As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes increasingly advanced, there are concerns about how it may impact the authenticity of students’ work. AI-powered tools, such as ChatGPT, have the potential to create content that is almost indistinguishable from that produced by humans, which raises questions about academic integrity and the validity of assessments. However, there are also opportunities for AI to support student learning and assessment in a way that does not compromise academic integrity.
One of the main concerns about AI in education is the potential for it to be used to cheat. Students may use AI tools to generate essays, assignments, or exam responses that are almost identical to those produced by human writers. This raises questions about how teachers and institutions can ensure that students are producing their own work. Institutions may need to adopt new strategies to detect AI-generated work, such as using plagiarism detection software that can identify machine-generated language.
Current guidance aimed at “protecting the integrity of qualifications” from The Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) – which represents exam boards, states that schools should consider fully supervising work and restricting access to modern technology, but is this even possible? The JCQ also say that identifying AI misuse is similar to the “same observation techniques” teachers currently use to check if a student’s work is authentic. The onus is once again on teachers to look out for the tell-tale signs of a technology very little of us currently fully understand.
Instead, we should be figuring out ways in which AI breakthroughs can be used to the betterment of education across the world, rather than adopting the usual approach of panic and “avoid at all costs” which will eventually prove futile, we’ve seen this story play out hundreds of times before.
To ensure that AI is used in a way that supports student learning and development without compromising academic integrity, it is essential that institutions adopt a proactive approach. This should include developing clear policies on the use of AI in education, training teachers and staff to use AI tools effectively, and investing in the development of AI-powered tools that prioritise ethical considerations.
Let’s not forget as well, AI tools can be used to grade multiple-choice questions, freeing up teachers’ time to focus on more complex assessments. AI can also be used to analyse patterns in student data, such as test scores and attendance records, to identify students who may need additional support or intervention.
What are your thoughts on artificial intelligence and how this will impact education? Let us know in the comments below.
This article was written by the TeacherHaven team, help us support education by contributing to our blog, email us at info@doceoconsulting.co.uk
