Plagiarism detection site Turnitin recently released a new update to detect essays written with AI, and teachers are already using it to crack down on the influx of AI use in the work of Staples students. rice field.
Thousands of children across America are turning to new AI tools like ChatGPT to help them complete tedious homework and wider projects like essay writing. According to a poll in an article published by USA Today, “22% of her students use chatbots every week to help them with their classes and extracurricular activities.”
This trend is also seen in Staples, and is a challenge and[AI]With student screens flickering between tabs, more and more teachers question the authenticity of submissions.
“I’m a little bit blown away by the new AI. I’ve definitely seen a lot of kids using it in Staples and in my various classes,” said Molly Whittle ’25. “I use it mainly to summarize articles. And I’m not sure it’s worth using ChatGPT because of Turnitin.com.”
The website recently announced the “AI Innovation Lab” on April 4th, among other copyright detection services. A new section of the website allows us to detect the percentage of work written by technology and communicate that information to teachers.
“AI writing tools are developing rapidly, as is Turnitin’s technology to detect these new forms of fraud,” Turnitin wrote in the article. statement. “Our model was specially trained on academic papers drawn from our comprehensive database. As a result, Turnitin is even more focused on finding instances of potential fraud in student assignments. increase.”
A growing number of Staples teachers, including Mary Hockings, are discovering students using Turnitin. But even before that additional review, teachers were already noticing signs of AI writing in their students’ work.
“I have [been suspicious] In some cases, student submissions may differ significantly from previous submissions,” Hockings said. “Students tend to have a certain voice and writing style, and the robot-like or formulaic voice of AI can give a different impression.”
The temptation to use AI to quickly break away from lengthy assignments drives many students into habits that can impair their free-thinking and learning development. Some challenges are hard to beat, and AI steals valuable lessons.
“As a former high school procrastinator, I can definitely understand the temptation to use AI to complete sentences quickly,” Hockings said. “But I think much more is lost. I think it’s a step in the wrong direction to leave it to machines.”
“
The more I think about it, the more I think it might help to some extent, but it will never replace the human mind. We will need to be more creative in the way we do things. Instead of fearing it, we need to think about how as teachers we can use it as a way to support our teaching. Because it won’t go away and will likely improve in the future. ”
— English teacher Kim Herzog
As educators, a common initial reaction to ChatGPT’s debut was one of fear and worry about student misuse and the future of what it means to be an educator.
“There was an article saying that the English department is dead,” said Kim Herzog, an English teacher. “Many teachers worry that if students start to rely on the program, they will not think for themselves and learn very important skills that can actually be applied outside the English classroom. I did.”
The consequences of using ChatGPT not only involve the loss of important skills as learners and citizens, but can also have significant implications regarding Staples’ Academic Integrity Policy. student handbook. Some of the policies that may imply the use of AI include using unapproved materials for completions and exams or assignments, attempting to portray someone else’s work as your own, Citing someone else’s work without acknowledging the source or using resources for tasks that would otherwise be completed without them.
“Teachers, within a process of academic honesty, were able to engage students in discussions, consider writing histories, etc., to determine fair and appropriate outcomes.” Department Chair Holly Srzycki said. “Generally speaking, however, English teachers found that the AI-generated work was fairly generic and lacked authentic voices that students would attest to in other writing tasks within the course. .”
As the AI industry continues to develop, it’s important that students remember the value of completing their work, regardless of time or effort. The AI may not be able to cope with the prompts and expectations of the challenge, leading to repetitive behavior and penalties if found can have a significant impact on the person’s record. Most importantly, the importance of classes and assignments in subjects such as English and history diminishes.
“ChatGPT and similar AI measures take away the art, beauty and science we do. I hope teachers continue to use Turnitin.com and its features to hold students accountable.” ‘,” said Hockings. “I think it’s better to have students turn in something they’re not good at, or demand an extension and impose a lateness penalty, rather than have them turn in something they’re not good at. It’s a shame.”
But the lure of AI is strong and growing, and teachers need to work with children to combat potential misuse and help keep them on the right track. Some attribute this to ignorance or prohibition of technology, while others, like Herzog, believe that adapting to technology will enable us to use this educational crutch properly.
“The more I think about it, the more I think it might help to some extent, but it can never replace the human mind. Herzog said. “Rather than fearing it as teachers, we need to think about how we can use it as a way to support teaching because it is not going away and can be improved in the future.” It’s because it’s high quality.”
