconduct proceedings. However, the university's own teaching practices diverged significantly from these standards.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.