Navigating AI usage and academic dishonesty
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) technologies have sparked discussions across many industries, with the education sector experiencing the most significant impact, according to extensive research. This industry has been plagued by students using AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity to complete assignments and receive top scores. This phenomenon raises concerns about the quality of the workforce, including employees and business owners, being produced.
Academic dishonesty refers to acts of deception and fraud aimed at gaining an unfair academic advantage. This encompasses cheating, plagiarism, impersonation, and the misrepresentation of information in assignments and activities. Specifically, academic dishonesty with AI involves the misuse of AI technologies to commit academic fraud or cheating. This includes using AI to generate answers for online tests, engaging in unauthorised collaboration, and tampering with academic materials.
EXAMPLES
1. Drafting responses for discussion forums: Many tertiary institutions utilise platforms like Moodle for assignments, where students increasingly turn to AI to generate their responses. Often, instructors may not check for plagiarism, similarity, or AI usage when grading.
2. Answering test questions: During proctored or non-proctored assessments, students might use a secondary device, hidden from proctoring software, to use AI for generating answers. They then either transmit these answers to the device they are officially using for the test or manually type them out.
3. Presenting online: In scenarios where students are presenting online and are asked questions by a panel, some may discreetly use ChatGPT to obtain answers in real time, which they then read aloud as part of their presentation.
IMPACT
The fundamental goal of education is to nurture individuals capable of critical thinking and making impactful decisions for the betterment of society. However, the unchecked use of AI can significantly affect the educational landscape in several ways:
1. Erosion of learning outcomes: Over-reliance on AI can lead students to bypass the essential learning process, resulting in a diminished grasp of fundamental concepts and skills. This not only undermines the objectives of educational lessons but also leaves students poorly prepared for future academic and professional endeavours.
2. Degradation of academic integrity: Employing AI for dishonest academic purposes fosters a culture of cheating, eroding t he core values of honesty, trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility that underpin academic integrity. Such degradation can devalue academic qualifications and diminish trust in educational institutions.
3. Unfair academic advantages: Academic dishonesty facilitated by AI creates an unequal playing field, providing dishonest students with undue advantages over their integrity-abiding peers. This imbalance can demoralise honest students and distort academic assessments and rankings.
4. Impact on educators and institutions: Addressing academic dishonesty involving AI demands considerable time, effort, and resources from both educators and institutions. It may also erode educators’ trust in students and necessitate the adoption of stricter surveillance and disciplinary protocols, potentially fostering a confrontational atmosphere.
5. Legal and ethical concerns: The misuse of AI in academic contexts raises significant legal and ethical issues, especially concerning copyright infringement, data privacy, and the ethical deployment of technology. Educational institutions may face the challenge of navigating complex legal and ethical terrains to effectively address these concerns.
6. Preparation for professional life: Academic dishonesty, particularly t hrough AI, can compromise students’ readiness for their f uture careers. The development of critical skills such as analytical thinking, problemsolving, and ethical reasoning is crucial in the professional world, and students who circumvent these learning opportunities may find themselves at a significant disadvantage.
7. Innovation in assessment: Positively, the challenges posed by academic dishonesty using AI can catalyse innovations in assessment techniques. Educators and institutions are encouraged to devise more sophisticated and authentic evaluation methods that are less prone to dishonest tactics, thereby enriching the overall learning experience.
CURBING ACADEMIC DISHONESTY USING AI
Educational institutions bear the responsibility of establishing guidelines that permit the ethical use of AI, ensuring it enhances rather than compromises the creation of original work. To achieve this, we must consider several key areas:
1. Review and update of academic dishonesty policies: It is crucial to assess current stance on academic dishonesty and its provisions for AI utilisation. While some Jamaican institutions have policies, they often fall short in addressing the nuances of emerging technologies. The challenge lies in swiftly revising these policies to comprehensively cover AI’s use, ensuring they are relevant and enforceable within modern educational contexts.
2. Educator proficiency in AI applications: The familiarity of educators with AI tools and their implications for teaching and learning is paramount. Given that many instructors’ exposure to AI is limited, there is an urgent need for comprehensive training programmes, which should be mandatory. They should encompass assessments and certifications to equip staff with the necessary knowledge and skills for integrating AI effectively and ethically into their pedagogy.
3. International and regional collaborations: Engaging in partnerships with leading private and global institutions that are at the forefront of AI research can provide valuable insights and resources. By collaborating, Jamaican schools can adopt and adapt international best practices and policies, ensuring a unified and effective approach to leveraging AI in education.
Academic dishonesty, amplified by AI, erodes learning outcomes, undermines academic integrity, and creates unfair advantages, posing significant challenges for educators and institutions. However, it also opens avenues for innovative assessment methods and policy reform. The urgency for action is particularly pronounced in Jamaican educational institutions, which face the dual challenge of integrating AI responsibly while updating policies and enhancing educator training.
Addressing AI-facilitated dishonesty is not just about preserving academic standards, it’s about ensuring the future workforce is skilled, ethical, and prepared for the challenges ahead.