The University College Cork (UCC) staff were recently informed about the emergence of ChatGPT, a tool for cheating in exams which presents a concerning development for education. Universities from many countries have suggested ways to hinder students from taking advantage of the technology by rethinking how examinations are structured. Although the detection of students cheating with AI has not been documented yet, it is believed that a few users might have experimented with it.
The staff were encouraged to restrict the use of tests to only in-class discussions by adding visual, audio, or video presentations that ChatGPT cannot access. With that in mind, they were also recommended to ask students to research topics behind paywalls, which would be impossible to be reached by the tool. Additional limitations of ChatGPT were pointed out, such as its inability to generate accurate references and to access only the information visible on the internet. It was also highlighted that the circumstances in this field change frequently, so they should be ready for this tool to become increasingly reliable in the future.
Not only is AI a rising threat in cheating, but it can also be used to improve the workflow for lecturers. AI is valuable for creating lesson plans and drafting codes, as well as for editing. This technology has caused disquiet among educational staff, considering that ChatGPT can generate an essay response in a few seconds and in some cases, even for free.
A professor at UCC, when asked about this situation, compared it to King Canute’s story about the sea, implying an inevitable fate. Fortunately, there is still no technology to identify papers or code created through ChatGPT, which reduced the feeling of alarm among teaching staff. It was also mentioned that, in the long-term, this advancement of AI could potentially be useful in disrupting the business model of academic writing freelancers.
Therefore, it is important to introduce AI into the risk register and be prepared for the technological arms race between ChatGPT and any detection methods that universities may develop in the future. Nonetheless, while they combat the ever-changing scene of AI, the UCC spokesperson assured that they “continue to actively provide advice to students on all aspects of academic integrity”.
