Torrey Trust
Professor of Learning Technology, College of Education University of Massachusetts Amherst
- Amherst MA
Torrey Trust is one of the world's leading scholars addressing the use of generative AI, including ChatGPT, in education.
University of Massachusetts Amherst
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Biography
Dr. Trust is Professor of Learning Technology in the College of Education at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her work focuses on the intersection of teaching, learning, and technology, with particular attention to how educators leverage digital tools, open educational resources (OER), and emerging technologies, including generative AI, to support teaching and learning.
Her research and teaching have received broad international recognition, including honors from the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), the American Educational Research Association (AERA), and the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT). She is also a recipient of the ISTE Making IT Happen Award and has been named among the Top 30 Higher Ed IT Influencers to Follow.
She is the author or co-author of 10 academic books and more than 100 scholarly publications. Her work has been cited more than 20,000 times.
Social Media
Video
Education
University of California San Diego
B.A.
Visual Arts: Media with Film Emphasis
San Diego State University
M.A.
Educational Technology
University of California Santa Barbara
Ph.D.
Education
Links
Select Recent Media Coverage
A District Expects to Save $200K From AI-Powered ‘Vibe Coding.’ Here’s How
EducationWeek online
2026-05-08
Torrey Trust, a professor of learning technology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, commented on AI's coding ability. It appears to “introduce more security vulnerabilities and bugs than a human would,” she said.
AI‑generated lesson plans fall short on inspiring students and promoting critical thinking
The Conversation online
2025-10-17
Torrey Trust, professor of learning technology, authored this op-ed using the results of her recent study on teachers' reliance on commonly used artificial intelligence chatbots to devise lesson plans.
Why AI May Not Be Ready to Write Your Lesson Plans
EducationWeek online
2025-06-30
Maloy and his co-author, Torrey Trust, a professor of learning technology at UMass-Amherst, asked three Generative AI chatbots—Open AI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot—to develop lesson plans for each of the 53 standards within the Massachusetts 8th Grade History & Social Science Curriculum Framework.
AI is taking a toll on the environment
WWLP tv
2025-04-24
Artificial Intelligence is all around us but we all recognize it as a computer process however, there are some key factors about AI that we all need to be aware of. Torrey Trust, a Professor of Learning Technology at UMass Amherst, is here to explain.
How AI is helping and hurting education
WWLP tv
2025-02-05
Now, students have artificial intelligence. They can ask it whatever they’re learning about and have endless information in seconds. Torrey Trust, a Professor of Learning Technology at UMass Amherst, is here this morning to share why that’s beneficial but also dangerous.
Navigating the AI Revolution in Education: Ethics, Creativity, and the Future of Learning with Torrey Trust, PhD
The Culture Compute Podcast online
2024-09-19
Torrey Trust discusses AI in education as it relates to ethics, creativity and learning. “If I’m teaching the creative thinking aspect of my course, then no, I want my students to write down their creative ideas…. They’re used to being talked at and then having to regurgitate that information on tests and papers. So when you ask them to think creatively, it can be hard. If they’re now going to offload that to AI, it’s not going to build their creative thinking muscles, so to speak.” she says.
The NEA Has Adopted A New Statement On AI in Education. Here’s What Educators Think
Tech & Learning online
2024-07-25
Torrey Trust, professor of learning technology, comments on the NEA’s statement on AI in education. “I think the new NEA guidelines on AI in education are thoughtful and thorough,” she says. “It is clear they have involved many stakeholders in the development of this policy statement and considered both the potential benefits as well as pitfalls of AI in education.”
Teachers look to make AI more of an asset
The Hill online
2024-06-25
Torrey Trust, professor of learning technology in the College of Education at UMass Amherst, comments in reporting about efforts by K-12 teachers to use AI efficiently. “We’re just on the very early stages right now from what I’ve seen — people figuring out what these tools are capable of and how they might shape education,” Trust says.
Los Angeles Unified Bets Big on ‘Ed,’ an AI Tool for Students
EducationWeek online
2024-03-21
Torrey Trust comments on the Los Angeles Unified School District’s decision to launch an AI-powered learning tool that will serve as a “personal assistant” to students and their parents. She comments on how she sees the potential for the technology to be beneficial, “but, really, with any AI, we’ve got to be critical. You can’t just accept this is an amazing tool that’s going to transform your life.”
The Research-Practice Divide is Real. Here's How To Overcome It.
Tech & Learning online
2024-01-30
Torrey Trust is interviewed for an article on strategies to foster collaboration between researchers and classroom teachers. “I really think there is a need for teacher-education programs to incorporate opportunities for current and future teachers to learn how to critically read and examine research,” Trust says.
Area schools begin to grapple with fast-growing AI app ChatGPT
Daily Hampshire Gazette online
2023-03-29
Torrey Trust, an associate professor of learning and technology in the College of Education at UMass Amherst, said ChatGPT has potential as a learning, writing and research assistant.
“I think students can definitely turn to this tool to really help with summarizing information, understanding really complex topics, or furthering their thinking about a topic in any field,” she said.
How AI could influence learning across subjects, while becoming a crucial one itself
The Hill online
2023-02-25
Torrey Trust, an associate professor for teacher education and curriculum studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, laid out how she believes AI and ChatGPT could be integrated in different areas of study.
For English, students could analyze the writing quality of the technology. For social studies, they might read a press release from a politician and then ask ChatGPT to write one and compare and contrast the two. For math and science questions, which ChatGPT can get wrong, critically analyzing what the program messed up could be a useful lesson, according to Trust.
ChatGPT Is Coming for Classrooms. Don't Panic
WIRED online
2023-01-26
Completely barring ChatGPT from classrooms, tempting as that may be, could introduce a host of new problems. Torrey Trust at the University of Massachusetts Amherst studies how teachers use technology to reshape learning. She points out that reverting to analog forms of assessment, like oral exams, can put students with disabilities at a disadvantage. And outright bans on AI tools could cement a culture of distrust. “It’s going to be harder for students to learn in an environment where a teacher is trying to catch them cheating,” says Trust. “It shifts the focus from learning to just trying to get a good grade.”
ChatGPT in Classrooms: What to Know
U.S. News & World Report online
2023-01-18
“It’s been quite fascinating to see the education field react faster than I think I’ve ever seen them react to a new technology,” says Torrey Trust, associate professor of learning technology at the University of Massachusetts—Amherst.
Should schools ban ChatGPT or embrace the technology instead?
New Scientist online
2023-01-12
“Educators are starting to question what it means to… assess student learning if an AI can write an essay …
or paper similar to, or even better than, a student would – and the teacher can’t tell the difference”, says Torrey Trust at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Select Publications
Editorial: Picturing the theory of GenAI: Frameworks for teaching and learning in the age of artificial intelligence. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education
Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher EducationTorrey Trust and Todd Cherner
2026-01-01
The impact of generative artificial intelligence (genAI) on teaching and learning has been a central topic of conversation since the public release of ChatGPT in November 2022. GenAI offers numerous potential benefits to education, including personalized instruction, instant access to boundless information, and increased efficiency for task completion (Hu & Shao, 2025). At the same time, it raises significant concerns related to academic honesty, authorship, and the development of critical thinking (Larson et al., 2024).
Designing plagiarism-resistant assessments
Ed LeadershipTorrey Trust and Robert W. Maloy
2025-11-01
It’s a scenario every teacher hopes to avoid: A student passes in an essay, a science report, a history analysis, or a math assignment that is clearly not their own work. The writing style is inconsistent, the information is overly generic, the solution does not make sense, or the citations in the reference list do not exist. Now what do I do? the teacher wonders.
Civic education in the age of AI: Should we trust AI-generated lesson plans?
Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher EducationTorrey Trust, Robert Maloy, Chenyang Xu, Kael Pelletier,
2025-09-01
Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) technologies can offer vast professional resources for teachers, empowering them to differentiate their practice, create curricular materials, and generate lesson plans for any topic. But should these novel tools to generate classroom activities and learning experiences be trusted? This study investigates 310 AI-generated lesson plans, featuring 2,230 learning activities, created by ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot for the 53 content standards mandated in the Massachusetts eighth-grade United States and Massachusetts Government and Civic Life curriculum.
Five Tips for Writing Academic Integrity Statements in the Age of AI
Faculty FocusTorrey Trust
2024-05-10
”... As educators and students grapple with what is allowed when using generative AI (GenAI) tools, I have compiled five tips to help you design or redesign academic integrity statements for your syllabus, assignments, exams, and course activities. "
College student engagement in OER design projects: Impacts on attitudes, motivation, and learning
Active Learning in Higher EducationTorrey Trust et al
2024-03-16
”... This paper presents post-course survey data collected from 69 undergraduate and graduate students from six different courses that featured OER design projects, including: (1) A digital media online course; (2) Online tools for teaching and learning website; (3) History/social studies wiki pages; (4) Campus resources film project; (5) Professional learning networks for educators online course; and (6) Teaching with technology eBook ...”
Cameras Optional? Examining Student Camera Use from a Learner-Centered Perspective
TechTrendsTorrey Trust and Lauren Goodman
2023-05-03
”In this paper, we offer a holistic look at undergraduate and graduate students’ experiences with using cameras for synchronous online learning via Zoom ...”
Editorial: ChatGPT: Challenges, Opportunities, and Implications for Teacher Education
Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher EducationTorrey Trust et al
2023-03-01
”Over the past several years, technological advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) have led to several significant developments in its widespread adoption and use. These breakthroughs in AI have introduced the world to powerful content-generation models that allow users to create everything from digital media products to writing samples instantly through simple text-based queries ...”
