Mack Benge, Staff Writer
The subject of AI in the classroom has been controversial among Educators for a while now. Some think AI should be kicked to the curb; others think it’s here to stay so we should embrace it. But it’s all a little more complicated than that.
Saint Martin’s University Handbook states, “Any use of technology that misleads a reviewer in assessing the student’s mastery of a specific set of skills or knowledge is a type of intellectual dishonesty, that is, a type of cheating.” This is true; this is a type of cheating. Any device, whether that’s AI or formulas written on the under the cuffs of students sleeves, that misinforms the teacher or professor of that students skill level, is a type of cheating.
Julie Yamamoto, the Director of the Writing Center and the Professor of Ethics and Writing, dived more deeply into ChatGPT. The WRT230 class just finished a unit on AI in the classroom. Yamamoto states that what her class “…discovered convinced us that ChatGPT 3.5 is not a reliable tool for writing. It makes things up, takes info from sources without citing them, makes factual errors, and is generally not trustworthy for writing.” Plagiarism is one of the most serious forms of cheating. By what Yamamoto is saying, using an AI can remove more of the students’ points rather than help the student to gain them.
ChatGPT can be very frustrating for Educators. The whole job of a teacher or professor is to help students on their educational journey. AI seems to be the cheat way to do this. A negative point of view seems to be the most common from Educators and Administrators, but AI would not exist if it didn’t have benefits. This is what Yamamoto says on the topic, “I recognize that ChatGPT is here to stay and, much as I might like to ignore/avoid it, I don’t think that’s a realistic attitude. So I figure it’s my responsibility as an instructor to help students understand how to use it responsibly.” This is a good outlook on AI in the classroom. Students wish more of their Educators had this point of view on it.
Yamamoto and I discussed more about the specific boundaries or where she is more lenient with AI in the classroom. Yamamoto said, “At this point, I’m thinking it’s an adequate tool for brainstorming and revising” because then it’s not being used for the specific content within the paper. To cap off our conversation, Yamamoto stated, “As I tell my students, even if you use the bot, you are responsible for everything written that you have put your name to.” Everything you put your name to is your own responsibility.
If you are struggling with writing, Saint Martin’s University does have Writing Tutors that are absolutely free! This link: https://outlook.office365 is how you book an appointment with a writing tutor. You can also go to the lower level of the library anytime within 9am-5pm, and a tutor should be down there willing and able to help you out!
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