Artificial Intelligence has become a viable tool over the past few years. AI is a source of information for people, but there are some downsides. Students have figured out ways to use AI to cheat on assignments.
The North Kansas City School District has witnessed first-hand the effects of AI being used to complete assignments. The school district is trying to find a way to prevent students from cheating using AI, by allowing teachers the ability to use AI detectors. Students have used Artificial Intelligence to write essays and documents for classes.
“It’s considered academic dishonesty,” freshman ELA teacher Lauren Hasenohr said. “It’s not something our school should allow because we’re at a place where students can achieve by doing their own work.”
The district has provided teachers with AI detectors in Canvas that detects if assignments are really the student’s own work. These detectors were implemented last year due to a rise in AI being used and available for students.
“I usually read through the assignments, and if I feel like it doesn’t sound like one of my students, I’ll run it through a detector,” Hasenohr said.
Even though many think AI shouldn’t be allowed to complete assignments, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it shouldn’t be allowed in a classroom setting at all.
“AI can be beneficial to revise and edit papers. Students can learn from AI, and it can help simplify instructions,” Hasenohr said. Student have begun to get familiar with using AI
“I’ve used AI before to learn and as a search engine, so it doesn’t always have to be used to cheat on assignments,” freshman Ewan McCoy said.
AI has become more common in recent history. It is now at the disposal for students and teachers. According to Statista, Artificial Intelligence grows 15% every year. This means the school district has had to come up with a competent plan to turn AI from a problem to a tool.
“If we do not allow our students and teachers to use AI to get smarter, to work smarter, not harder, to enhance the things we are doing, we wouldn’t be setting them up to be successful in a global economy that continues to use artificial intelligence,” principal Larry Smith Ed.D. said.
So the school district, in a world where AI is used everywhere, allows students to learn how and when to use it.The policy for incorrect use of AI in terms of cheating on assignments hasn’t changed other than it is falling under academic dishonesty.
“If it’s inappropriately used, it would fall under academic dishonesty,” Smith said, “But not all use of artificial intelligence is wrong or inappropriate.”
The North Kansas City School District is working to create a balance in the classroom with AI. They want to set students up for success and teach their students how to use it without letting them abuse it. They allow for students and teachers to use it as a search engine opposed to a cheating source. The school district officials believe Artificial Intelligence is a tricky problem because it’s not really a problem, it’s a tool that must be used ethically.
Currently, the school district is working with Google to build a STEAM Center.
“This STEAM Lab will have the Google Career Certification lab, a digital media studio, an innovation fab lab, virtual reality career exploration lab and much more,” superintendent Rochel Daniels, Ed.D., told KCTV-5 News.
