How are professors dealing with ChatGPT and other LLMs?

[Anonymous]

Genuinely curious. A lot of undergrad assignments can easily be run through AI whether it's an intro poli sci class asking students to compare Hobbes and Locke or a calculus problem set. Does this mean a shift to in class writing, oral exams etc.?

[Anonymous]

It means using LLM are part of real life and they will be used.

[Anonymous]

STEM faculty here so don't have to error about AI-written essays turned in by students. One way to fight AI is to limit assignments to no more than 10% of the total grade (tell students their effort doing lowly-weighted assignments will pay off during exam and make that true) and make in-class midterm and final exams the remaining 90%. If the class has individual/group projects/labs that are hands-on, then AI can't do much. If they are "take home" and are merely much more difficult assignments, it'll be harder to catch but fortunately few classes I teach have those types of projects. So far, my TAs have told me some students did use AI because sometimes the techniques and mathematical notations they used to do assignments were not the ones covered in class. It's unmistakeable. It's also sad and depressing to see and I'm sure those in the humanities have seen it much worse. I remember this phrase from a professor to students that went viral recently: "I cannot want to learn this more than you" which I completely agree.

[Anonymous]

Get them to make live presntations in front of the class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:STEM faculty here so don't have to error about AI-written essays turned in by students. One way to fight AI is to limit assignments to no more than 10% of the total grade (tell students their effort doing lowly-weighted assignments will pay off during exam and make that true) and make in-class midterm and final exams the remaining 90%. If the class has individual/group projects/labs that are hands-on, then AI can't do much. If they are "take home" and are merely much more difficult assignments, it'll be harder to catch but fortunately few classes I teach have those types of projects. So far, my TAs have told me some students did use AI because sometimes the techniques and mathematical notations they used to do assignments were not the ones covered in class. It's unmistakeable. It's also sad and depressing to see and I'm sure those in the humanities have seen it much worse. I remember this phrase from a professor to students that went viral recently: "I cannot want to learn this more than you" which I completely agree.

This sounds miserable. Might as well go to school in Europe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:STEM faculty here so don't have to error about AI-written essays turned in by students. One way to fight AI is to limit assignments to no more than 10% of the total grade (tell students their effort doing lowly-weighted assignments will pay off during exam and make that true) and make in-class midterm and final exams the remaining 90%. If the class has individual/group projects/labs that are hands-on, then AI can't do much. If they are "take home" and are merely much more difficult assignments, it'll be harder to catch but fortunately few classes I teach have those types of projects. So far, my TAs have told me some students did use AI because sometimes the techniques and mathematical notations they used to do assignments were not the ones covered in class. It's unmistakeable. It's also sad and depressing to see and I'm sure those in the humanities have seen it much worse. I remember this phrase from a professor to students that went viral recently: "I cannot want to learn this more than you" which I completely agree.

This sounds miserable. Might as well go to school in Europe.

It is no different in Europe, AI-wise. I lived/taught in Western Europe for a few years, recently.

Educators at all levels are basically in the position of the Coyote who is running on air, not realizing the cliff fell away some time ago. Our current system doesn't work, or there is no way to compel students to abide by the rules of that system, and we have no idea what alternative situation should replace it. In the meantime, an entire generation of kids are going to emerge from formal education with limited ability to read and analyze, limited accumulation of knowledge that forms the building blocks of higher level thinking.

[Anonymous]

It's ironic that workplaces are forcing workers to use AI, show the shareholders How Much AI We are Using- So Much AI. Meanwhile we punish students for using it.

I think to even it all out, kids should use it but not be allowed to paste AI in. Whatever the form AI is spitting out to us we should all be using our brains to critically read/view/ingest what the Borg has provided and really think about it. Not just grab and go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's ironic that workplaces are forcing workers to use AI, show the shareholders How Much AI We are Using- So Much AI. Meanwhile we punish students for using it.

I think to even it all out, kids should use it but not be allowed to paste AI in. Whatever the form AI is spitting out to us we should all be using our brains to critically read/view/ingest what the Borg has provided and really think about it. Not just grab and go.

You truly do not understand the situation.

[Anonymous]

I'm a professor, and I began using oral exams and in-class tests and quizzes, as well as short in-class writing assignments a couple of years ago. When I have an at-home assignment, I make it extremely specific - e.g, asking for a specific number of direct quotations.

[Anonymous]

Well AI generates lots my in class test questions, grades and even generates lecture material. I go over it and fix it. Students are allowed to use AI for hw because why not but they still have to learn the material.

Just putting your hw into ai means you are wasting your time. The best students are using ai to generate test questions to study, understand the material and review their essays to make them better. And yes using ai to accelerate drudgery thst doesn’t have value to them just like employers ask us to. You haven’t thought about this question at all really.

I can see at least one of my sons teachers uses it to make assignments in his language class too so k-12 I’m sure is moving there.

[Anonymous]

Students are starting to lose critical thinking abilities. They lack the stamina and desire to memorize, regurgitate, fully ingest and comprehend information to truly call it their own. They think they can just ask AI a question so why would their brain have to memorize anything. They lack analytical ability.

[Anonymous]

I am starting to think I will do a lot more flash quizzes and tests where they show up and I hand out a passage and have them write three paragraphs analyzing it on the spot - or have them present it or share in groups for a grade.

But what really disturbs me is I had students write a research paper in a social science course and a large number chose the same topic because apparently they asked the AI what to write about. At this point I am more concerned that someone is taking Intro to Psych or Criminology or Sociology but they can’t even be bothered to articulate an interesting research question or they have no particular question that they care enough about to want to learn something about it. It’s the lack of intellectual curiosity that is most depressing to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's ironic that workplaces are forcing workers to use AI, show the shareholders How Much AI We are Using- So Much AI. Meanwhile we punish students for using it.

I think to even it all out, kids should use it but not be allowed to paste AI in. Whatever the form AI is spitting out to us we should all be using our brains to critically read/view/ingest what the Borg has provided and really think about it. Not just grab and go.

So what's the point of education? If its just to regurgitate AI, don't pay $90K. If it's to learn something, kids shouldn't have access to anything but a pen and paper in class and bring back the Socratic method.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well AI generates lots my in class test questions, grades and even generates lecture material. I go over it and fix it. Students are allowed to use AI for hw because why not but they still have to learn the material.

Just putting your hw into ai means you are wasting your time. The best students are using ai to generate test questions to study, understand the material and review their essays to make them better. And yes using ai to accelerate drudgery thst doesn’t have value to them just like employers ask us to. You haven’t thought about this question at all really.

I can see at least one of my sons teachers uses it to make assignments in his language class too so k-12 I’m sure is moving there.

Well, your writing skills are terrible, so I can see why you need AI.

[Anonymous]

The student on the UVA admissions instagram yesterday mentioned that one of her classes was "technology free," which was why she wasn't sharing a picture the way she did with her other classes.