Across universities, professors have been looking into ways to engage students so cheating with ChatGPT is not as attractive, such as making assignments more personalized to students' interests and requiring students to complete brainstorming assignments and essay drafts instead of just one final paper.
ChatGPT is a form of artificial intelligence that was initially developed to engage in dialogue conversation. The format for conversation was designed to make it possible for ChatGPT to answer follow-up questions, admit its mistakes, challenge incorrect premises, and reject inappropriate requests. GPT stands for Generative Pre-trained Transformer. It was launched on November 30, 2022, by its parent company, OpenAI, headquartered in San Francisco, CA, and founded by CEO Sam Altman and Elon Musk who co-founded OpenAI. The latest updated data with infographics written by Daniel Ruby dated May 18, 2023.
After its transition into formal transcription for professional writing, ChatGPT was seen as an immediate threat to the policy related to academic integrity. Accordingly, Academic Integrity is a responsibility and commitment by faculty and students to uphold just and ethical behavior, including complete truthfulness, fairness, and respect in all areas of teaching, learning, and the pursuit of scholarship.
NOTE: This policy is listed in the 2023-24 Saltire and Academic Catalog.
The use of Artificial Intelligence tools presents opportunities and challenges in the academic realm. Like all tools, it can be used properly and improperly; there are some uses that always run counter to the educational mission of the institution and constitute cheating. Namely, students turning in as their own work essays, homework assignments, or exam answers that were written completely or in part by Artificial Intelligence tools without proper citation constitutes an academic integrity violation.
Individual faculty members may permit Artificial Intelligence tools based on the standards of their academic disciplines and the learning goals of their particular courses. Faculty are required to make clear in course syllabi whether, under what conditions, and for what purposes Artificial Intelligence tools are permitted, as well as include specific citation guidelines appropriate to a particular course or assignment.
Students are required to follow an individual professor's guidelines provided on the use and documentation of Artificial Intelligence tools. Students may be asked to state what program was used, how it was used, and the date it was used. Failure to follow a professor’s guidelines on Artificial Intelligence tools will constitute an academic integrity violation.
To help students practice academic integrity, please refer them to the Academic Integrity & Plagiarism subject guide.