At Inside Higher Ed, Jacob Riyeff writes about generative AI and its effect on teacher-student relationships. What breaks his heart, he says, are the ways in which AI makes it difficult for him to trust his students:
I assume students don’t think about their unattributed use of chat bots as affecting a personal relationship. But those of us who actually still believe in the edifying power of higher education can’t see the relationship between instructors and students as one of instrumental exchange — products (assignments filled out) for payments (grades). Or as one of mechanical input and output. In the classroom, in office hours, and in conferences, there is (can be) a genuine mutual sharing between persons if we strive for it, if we foster dialogue and sharing of perspectives in our common scrutinizing of reality and pursuit of truth. And the making and assessing of assignments is (can be) an extension of that relationship’s mutual sharing. But to engage in that scrutiny and that pursuit in common, the relationship between instructor and student requires integrity — that is, both parties need to be honest in their communications with one another.Exactly. Passing off someone else’s (or, now, something else’s) work as one’s own violates the trust between teacher and student.
Riyeff says that for now, he expects to continue having versions of the following exchange with his students:
Student: Why can’t I just use a chat bot to write this essay?Related reading
Me: Because I don’t care about what OpenAI’s products can do. I care about what you’re thinking.
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[Off the bot!]
comments: 5
My time as a teacher was short. And, it's been quite a while since I was a student. But I agree with Riyeff's analysis.
The question of trust is what most plagiarists and cheats never understand
I like too what he says about fearing and embracing AI — that there are other positions to take. And I can already hear English department types: "Our students need to know how to use these tools — or they'll be left behind!!"
"Our students need to know how to use these tools — or they'll be left behind!!"
Then they should take a separate course on the use of AI. But they still should be able to write without the use of AI. It seems to me that English classes are the correct place for that to happen.
while not directly on point have you seen rick beato's youtube "the real reason why music getting worse: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bZ0OSEViyo
the sad part is that I think students and legislators see AI as a bonus for teaching: neither party has to do any work. legislators and university administrators want to see AI as instructors in classrooms. shouldn't tuition go down because all those chatbots won't need benefits and the added bonus of chatbots not protesting the new policies....
i see all of this as being connected to creating generation of students who only know how to have information fed to them not figure it out for themselves.
/s
kirsten
Joe, I couldn’t agree more — that a writing class should be about writing, not about grappling with a new technology. (I think of freshman comp and lit classes taught in computer classrooms, with two dozen computers’ fans whirring as an instructor tries to lead a discussion. No thanks.)
Kirsten, you’ll have to take my word for it: Elaine showed me that video this weekend. I was going to post a link to it today before I got caught up in sharing the weather forecast.
As for self-reliance, I recall encouraging a student, circa 2010 or so, to take notes in class. The response: “And how would I do that?”
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