My fear as I was writing this article about my own learnings, experiences and exploration of artificial intelligence (A.I.) in education so far, was that by the time I wrote the last word, the resources might have already become obsolete or a thing of the past. I considered that by even mentioning ChatGPT I would come off as the lame guy trying to appear cutting edge and cool, and it is probably true. That is the speed in which information technology and communications are developing.

The world is different now, and so is education. The science-fiction “pipe-dream” we once had about A.I. is reality and it is becoming more powerful by the day, in a possibly out-of-control race to develop the greatest digital mind. Legislation and planning to ethically and responsibly roll out A.I. technology into our society is not in place currently, and some experts in the field are expressing concerns. In March 2023, an open letter that was organized by the non-profit Future of Life Institute asked top A.I. developers to pause the release of any A.I. technology more powerful than GPT-4 for at least six months. As of May 2023, that letter had garnered over 30 000 signatures, including many high profile signatories. Elon Musk, CEO and chief engineer of Space X, CEO and product architect of Tesla, CEO of Twitter and cofounder of OpenAI was one of those signatories. Back in 2017, he expressed his opinions on A.I. then at the National Governor’s Association meeting, stating that “I have exposure to the most cutting edge A.I., and I think people should be really concerned by it…A.I. is a fundamental risk to the existence of human civilization in a way that car accidents, airplane crashes, faulty drugs or bad food were not — they were harmful to a set of individuals within society, of course, but they were not harmful to society as a whole.”

While some of the brightest minds in technology are trying to wrap their head around the potential that has been unleashed on society, teachers and school divisions are also beginning to develop strategies to adapt and respond to A.I. applications that are now fully accessible to any student. Digital applications are now available that can answer complex questions and produce, in seconds, essays, PDFs, slideshows, images and more, based on the inputting of simple prompts. This has placed academic integrity at the forefront of many teachers’ concerns this school year. Others are not even fully aware of where we are really at right now in education, considering the introduction of readily accessible A.I. into society within the last year. Furthermore, some teachers and administrators are not sure where to start with detecting and dealing with A.I. technology they are sure is “infiltrating” their classrooms. The following tips, references and resources seek to assist teachers in addressing this perceived challenge and gamechanger:

Academic Integrity

The release of A.I. text generator ChatGPT by OpenAI to the public near the end of 2022 has led to concerns around cheating and plagiarism in the education sector. A knee jerk reaction from some universities and public schools was to ban the program . However, that response ignores the fact that this technology is an excellent, inclusive learning tool that is not going away, and will only become further embedded in our day-to-day activities as a society.

The better recommendation would be for schools to begin treating ChatGPT, and the army of A.I. chatbots and other applications that are sure to follow, the same way they do calculators, spell checkers, and the internet in general. It should be allowed sometimes, while being excluded from other activities, and teachers should assume that unless students are being supervised, they are most likely using it. Students should also receive training on how to become more proficient with these programs and how they can use them ethically to enhance learning, and strengthen their coursework without crossing the line into ‘cheating.’ International Baccalaureate has released a statement on the use of A.I., as of March 2023, stating the following:

“The IB is not going to ban the use of such software but will work with schools to help them support their students on how to use these tools ethically in line with our principles of academic integrity.

Students should be aware that the IB does not regard any work produced—even only in part—by such tools, to be their own. Therefore, as with any quote or material from another source, it must be clear that AI-generated text, image or graph included in a piece of work, has been copied from such software. The software must be credited in the body of the text and appropriately referenced in the bibliography. As with current practice, an essay which is predominantly quotes will not get many, if any, marks with an IB mark scheme.”

With that all being said, there are currently a few tools available to assist teachers in determining the likelihood of a course submission being A.I.-generated. While A.I. detectors cannot currently be considered 100% accurate, they are another piece of mind that can support teachers who suspect academic integrity has been violated in their class by a student using A.I.. The A.I. detector can work as a tool to confirm what teachers may already suspect about a submitted assignment, due to having some knowledge of the limitations existing within the current generation of A.I. chatbots and the way they organize their arguments. This means that the first step for teachers who have not indulged in the technology yet, should be to do so, in order to gain this awareness.

Inconsistency in formatting, within a student’s submission, anomalies in edit history of digital documents, and use of language and vocabulary that is uncharacteristic for the student are all clues that the student may have violated academic integrity through the use of A.I., similar to other types of plagiarism. Students sometimes give themselves away easily by submitting a digital document with no edit history beyond a couple copy and pastes, or a written document with entire paragraphs placed into the submission that contain a different font than what came before and after it. This is when the current brand of A.I. detectors can come in handy as another piece of evidence towards determining the validity of a submission. Teachers should keep in mind though, that it is possible to ‘beat’ A.I. detectors if students are changing words or paraphrasing different paragraphs in an A.I. composition, using various other A.I. programs to do so.

AI Detection Tools

turnitin – This divisional/organizational tool ensures a commitment to academic integrity within educational institutions, and provides a tool to students that empowers them “to do their best, original work.” This technology includes highly reliable and proficient plagiarism and A.I. writing detectors.

GPTZero – Edward Tian of Toronto, Canada created GPTZero while home from Princeton for Christmas break. The free application is said to weed out A.I.-generated homework.

Checklist For Teachers Dealing With Concerns Related To Academic Integrity and AI In School

• Do not become the ‘out-of-touch,’ mortal enemy of A.I. technology in students’ eyes.
• Use supervised writing opportunities to get to know your students’ writing styles as much as possible.
• Treat A.I. like the internet and calculators, using it for some assignments and not others. Teach students about the ethical and effective use of this technology to support their learning and writing.
• Play with available A.I. tools yourself to understand their limitations, language and style.
• Assume that unless students are being supervised, they are most likely using A.I..
• Use available A.I. detectors, as another piece of evidence to confirm your suspicions, but understand they are not perfect.
• Test new A.I. tools with students and discuss their limitations and usefulness as a class.
• Rework writing prompts to ensure they tap into students’ personal experience and emotional intelligence.
• Work with administrators to ensure the appropriate use of A.I. is clear under school policy.
• Allow students opportunities to correct violations of academic integrity, and use feedback to upgrade and resubmit assignments.
• Remember the vision and mission statements of your school and division. Is it about preparing students for the future or to succeed locally and globally? A.I. is the future and adults are using A.I. to succeed in their day-to-day work right now, while the demand is increasing for A.I. prompt engineers.

Brainstorming AI Strategies For The Classroom (This Is Not An Exhaustive List)

Lesson Planning – Teachers navigating new subject areas or units, can use A.I. tools like ChatGPT for perfectly formatted lesson planning ideas they can build on. Almost instantly, a strategic and intentionally written prompt can produce for teachers a lesson plan, connected to a specific curriculum, including a designated number of activities that are differentiated for various learning styles and abilities. Some teachers are also using ChatGPT to quickly produce simplified readings for those at different reading levels, while Math teachers are benefiting from the technology by using it to create word problems linked to course content.

The Writing Process – Teachers can consider allowing students access to A.I. technology for portions of the writing process, both providing students with personalized exemplars and also accelerating the process so that assessment can more quickly focus on specific aspects of content creation.

• A.I. technology could be used to create essay outlines quickly, for example, containing a designated number of paragraphs and information students can fact check and build on, to get started, from which students will then develop their essays, using their own words and research.
• Students could use the A.I. technology to actually write an entirely effective essay within seconds, through appropriate prompt inputs, and then the key activity that is observed and assessed in the classroom is students’ ability to improve upon the essay by locating and including research with proper citations, as credible evidence of the concepts the A.I. technology was able to string together.
• “Text-to-image generators are tools that use generative AI to create unique images based on a prompt, which, again, can be highly specific, said Brooks. She said she’s found them to be an engaging way to let students begin experimenting generative AI and learn what its capabilities are” (Prothero, 2023).

Making Connections – The next time a Math teacher hears a student ask them when they are ever going to use this in “real life,” A.I. technology could be called upon in that teachable moment, for the student to access and answer their own question, by quickly connecting the current Math concept to real world applications. This requires the student to effectively articulate their questioning of the course material and their understanding of the concept they are currently working with.

Role Playing/Coaching/Tutoring – “Dr. Helen Crompton, Professor of Instructional Technology at Old Dominion University, encourages her education graduate students to use ChatGPT as a stand-in for a particular persona—like a debate partner who will point out weaknesses in their arguments, a recruiter who’s interviewing them for a job, or a new boss who might deliver feedback in a specific way. She says exploring information in a conversational setting helps students understand their material with added nuance and new perspective” (OpenAI, 2023). “With its vast knowledge and ability to answer questions in natural language, ChatGPT can help students learn about any topic, from history and science to literature and math” (Slater, 2023).

Curated List of Available AI Tools

ChatGPT – This Chat Generated Pre-Trained Transformer or A.I. powered “chatbot” is a natural language processing tool that allows users to have human-like conversations with it and much more. The dialogue format makes it possible for ChatGPT to answer follow-up questions, admit its mistakes, challenge incorrect premises, and reject inappropriate requests. It is trained to follow instructions delivered through text prompts and provide detailed responses.

Perplexity – Perplexity operates like an advanced version of ChatGPT, which you can ask anything of, and it will provide instant answers with cited sources that back up the response.

Bard – This is Google’s experimental conversational A.I. service powered by LaMDA. It is a direct competitor to ChatGPT that is completed free to use and connects to the internet in real time. You can also talk to Bard instead of writing to it. As Bard can access the internet in real time, you can ask it questions about websites and get it to make summaries of them. Other powerful functions include Bard’s ability to explain code, suggest sources and generate multiple responses so you can choose the best one.

Jenni AI – Jenni AI is one of the most advanced writing assistants currently available. As you write, Jenni completes your text, making your content more engaging, polished and better connected to the overarching topic. You can intervene at any point within the A.I.-generated text to ensure the text is authentically yours and your ideas and knowledge are accurately depicted within what is being produced.

Wonder – Wonder gives users the power to turn words into beautiful and original digital images within seconds. A prompt is entered, an art style is chosen and Wonder brings this idea to life.

Lensa AI – Lensa allows users to tap into powerful A.I. technology for image-editing purposes, while also allowing users to upload a series of selfies that can be analyzed and used to produce “magic avatars.”

Decktopus AI – Decktopus is a presentation software solution that allows you to create engaging presentations in seconds. Just type in the name of your presentation and Decktopus AI handles the rest.

Gamma AI – Gamma AI is powered by GPT-4 and allows users to create compelling presentations, documents and webpages in seconds, based on text prompts. It takes all the formatting and design work out of the process and users are able to present from within the application itself, or they can export a PDF file. Once the initial slide deck is produced, users can continue to alter, edit and add to it using its AI-driven technology. CLICK HERE TO VIEW AN EXAMPLE OF THE BEGINNINGS OF A PRESENTATION CREATED IN UNDER 30 SECONDS, ON TOPIC WITH THIS ARTICLE

Poised – Deliver confident, clear, and persuasive communication with Poised real-time suggestions. It provides private and secure feedback that only you can see, as an A.I.-powered desktop app. “It’s like Grammarly for speech!” If you get anxious before interviews, presentations or other public speaking events, this personal communication coach can help energize your delivery.

ChatPDF – ChatPDF is a straightforward and easily accessible resource that allows you to do what the name suggests, chat with your PDF file. You can upload a PDF and then ask ChatPDF questions about it. It is great for quickly extracting information from financial reports, manuals, legal contracts, historical documents, literature, textbooks, research papers and academic articles.

Sheet+ – You can save up to 80% of your time working with spreadsheets by employing the A.I.-powered Sheet+ to do the formula-writing work for you on Excel and Google spreadsheets. You simply input a written description of the formula you require in your spreadsheet, and it is created in seconds. The program also allows you to input Excel and Google spreadsheet formulas, which it will provide expert explanations for, breaking down each component.

Kickresume – You can create a beautiful and visually engaging resume quickly, with the help of A.I. that will take care of the formatting, organization and additional details. Kickresume takes minutes to produce a perfect resume that is sure to impress any employer.

Additional Resources

ChatGPT and Beyond: How to Handle AI in Schools

Statement from the IB about ChatGPT and artificial intelligence in assessment and education

Using AI to Help Organize Lesson Plans

Inspiring Inquiry – AI in the Classroom

30 AI Tools for the Classroom

Educators say they are working with, not against, AI in the classroom