Since ChatGPT was released, it has become a student’s best friend. It can assist with anything from essays to homework and even math problems, making it extremely useful for students but a nightmare for teachers. Over time, students began to take advantage of this tool and overuse it. In response, teachers began to enforce serious consequences for students caught using ChatGPT. Now, two years later, I find myself wondering if this is still a significant issue that teachers face.
I interviewed two individuals about their experiences with ChatGPT: an English teacher and a student.
The first person I interviewed was an English teacher. I asked her several questions, starting with, “Do you still deal with ChatGPT?” She replied, “Absolutely. Almost every day, someone submits work created by AI.” When I asked how often students use it for their assignments, she said, “They use it for almost every assignment I hand out.” I then asked how she verifies whether a student has used ChatGPT. She explained, “I use another type of AI that detects any work not written by the student.” When I asked how she enforces the rules when she catches someone using AI, she stated, “I give them an automatic zero on whatever work they submitted. Depending on how often they use AI, I do not allow them to retake it.” I also inquired whether this issue affects the majority of the class or just a small percentage. She estimated, “Probably about 25 percent.” When I asked if she uses AI herself, she replied, “No, only to check students’ work.” Finally, I asked for her opinion on AI, to which she responded, “I hate AI. I’m certain it will take jobs away from people in the future.”
The second person I interviewed was a student. I started by asking how many students he sees using ChatGPT. He answered, “I’m mostly focused on my work, so I’d have to say not many.” When I asked how often he sees other students using it, he replied, “Not as often as expected, mostly here and there, especially when there’s a substitute teacher because they aren’t walking around checking students’ work.” I then asked if everyone in the class uses it or just a small group. He said, “Probably a small number of students, because if it were a larger group, the teacher would have caught on a while ago.” When I asked what the consequences are if a teacher catches students using AI, he responded, “They fail the assignment, automatically receiving a zero.” I also asked if he uses ChatGPT himself, and he replied, “No, I don’t need it to finish my work.”
Furthermore, I inquired whether other students encourage him to use AI. He said, “No, other students do not encourage me in any way to use AI.” Finally, I asked for his opinion on ChatGPT. He stated, “I’m sort of neutral about AI. I don’t hate it, but I don’t particularly like it. I believe it can have its benefits in the future.”
