We asked ChatGPT to write an essay for us on the history of the internet. In a matter of seconds, an entire essay, beautifully written with facts, was completed about the history of the internet.
Elizabeth Braden is a sophomore at the Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering here in Huntsville. She and her classmates know more about artificial intelligence than others their age because ASCTE’s curriculum focuses on STEM.
The students there see firsthand just how fast AI is changing our schools.
Elizabeth said, “I think there's probably a lot more worry than hope when it comes to using AI for these types of things. Because it's developing so rapidly, I think there's concern that we may not be able to keep up with it. But there are definitely going to be students that use it for the wrong things, and even though we can kind of see that now, I think there's worry about a future where we’re not going to be able to tell.”
Elizabeth says in some of her classes they have to use artificial intelligence for assignments.
Elizabeth added, “One of the things we recently did was use ChatGPT on an assignment, so we compared two inventions and had to compare and contrast them and give our own opinion. But then she also wanted us to use ChatGPT so we could compare the results.”
But are schools here in North Alabama worried about students using artificial intelligence for cheating? I asked Jonathan Colvin with the Jackson County school system what they were seeing.
Colvin told us, “We’re trying to stay ahead of the curve on that, trying to find ways to make sure students are using it the right way. It's like anything; there's really good uses for it; it can make things a lot more efficient.”
Colvin says the rapid growth of AI is forcing their teachers to ensure students are doing the work themselves. Even though researching any topic is as easy as a simple Google search.
Colvin added, “One cool thing about it is that it's forcing us to be more rigorous, and it's forcing us to ask people to explain instead of just repeating facts or regurgitating just general information. We’re having to dig deeper to make sure we can stay ahead of the curve on that.”
So how do teachers ensure that their students are not using AI to cheat? School systems in North Alabama have invested in plagiarism detection technology. Teachers are able to use sites like 'Turnitin', 'Chegg', and ‘Paper Rater’ to scan the internet and a student’s work to check for plagiarism. An investment, Colvin says, will pay off in the future.
Colvin said, “We’re looking at finding something for our teachers to use system-wide that has things built in that will kind of make their assignments AI-proof. Some really good things like that.”
Some of the biggest things parents and teachers should look out for to make sure their students are not using AI to cheat are to carefully look at the writing style. Is it consistent with how they normally write? Or are they using language that is unnatural or overly complex?
Keep in mind that AI technology is rapidly changing every day, and as schools work to keep up with it all, experts say the best thing you can do as a parent is to talk with your kids about cheating and the importance of learning.
