Since ChatGPT demonstrated its superb AI technology, young people around the world have expressed their love for it, especially students, who regard it as an optimized version of the Internet search engine that can be used to improve learning efficiency.
ChatGPT has diverse functions that can save time in researching complex documents, write simple Python codes, and assist students in understanding knowledge points. However, it has also raised concerns that it could be used by students to cheat.
As a result, UK universities have been debating for months whether students should be allowed to use ChatGPT while completing their coursework.
Previously, British universities had several attitudes toward it: prohibiting its use by order, allowing it to be used as an auxiliary tool (such as UCL), and not making a clear stance.
But one thing that is very clear is that you cannot use ChatGPT to directly generate papers under any circumstances. This is an act of academic misconduct.
How to determine whether chatGPT is used?
Previously, there was the first case of a student failing a course using ChatGPT at a British university.
A British student was convicted of cheating when he used ChatGPT to write a paper. According to British media reports, the topic of this student's paper was "On Leadership Theory and Its Application in Practice." Documents provided by the university show that there are four reasons why ChatGPT was used in the paper.
1. Differences in writing style
The "writing style" of the paper differs between the theoretical and practical parts.
2. Useless statements
The extensive statements in the topic ideas and practice section are meaningless.
3. Citing obscure references
The paper references only cite two journals accessible on the university system and do not cite any university-provided reading lists. However, the paper uses obscure references. One is a little-known doctoral thesis "Measuring Industrial Leadership and Its Impact on Training Supervisors" published in 1952, and the other is a 1957 journal article.
4. References to wizard and witch books
Finally, the paper also cites the mythology book Leadership Insights from Wizards and Witches: Exploring Effective Leadership Practices through Popular Culture. The book, about the magical world written by JK Rowling, was published in May last year and can be purchased from Amazon for just £20. The evolved ChatGPT-4 can already reference this newer book.
The university investigation found that the student bought the paper from a ghostwriter, so the ghostwriter may have used ChatGPT. According to reports, the student who cheated was from the University of Bolton.
Eventually, the school relaxed the rules and the student was asked to write a new paper.
In addition to manually determining traces of the use of ChatGPT in papers, there is now software that can help universities detect it. Last month, Turnitin officially launched a system that can detect "students using ChatGPT in papers or assignments" and claimed that the reliability of the check results is as high as 98%.
Use ChatGPT to write a first-class paper! ?
In fact, British universities are still a little slow to respond to students using ChatGPT to cheat. Some media previously reported that a British college student used ChatGPT to write a paper and got a first-class score!
It is reported that the interviewees were two Cardiff University students, Tom and John.
Among the two 2,500-word papers in January, Tom's paper using ChatGPT obtained the highest score ever, while the other paper written purely by himself obtained a low score of 2:1.
John said that using ChatGPT saved 20% of the energy in writing papers, and he will use it when writing every paper in the future, unless it is no longer available.
But everyone also needs to note that these two students did not simply copy and paste or rewrite the content generated by AI, but used AI to assist writing.
For example, use ChatGPT to refine the content of classroom teaching; provide a reference for thesis framework; give some inspiration for paper writing...
How to guide the use of chatGPT according to the latest regulations?
Changing from their previous repulsive attitude, all Russell Group schools decided to guide students on how to use ChatGPT correctly and make students aware of the risks of cheating in certain usage methods.
School emblems of Russell Group member universities
In addition, before universities accepted ChatGPT, many students had actually used it when writing homework, so new exam methods may emerge to reduce the risk of cheating.
New regulations issued by Russell Group universities include:
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Universities will help students and faculty learn about artificial intelligence;
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Faculty should be equipped to help students use generative AI tools appropriately;
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Universities will adapt teaching and assessment to incorporate ethical standards for the use of AI and ensure equal access to AI;
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The University will ensure that academic integrity is upheld;
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and share best practices as technology evolves.
The content has been developed by UK universities in collaboration with experts in the fields of artificial intelligence and education. It is reported that the principals of 24 Russell Group research universities have signed up to the code.
They say this will help universities seize the opportunities presented by artificial intelligence while protecting the academic rigor, fairness and integrity of higher education.