Why should college instructors update their assignments to avoid AI-based cheating among
their students?
College instructors should update their assignments to avoid AI-based cheating among their students for
several reasons:
- Increased Accessibility: With the rise of AI technology, students have greater access to automated systems that can assist them in completing their assignments. This makes it easier for students to cheat, as they can use AI-powered tools to generate answers without putting in any effort or learning the material.
- Quality Control: AI-powered cheating tools may produce answers that are not of high quality. This can result in assignments that are poorly written or contain incorrect information. Updating assignments to be more AI-resistant can help to ensure that students are submitting work that meets the required standards.
- Fairness: Cheating undermines the integrity of the educational process and is unfair to those students who have put in the time and effort to complete their assignments honestly. Updating assignments to be more AI-resistant can help to level the playing field and ensure that all students have an equal opportunity to succeed.
- Student Learning: Cheating undermines the educational process by allowing students to bypass the learning process. Updating assignments to be more AI-resistant can help to encourage students to engage with the material, learn the concepts, and develop critical thinking skills. Preparation for the Future: As AI technology continues to advance, it is likely that cheating using AI-powered tools will become even more widespread. Updating assignments to be more AI-resistant now can help to prepare students for a future where AI-based cheating is even more prevalent.
In summary, updating assignments to be more AI-resistant can help to ensure the quality, fairness, and integrity of the educational process, as well as promoting student learning and preparing students for the future. College instructors should therefore consider updating their assignments to avoid AI-based cheating among their students.
How do you make more AI-resistant college assignments?
Here are some ways to make assignments more AI-resistant:
- Using open-ended questions: Rather than asking multiple-choice or true/false questions, instructors can use open-ended questions that require students to provide original thought and analysis. This type of question is much harder for AI systems to answer, as they cannot simply generate a pre-written response. Assignments that require students to explain their thought process or to provide their own opinions on a topic are more difficult for AI-powered cheating tools to complete accurately. Open-ended questions can encourage students to engage with the material and demonstrate their understanding in a way that is difficult for AI to replicate.
- Incorporating hands-on activities: Hands-on activities, such as lab experiments or group projects, are much harder for AI systems to complete. By incorporating these types of assignments into coursework, instructors can help to ensure that students are engaged in the learning process and that they are not relying on AI-powered cheating tools.
- Asking for written reflections: Instructors can also ask students to provide written reflections on their learning process, which can help to demonstrate their understanding of the material and their engagement with the coursework. This type of assignment is much harder for AI systems to complete, as they cannot provide insight into a student’s thought process.
- Using plagiarism detection software: Plagiarism detection software can help to detect instances of cheating by identifying instances of text that have been copied from other sources. By using this type of software, instructors can help to ensure that students are submitting original work and that they are not relying on AI-powered cheating tools.
- Varying the format of exams and assignments: Instructors can also vary the format of exams and assignments to make it more difficult for AI systems to cheat. For example, they can use fill-in-the-blank or short answer questions, or they can incorporate visual elements, such as images or videos, into the assignments.
- Use real-world examples: Assignments that require students to apply their knowledge to real-world examples can also be more difficult for AI to complete. These assignments can help to encourage students to think critically and creatively, making it more difficult for AI to mimic their thought process.
- Utilize multi-step problems: Assignments that require students to work through multi-step problems or to complete a series of interconnected tasks can also be more difficult for AI to complete accurately. These assignments can help to encourage students to think critically and to apply their knowledge in a way that is difficult for AI to mimic.
- Regularly update assignments: AI technology is constantly evolving, so it is important to regularly update assignments to remain AI-resistant. This can involve changing the format or content of the assignments, or incorporating new technology to make them more secure.
Making college assignments more AI-resistant can help to ensure the quality, fairness, and integrity of the educational process, as well as promoting student learning and preparing students for the future. By incorporating open-ended questions, using real-world examples, incorporating hands-on components, utilizing multi-step problems, and regularly updating assignments, college instructors can help to make their assignments more AI-resistant.
In full transparency, the only part of this AI suggestion page that was typed by a human were the question prompts and these few sentences that are in a “Bold” font. The entirety of the text for these recommendations was created with ChatGPT. These new AI resources can be a great tool when used effectively but can be equally challenging when trying to assess student knowledge or skills. For a demonstration of these resources feel free to reach out to the Honor Code Admin Team at honorcouncil-admin@umich.edu