Want to prevent students from cheating with ChatGPT?

5 different ways to grade your students.

As professors and teachers, we are faced with the challenge of preventing cheating during exams, especially with the growing presence of AI tools like ChatGPT. While an outright ban may seem impractical, it is essential to implement effective strategies that promote academic integrity while leveraging the benefits of AI. In this article, we will explore five practical solutions to prevent students from cheating with ChatGPT and suggest changes to the grading process that foster fairness and integrity.

Embracing AI with Caution

Rather than completely banning AI and applications like ChatGPT, it is important to acknowledge their potential advantages. AI can enhance personalized learning experiences and provide valuable insights.

One illustrative case is that of Paul Fyfe, an English professor who explores human interactions with data. Fyfe conducted a “pedagogical experiment” wherein students were tasked with incorporating content generated by text-generating AI software into their final essays.

By engaging in this exercise, students were compelled to confront the availability of AI as a writing tool and reflect on the ethical utilization and evaluation of different language modes. This approach encourages critical thinking and a deeper understanding of the implications of AI in writing processes.

Rather than imposing a blanket ban, educational institutions should embrace a selective integration of AI, providing students with opportunities to engage with and reflect upon its appropriate application while taking ethical considerations and enhancing their learning competencies.

Adaptive Assessments

One way to prevent cheating with ChatGPT is by utilizing adaptive assessments. AI can customize the difficulty of questions based on each student’s abilities and learning progress. This approach reduces the incentive to cheat as students face questions tailored to their individual capabilities, encouraging them to focus on their own growth and learning.

For example, the platform Khan Academy utilizes AI algorithms to provide personalized learning experiences for students across various subjects. The platform employs adaptive assessments to tailor the learning content to individual students’ needs, abilities, and learning progress. Tools like this demonstrate the power of AI in tailoring educational content to individual students, promoting a deeper understanding of the subject matter and fostering intrinsic motivation for learning. It serves as a practical example of how adaptive assessments can be integrated to prevent cheating while facilitating personalized and effective learning experiences for students.

Grade Subcomponents of the Task

This is a win–win strategy. Instead of assigning a single grade for an entire project, consider grading different aspects separately. Breaking down complex tasks into subcomponents enables a more comprehensive evaluation for you, and provides easier access to your students. This approach provides a detailed assessment of students’ individual contributions, raises their independence, and encourages a deeper understanding of the subject matter.

Open-Book and Take-Home Assessments

An open-book take-home exam is a form of assessment where students are given a specific timeframe to complete a set of questions after receiving instructions. This type of exam acknowledges that students can utilize external resources to aid them in formulating their answers. Since traditional closed-book exams can create an environment conducive to cheating with AI tools, open-book and take-home assessments let students access resources during the test while being evaluated on their critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Besides, designing questions that require application rather than simple recall is much more interesting and even considerably practical.

Of Course, Human Involvement and Validation

While AI can be a smart tool for students to get answers from, it is not too difficult to tell if it does a good job in replacing one’s real ability or style in writing. Therefore, it is essential to maintain a balance by involving human expertise and validation. Subject matter experts and educators should review and validate the assessments, interpret the results, and make informed judgments that complement the AI-generated insights. Only by reading the student’s responses carefully can you detect the authenticity of their work.

While an outright ban may seem impractical, it is crucial to implement effective strategies that uphold academic integrity while harnessing the benefits of AI. In this article, we have explored practical solutions to combat cheating with ChatGPT and proposed changes to the grading process that foster fairness and integrity.

We believe students love innovative and even more dynamic ways to learn. It is also a nice way to promote your institution with the international young generation out there.

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We invite you to join our upcoming events for 2023: NET24 Agents Astana Workshop in Kazakhstan, NET24 Global Conference in Warsaw, and NET24 Agents Jakarta Workshop in Indonesia. Click on the link to see full opportunities ahead. Wish you a productive and successful exam season with your students!