Academics are following the issue of artificial intelligence closely. A teacher reviewed an essay one of her students had prepared and an app flagged it when it detected it had been written using artificial intelligence. Broward College is creating a committee to examine the pros and cons of this technological advancement.
Laura Mcdermott-Matheric, a professor at Broward College who frequently uses the app to detect artificial intelligence, says “38% of this piece is similar to something found on the internet.”
It’s all thanks to software that many educators use to grade their students’ work when they suspect plagiarism.
Professor Mcdermott-Matheric says that after an assignment came out with 100% matches, she had to face the reality that artificial intelligence had arrived in the classroom.
“How to instill honesty and integrity in our students, and that if they use this new tool they do it for the best”, asks the teacher.
Apps like ChatGPT can write an entire essay in seconds, after the user has typed in a few instructions.
A recent study revealed that 22% of students are already using artificial intelligence for their courses.
Rick McCawley, Senior Professor of Graphic Design at Broward College, says, “It’s the greatest thing since fire and language. It’s bigger than the Internet itself, because every human being will be visited by an alien, and that alien is an artificial intelligence.”
Now, with the help of Broward College’s Evaluating Committee of Educators this can be a useful tool, if used correctly.
‘We have to follow the legal ramifications, the ethical thought process and the education, that’s where we have to start,’ Professor Mcdermott-Matheric warns.
Priscilla Suárez, acting dean of online campus and online learning at Broward College, advises, “Just identify what AI looks like in written or other work, so it can be smarter to use.
Broward Public Schools is blocking this technology on district-owned devices, while investigating the ramifications.
Like any emerging technology, educators say they are still figuring it out.
Meanwhile, some students like Laura see it as “a valuable resource because if we know how to use it correctly, it improves our lives.”
According to a student, they used an app called “Grammarly” to help with grammar and spelling, but AI plagiarism detection software caught it.
For its part, Miami-Dade Public Schools is also working to find ways for teachers to use artificial intelligence in the classroom to help with instruction.