I once had a student who used AI to generate some assignments. The first assignment in my class is an ethnographic essay in which students discuss the culture and language of this community that they most identify with. This is an assignment where students are asked to write about what is most important to them, so it was a bit of a surprise to see this student use AI to generate their work. At first, I told the student that he couldn’t use the AI to write the entire essay or he would have to fail the assignment. I have also met students who were caught using AI unethically, and they stopped using AI almost immediately.
But what surprised me most was that this student continued to rely on it even after I warned him. I came so close to filing a report for academic fraud, and I was curious as to why he continued to use AI to complete his research, knowing that the consequences could include failing the course. When I asked him, he said he wasn’t a “good writer” (as he said when we first spoke) and had never written a paper longer than one page. He went so far as to say that high school “didn’t teach me anything.” As a result, he was very closed-minded, rarely spoke in class, did not participate in group discussions, and felt very anxious about submitting his own writing.
I had another student who similarly used AI to generate multiple assignments, this time in an asynchronous online class. When I asked her over email why she relies so much on AI, she said:
“I had a lot [people] Please give up when you become a junior high school student. I didn’t even try in high school. It was difficult for me. For me it was easier to use AI…I know I’m not smart enough. ”
While this is moving, I don’t think it’s an unusual experience, especially for students from marginalized communities. (Both students I spoke with were Hispanic and first-generation students from small rural towns.)
I currently teach English at a community college in central California, and one of the reasons I love teaching here is the diversity of our students. They have very diverse backgrounds and experiences. Some have just graduated from high school, while others have returned to college after a short (or long) hiatus. Many of my students are also the first in their families to attend college.
In my Rhetorical Analysis unit, I show my students Sir Ken Robinson’s famous 2007 TED talk, “Do Schools Kill Creativity?” This is still a great talk for understanding how speakers can effectively use ethos, pathos, and logos in oral communication, but more than that, Robinson’s message resonates deeply with students. The students laugh when he jokes that at school, they “teach students in stages from the upper body up, and then we focus on the head and a little bit on the sides.” Not just because it’s funny, but because they know it’s true. Many students have told me over the years that in middle school and high school, they often felt “stupid” because they didn’t know what to do with assignments or essays, and that this still affects their self-esteem in college.
Just as I encourage my students to use Wikipedia wisely, I also encourage them to use AI ethically. After students submit their essays, have them fill out a form indicating whether they used AI and, if so, for what purpose. Typically, about half of the class will admit to having used AI, while the other half will say they have not. Of these, they primarily report using AI for brainstorming ideas, citation assistance, proofreading and suggestions, and rephrasing and rephrasing.
In my experience so far, it is actually rare for students to use AI to create an entire draft. Rather, AI may be used to generate parts of the essay, such as the introduction or body paragraphs. But as we continue to explore ways to implement AI in the classroom, we also need to remind students of often-forgotten truths about learning. That said, learning is messy and it’s okay to make mistakes. When Robinson said in a 2007 speech that education is about condemning mistakes, my students of 2025 would nod and wholeheartedly agree.
When I talk to students who have been caught using AI, they usually do two things. One is to apologize, and the other is almost always to say, “I’m just bad at writing.” I have always tried to tell my students that there is no such thing as a bad or good writer. This statement sometimes raises eyebrows. What I tell them is that the real difference is between experienced and inexperienced writers. Because writing is a skill that can be developed. This is not an issue I only address on the first day of class. That’s something I often emphasize. It’s now in my syllabus in a section titled “Effort Formula.” When I tell my students that hard work and consistency, not talent, make them experienced writers, I want them to realize that this is a statement of truth. There are also challenges around failure and creativity that encourage rewriting and revision.
In my experience, those who turn to AI are often students who lack the necessary guidance before entering college and who have the least experience with the writing process. They are left feeling unprepared and insecure about their abilities, which points to a larger problem in which mistakes are still stigmatized and completion (rather than ability) is often the norm.
There is currently a lot of discussion about the exciting possibilities that AI can offer, and chatbots can certainly be a valuable tool that can support learning and streamline the process of gathering and evaluating information. But while it is critical to discuss the significant downsides of AI, such as its environmental costs, we also need to consider the long-standing factors that encourage students to use AI unethically in the first place. Without these conversations now, many of the conversations about the potential of AI in the classroom will mean little.
