Are students cheating? Circling back to the question presented in the post AI (Artificial Intelligence), I hope to offer sound reasoning behind the suggestion to teach Emerging Generations how to cultivate AI Literacy. And perhaps it’s not just the young who need to learn how to navigate the current world we live in because they are not the only ones vulnerable to having undesirable voices speaking into our lives. So, what I outline here is an approach that I plan to assess in college courses. We shall see if the reality matches the aspiration of this endeavor, but as I prepped for an upcoming ethics course, I could not help but laugh at the irony of the situation.

Imitating the process I shared in How You Doin? when researching online for a desirable flourishing scale, I chose the course topic “violence in sport” in efforts to see what AI might offer to strengthen the research I already held in my possession. Dying of Curiosity to see the results, I had another light bulb moment, would my students not approach a class assignment in the same manner? Is this cheating? So, why not turn this process into a teachable moment? Why not walk students through a lesson in AI Literacy the same way that librarians teach us how to find credible sources?

Arianna Prothero, an educational writer, offers, “Despite scant evidence that AI is fueling a wave in cheating, half of teachers reported in the Center for Democracy and Technology survey that generative AI has made them more distrustful that their students are turning in original work. Some experts warn that fixating on plagiarism and cheating is the wrong focus.” Mirroring David Malone’s approach that the focus be directed on the students’ well-being, Prothero shares that teaching AI Literacy is a better option than just utilizing plagiarism checkers because it reframes the conversation with students around the ways AI can support learning and the ways it can be detrimental as well. Tara Nattrass believes, “Students are using AI and will continue to do so with or without educator guidance…Teaching students about safe and ethical AI use is a part of our responsibility to help them become contributing digital citizens.”

Choosing to seize the advice of Malone, Prothero, Nattrass, and now Annie Chechitelli, I will proceed to “shift from detection to transparency” and demonstrate for students how to use generative AI and online resources to support their learning process. Walking students through the questions of how to cite or communicate the use of AI or when it might be appropriate in an assignment seems to take an Appreciative Inquiry approach to the other AI: When has generative AI been used successfully in supporting learning? What does appropriate AI Literacy teach us about conducting research? When should it be used and when should students take an alternate route?

I choose to believe that most students still prefer guidance and aren’t seeking ways to avoid “getting in trouble.” Perhaps that’s a bit naïve when I hear second-hand stories of students admitting to cheating in high school and professing that they will continue to cheat in college, but my hope is that higher education, particularly Christian higher education, will take the long view and prepare emerging generations with the skills and disciplines required to truly live a flourishing life with appropriate use of AI. Again, these are choices each person must make individually, but if we don’t model how to grapple with difficult issues, with our Seasoned experience, how will they learn? They can’t Follow Where They’ve Been because they are still learning. Are we willing to teach, coach, and guide them in a way that honors God and others? It’s more than AI Literacy and a Digital Philosophy, it’s an approach to life that will not only impact students while earning a grade in a course, but in the workplace, the home, and the communities which they will be a part of in the future.

Reference:

Prothero, A. (2024, April 25). New data reveal how many students are using AI to cheat. Education Week. Retrieved from https://www.edweek.org/technology/new-data-reveal-how-many-students-are-using-ai-to-cheat/2024/04