Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools are becoming more and more prevalent in our society. Due to this, it is important to understand the role of AI in our class and the impact on education as a whole. 

While it is very tempting to use the tools available on the web to bypass certain tasks that we may feel are difficult or not worth our time, we need to understand that by doing so we are undercutting the value of the educational experience. You are here in school as a student and the purpose of being here is to learn. Therefore, if you are using AI to bypass learning the skills we are trying to teach you, you are cheating yourself out of the education that you are privileged to have. 

What are AI Tools? 

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools are software applications that utilize AI algorithms to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence. Many different tools fit this definition, serving a variety of purposes. Any use of AI in the educational setting should be meant as a tool to enhance your learning, not bypass it. Below are some examples of AI tools and their purposes, but it should be noted that these are constantly evolving and new tools are being developed all the time. Just because something is not listed does not mean that it does not count as AI. 

• Chatbots (ChatGPT, Google Bard, Bing AI, Jasper AI, etc.). These generate written responses, answer questions, check work, etc.

• AI Writing Assistants (Grammarly, Quillbot, Hemingway Editor). Edits, rephrases, and rewrites text to improve writing. 

• Applications (Course Hero, Photomath, Wolfram Alpha, Socratic). Answers questions and completes numerous "homework help" tasks. 

• Voice Assistants (Siri, Alexa, Google Assistant, Cortana). Takes voice commands to provide answers to questions and operate portions of devices. 

Essentially, some tools can be used as learning aids, while others utilize generative AI to do the work for you. 

POLICY ON ACCEPTABLE GENERATIVE AI USE IN Mrs. Seiler's Courses

Generative AI tools must be used ethically, responsibly, and  intentionally to support student learning, not to bypass it. 

AP Courses:

Now that we have a better understanding of AI, here is the policy you will be expected to follow in this class. 

• Any AI tools (including those like Grammarly) must be approved by me before you can use them. No exceptions. 

• Generative AI like ChatGPT or others that are meant to "do your work for you" are forbidden. Using AI to do your work is plagiarism and will be treated as such in this class. If you choose to do so, you are also choosing the consequences which will include a zero on the assignment in question and a disciplinary referral. 

• You must be able to explain the specifics of any AI use in your work. Examples: 

  • If you use a tool like Grammarly to check your spelling and grammar, you need to be able to show what it corrected and your original work. 

  • If you use an AI tool to help you find research sources, you need to provide documentation of how this was done. You must also cite the ORIGINAL source in your work. 

• Essentially, any AI use must be done ethically and responsibily. If you are not sure that the way you typically use AI would be considered as such, please see me so we can discuss it further.

*This policy is subject to change by Mrs. Seiler. All students are expected to abide by it and sign the agreement below. 

Accordingly, all performance tasks submitted in AP courses must be the student’s own work. While students are permitted to use Generative AI tools consistent with this policy, their use is optional and not mandatory. 

Students can use generative AI tools as optional aids for 

• exploration of potential topics of inquiry, 

• initial searches for sources of information, 

• confirming their understanding of a complex text, or 

• checking their writing for grammar and tone. 

However, students must read primary and secondary sources directly, perform their own analysis and synthesis of evidence, and make their own choices on how to communicate effectively both in their writing and presentations. It remains the student’s responsibility to engage deeply with credible, valid sources and integrate diverse perspectives when working on the performance tasks. 

Students must complete interim “checkpoints” with their teacher to demonstrate genuine engagement with the tasks. 

Consequences

A student who fails to acknowledge the source or author of any and all information or evidence taken from the work of someone else through citation, attribution or reference in the body of the work, or through a bibliographic entry, will receive a score of 0.

Why Teachers Are Concerned

Although it has its limitations, OpenAI ChatGPT is extremely advanced. Users can give the chatbot a prompt and it spits back what it deems to be a well-informed answer. 

• A reporter from the Wall Street Journal put this to the test and gave ChatGPT a 500 to 1,000 word high school AP English essay prompt about “Ferris Bueller.” The chatbot put out an 800-word essay in seconds, and although there were a few factual errors, a New Jersey AP English teacher gave it a passing grade of a B- to a C. 

• Austin Ambrose, a middle school teacher in Idaho told Forbes, “students are going to think and use this chatbot as if it is a know-all.” 

• There are also concerns at the college level. After finding out the best paper written in his class was created by ChatGPT, a professor at Northern Michigan University told the New York Times he planned to start requiring students to write first drafts of essays in his classroom and explain any changes made in later drafts. Another professor at Furman University a student turned in a paper written by ChatGPT and although it was very well-written, there was a lot of misinformation. 

Plagiarism Concerns

Teachers and school officials are wary of plagiarism, which is inevitable if students use ChatGPT for assignments. 

Plagiarism is a serious offense in the academic world, with some schools threatening expulsion if students are found guilty. 

A study found at least 58% of high school students have committed plagiarism.