Key factors:
As AI cements itself firmly into lecture rooms, one giant and lingering query considerations when and the way college students can use it appropriately. It takes solely seconds to plug a writing immediate right into a generative AI device and obtain a accomplished task. Instead of forbidding generative AI instruments, it’s vital that lecturers present college students how and when it’s acceptable to use AI in student writing.
The backside line: When college students are assured in their writing expertise, they are going to be much less tempted to run instantly to AI to generate a writing task. Then, lecturers can display how and when it’s acceptable for college students to use AI to their profit.
During an ISTELive 24 session, Sarah Mauel, Amy Miller, and Tahlia Remer, tutorial expertise trainers in Arizona’s Tempe Union High School District, shared methods to assist college students enhance their writing expertise, thereby bettering their self-confidence, together with sharing examples of how to appropriately use AI instruments in student writing assignments.
It’s usually simple to decide if college students have used an AI device to generate a response to a writing task or to generate a complete essay. The largest inform is that the writing will sound nothing like several of the student’s different submitted assignments. Teachers may also search for:
Flawless writing: The grammar is almost error-free, and the longer the response, the extra bloated sentences that repeat the identical idea
Lack of authentic/genuine considering: AI can solely compose what it finds on the web
Advanced language: Use of unusual vocabulary phrases when attempting to write at the next stage, or utilizing apparent informal language to tone it down
Format and construction are conventional and robotic: Consider what a 5 paragraph essay sometimes appears like when utilizing an overview
Use of lists or outlines: AI likes to create subtopics, label them, after which present encyclopedia-type responses
The creation of generative AI additionally raises the problem of plagiarism–and the way educators can (and may) rethink plagiarism and dishonest.
Teachers ought to embrace an AI use chart (like this one from Ditch That Textbook) with their course descriptions and have clear-cut discussions with dad and mom and college students about when AI use is and isn’t acceptable.
Before bemoaning college students’ urge to rely fully on AI, it’s essential to establish and deal with the explanations college students use AI to write. Those causes might embrace: lack of writing expertise, insecurity round writing expertise, struggles with time administration, confusion in regards to the subject, lacking grammar and organizational expertise, having no motivation or curiosity, lacking real-world relevance, poor work ethic, lack of entry to assets, and residential/private life stress.
It’s essential to make the writing course of much less intimidating.
“Accepting late work and permitting revisions can actually decide if college students use AI,” Miller stated. “If you’re not going to settle for it late and so they’re not going to have any time [to do the work], they’re going to go forward and use AI.”
Revisiting the steps of the writing course of, significantly as a result of college students are nonetheless combating studying losses post-pandemic, may help college students construct stronger writing expertise in order that they don’t instantly flip to AI to full writing assignments.
Offering college students totally different choices by way of which to display their understanding and their writing expertise is one other manner to discourage them from robotically utilizing AI.
“We have to rethink the full-length essay because the end-all, be-all for assessing student writing expertise,” Miller stated. “It’s intimidating. We can assess their understanding of what they learn and their means to write by way of shorter bursts of writing. I nonetheless assume there’s worth to [the full-length essay], however they don’t have to do it on a regular basis.”
For an in-depth exploration of totally different writing assignments to assist college students construct confidence and display expertise, watch the recorded model of the session. Examples embrace small-group brainstorming and “Mini Socratics” (small-group Socratic Seminars), gamification strategies giving college students factors for every element they’ve accomplished in an task, small-group peer evaluations the place college students mirror on one another’s concepts as an alternative of correcting errors, and extra.
Although college students ought to develop their very own writing expertise and skills, AI just isn’t going away, so it’s worthwhile to establish the issues AI can do in the writing classroom. AI may help personalize content material for college students based mostly on their stage of data, studying pace, and desired studying objectives; present one-on-one studying experiences exterior the classroom; give college students fast responses to questions to save time; and function a 24/7 chatbot for studying to present studying fairness, Mauel stated.
Creating assignments that require issues AI just isn’t good at is a method to circumvent widespread student AI use. For instance, AI is nice at conducting analysis, synthesizing data, utilizing totally different ranges of vocabulary, and adopting a selected tone. AI just isn’t good at providing subjective explanations, evaluative vital considering, sharing private experiences, and providing private reflections. (MagicSchool.AI affords a device to make assignments AI-resistant.)
Teachers can use AI to craft assignments for particular student populations, as effectively, together with creating writing prompts designed for various student wants, for concept technology, to simplify language and instructions, and to use speech-to-text and/or text-to-speech for language translation.
If you do suspect a student has submitted an task totally generated from AI, approaching the problem rigorously can guarantee open conversations:
Recognize your biases and don’t assume the student’s intention
Come from a spot of help slightly than phrases/actions that disgrace the student
Consider how a lot AI help was used to write the task
If the piece is one hundred pc AI, supply zero credit score for that task and provides the student a possibility to rewrite it
It’s essential to talk with households about AI writing, too. Define what AI-generated writing is, present a variety of acceptable use of AI inside your classroom, present a self-discipline matrix exhibiting actions for AI use violations, and emphasize that AI has some nice instruments to help college students with writing, however not in technology of total assignments
Important issues for classroom AI embrace:
AI is right here to keep–it’s a companion and helper, not a alternative for people
Revamp and revise your method to educating with AI in thoughts
Try one thing new, like shorter bursts of writing and/or collaboration, to assess expertise
Train your college students on how to use AI ethically–when is it acceptable to use AI?
Work on serving to college students acquire confidence in their writing
“AI’s going to be there–we’ve to return to greatest practices in educating,” Miller stated. “We want to have a look at it once more. Best practices are going to assist us assist our college students to acquire that confidence.”
Laura Ascione is the Editorial Director at eSchool Media. She is a graduate of the University of Maryland’s prestigious Philip Merrill College of Journalism. Latest posts by Laura Ascione (see all)
https://www.eschoolnews.com/digital-learning/2024/06/28/how-to-combat-misuse-of-ai-in-student-writing/
