“Did AI write this?” – this is a question many teachers are now asking themselves when presented with a student’s work. Although 75% of Bard Queens students claim they have never used ChatGPT, professors remain suspicious. Since the release of ChatGPT in November of 2022, teachers have been worried that their students will utilize AI in their assignments. These concerns have been reflected first in altered syllabuses that outline penalizations for using ChatGPT, and now in changed curriculums in humanities classes.
Credit: Amelia Sammons
Many teachers have opted for in-class writing assignments as opposed to take-home homework so they can ensure a “bubble of mutual trust,” as stated by Professor Cohen who teaches 10th grade history and college Intro to Politics and International Relations Theory. “I’ve tossed out the take-home writing entirely, which is maybe a radical overreaction, I’m not entirely sure.”
However, in-class writing isn’t new for Professor Cohen’s classes. He has a theory that it actually promotes concentration and leads to better writing. “There’s something about spending 95 minutes without distraction just writing, only writing… it radically improves the quality of [a student’s] writing,” said Professor Cohen.
Credit: Amelia Sammons
Although he viewed AI as a net negative, Professor Cohen is hopeful that its presence will influence people to reconsider the purpose of writing, and will maybe spark new creativity and originality in the world of art and literature.
Teachers are not the only ones with concerns about AI; many students say they haven’t tried ChatGPT yet because they are scared they lack the willpower to use it responsibly. “If you don’t have self-control you could easily just copy and paste everything and it kind of becomes a habit which isn’t good because you don’t learn how to think for yourself,” said Edward Rollins, a Year 2.
Among the 25% of students who did report having used AI for their assignments, only 10% have used it more than once. Although teachers have been worried that students hand in assignments written by AI, most students who actually do use ChatGPT use it to generate ideas or help them understand a topic or text, not to actually write for them. One Year 2 said they thought about AI as similar to a teacher explaining the text in class – it’s a way to better understand and be prepared for the discussion rather than a form of cheating.
Overall, students haven’t noticed any big changes to the environment at BHSECQ because of AI. “People at Bard are smart enough to think for themselves,” said Edward.
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