FAQs

Students are likely to use this technology to cheat. How can we catch them?

• Unfortunately, the ChatGPT software is difficult to detect. A couple of programs have been created to determine the likelihood that text was written by an AI, but these programs are easily tricked and difficult to prove. It is likely that both the ChatGPT AI and the detection programs will continue to improve with time. For now, it may be important to realize that it will be challenging to detect the use of ChatGPT in the classroom.

Has the university issued an official syllabus statement about ChatGPT?

• Kent State does not yet have an official syllabus statement for ChatGPT. While this conversation is ongoing, we encourage instructors to have an honest conversation with their students about the importance of academic integrity and the limitations of the ChatGPT technology.

I am worried that my students will not learn how to write.

• The impact on student learning is a serious concern when confronted with new technology. An important strategy may be to focus on the writing process through iterative assignments that encourage students to reflect on their approaches. Such assignments would be difficult to complete using AI. Another strategy is to invite students to revise and critique the writing of others.

ChatGPT gets a lot of facts wrong. How can we help students to navigate this technology?

• Because ChatGPT is often confidently wrong, it may be easy for students to believe what they read and move forward with inaccurate information. It is important to speak with your students about the importance of checking for references and verifying information. You may consider turning this into a classroom assignment in which students are asked to verify or correct a ChatGPT-generated response.