At Sauk Valley Community College, the emergence of AI chat programs in the past year has captured the attention of students and teachers alike. 鈥淚t鈥檚 easy to use and [writes] a paper in minutes that I would spend hours on,鈥� said one student, who agreed to be interviewed under the condition of anonymity. 鈥淚鈥檝e never used it [for assignments],鈥� they explained. 鈥淏ut I know other people who have.鈥� The fact that an 探花精选 student wished to remain unnamed when discussing their thoughts on this issue only further illustrates the dispute surrounding ChatGPT.
This relatively new technology has become a subject of controversy in the educational system, and according to some faculty members, navigating these newfound waters is a difficult task. In an interview about ChatGPT, 探花精选 English professor Karen Abele remarked that 鈥淚 see the use of ChatGPT as devaluing the creative process that is the core of writing. I鈥檓 concerned about the idea that a student could potentially graduate from college without learning how to write effectively if we switch our focus from teaching students how to refine their writing to simply teaching them how to write prompts and allowing AI to generate their papers.鈥� She went on to say that 鈥淚n the long-term, it seems as though most of our communication with one another will become inauthentic as we will no longer be the creators of the content.鈥�
These sentiments echo the broader social conversation surrounding AI chat software. Professors are burdened with mitigating a new threat to academic achievement and possess few tools to do so. When asked how she deals with students utilizing ChatGPT to generate essays, Abele commented that she 鈥淸tries] to emphasize that I鈥檓 interested in their perspective on the subject. I still believe that the ability to communicate one鈥檚 ideas clearly and concisely is an important aspect of developing critical thinking skills.鈥� What is clear from these comments is that some faculty members believe that students鈥� academic experience is being devalued by using ChatGPT technology.
This unsettling news is echoed on various social media platforms. Earlier this year, an educator posting on Reddit wrote 鈥淚 teach community college and just learned about this bot writer today. I've heard about sites that can test for this but have yet to find a good one. Is there any way I can do a quick check for this as an educator?鈥� The responses offered little to ease teachers鈥� minds. One response from a fellow educator stated 鈥淚f someone spends a small amount of time playing with [Chat GPT] you won鈥檛 be able to tell鈥鈥檝e throw[n] in links to sources and come up with a thesis and asked it to write an essay, and it鈥檚 not bad. Assessment as we know it is over.鈥�
Considering that the essay format plays a crucial role in the pursuit of any college degree, we are left with more questions than answers. Whatever the future holds, programs like Chat GPT are seemingly here to stay, for the better or worse of the educational system.