"while some fear what AI can bring, others wish to embrace it. So how do we decide what AI should and shouldn’t be able to do?" --Maia Cavagnolo, 8th grade
With the rise of AI, teachers everywhere have been worried about students using it to cheat. But while some fear what AI can bring, others wish to embrace it. So how do we decide what AI should and shouldn’t be able to do?
“If enough students improve their grades using ChatGPT, their peers may conclude that it’s ‘impossible’ to compete unless they cheat, too,” writes Noor Akbari in an article for Education Week.. Susan Weinburg, an OSA 6th and 8th grade social studies teacher, agrees. “If [students] feel they will be downgraded for not working well enough, yes, [they might cheat].”
Amanda Farmer, a 7th grade English and social science teacher at OSA, adds to the argument, saying, “it's possible that students are feeling pressure to use AI from other people: parents, other teachers, etc.” But Sayuri Espinoza, a 6th grader in Literary Arts, says, “I've thought about using AI for some of my assignments though I've never followed through. I just didn't want [...] to risk getting an F.”
And it seems many have similar opinions to Espinoza. According to an article by Nirit Cohen, after running a survey, only 3% of the research papers had over 80% of AI-written text. Cohen continues to say, “instead of viewing AI tools as a shortcut, we should see them as critical tools that reflect the skills students will need in their professional lives."
Farmer backs this up. “AI is not evil. I use AI to help me with brainstorming reading comprehension questions, format rubrics, and organize the structure of my lessons.” Amelia Whitcomb, a Literary Arts teacher, says, “I have had students who used it as a study tool to help them prepare for tests in other classes, having it generate questions to test their knowledge.” Whitcomb also says, “I myself am currently using a language learning app to help practice my French, and the app has an AI conversation tool that is pretty helpful for practicing speaking.”
However, Espinoza says, “[AI] does more harm than good, I believe, because sure you can use it for just harmless things but it [can] become a routine and you won't learn to do things like check grammar yourself.”
“If enough students improve their grades using ChatGPT, their peers may conclude that it’s ‘impossible’ to compete unless they cheat, too,” writes Noor Akbari in an article for Education Week.. Susan Weinburg, an OSA 6th and 8th grade social studies teacher, agrees. “If [students] feel they will be downgraded for not working well enough, yes, [they might cheat].”
Amanda Farmer, a 7th grade English and social science teacher at OSA, adds to the argument, saying, “it's possible that students are feeling pressure to use AI from other people: parents, other teachers, etc.” But Sayuri Espinoza, a 6th grader in Literary Arts, says, “I've thought about using AI for some of my assignments though I've never followed through. I just didn't want [...] to risk getting an F.”
And it seems many have similar opinions to Espinoza. According to an article by Nirit Cohen, after running a survey, only 3% of the research papers had over 80% of AI-written text. Cohen continues to say, “instead of viewing AI tools as a shortcut, we should see them as critical tools that reflect the skills students will need in their professional lives."
Farmer backs this up. “AI is not evil. I use AI to help me with brainstorming reading comprehension questions, format rubrics, and organize the structure of my lessons.” Amelia Whitcomb, a Literary Arts teacher, says, “I have had students who used it as a study tool to help them prepare for tests in other classes, having it generate questions to test their knowledge.” Whitcomb also says, “I myself am currently using a language learning app to help practice my French, and the app has an AI conversation tool that is pretty helpful for practicing speaking.”
However, Espinoza says, “[AI] does more harm than good, I believe, because sure you can use it for just harmless things but it [can] become a routine and you won't learn to do things like check grammar yourself.”
Yet according to an article by Bob Mook, “using generative AI for editing, clarity, coherence and accuracy is one of the most popular uses of the technology.” So, is that such a bad thing? “I think that things like Grammarly, Spellcheck, and other tools to help fix our English language and usage are good,” Farmer says. Weinburg agrees, she is “okay with” students using AI for grammar-based purposes.
And Espinoza does say that “all of my teachers have strict no-AI policy, only accepting Grammarly.” Meaning that many teachers allow Grammarly and are okay with using AI for editing.
But even though teachers are okay with things like Grammarly, they haven’t seen students using AI for good. “I have not seen students using AI appropriately in my classes yet,” says Farmer.
Whitcomb points out that AI is impacting not only academics, but arts as well. “AI is heavily impacting the arts as a whole, and has very real and dire implications for professional artists. As an art school, I think it's really important that we have these conversations about the consequences of AI, and that especially students think about the indirect cost of using AI on the very arts industries that they might be hoping to go into in the future.”
And Espinoza does say that “all of my teachers have strict no-AI policy, only accepting Grammarly.” Meaning that many teachers allow Grammarly and are okay with using AI for editing.
But even though teachers are okay with things like Grammarly, they haven’t seen students using AI for good. “I have not seen students using AI appropriately in my classes yet,” says Farmer.
Whitcomb points out that AI is impacting not only academics, but arts as well. “AI is heavily impacting the arts as a whole, and has very real and dire implications for professional artists. As an art school, I think it's really important that we have these conversations about the consequences of AI, and that especially students think about the indirect cost of using AI on the very arts industries that they might be hoping to go into in the future.”
So how do teachers tell if a student has used AI? According to Whitcomb, she can tell “if there's a significant shift in the style or writing voice of the student. […] AI just can't capture individuality.” Similarly, Weinburg says that she can tell when “it sounds too polished.”
While everyone has varying opinions on AI, there’s one thing most people can agree on that Mook sums up well:“Generative artificial intelligence is quickly becoming a standard tool that students need to learn to use while still engaging with the material."
Akbari says, “Claiming that students no longer need to learn skills like writing—because AI does it—is like arguing that no one should strength train because carts and forklifts move heavy stuff for us.”
Farmer adds on, saying, “[AI] shouldn't be depended on or followed blindly. We need basic knowledge and skills combined with common sense to be able to write effectively."
While everyone has varying opinions on AI, there’s one thing most people can agree on that Mook sums up well:“Generative artificial intelligence is quickly becoming a standard tool that students need to learn to use while still engaging with the material."
Akbari says, “Claiming that students no longer need to learn skills like writing—because AI does it—is like arguing that no one should strength train because carts and forklifts move heavy stuff for us.”
Farmer adds on, saying, “[AI] shouldn't be depended on or followed blindly. We need basic knowledge and skills combined with common sense to be able to write effectively."