If Plagiarism Can't Be Stopped, What’s Next for Educators? Building a New Culture of Learning with AI

I'm sure we've all had some ingenious students in the past, who would find some relevant texts in English online and copied it verbatim, presenting it as theirs. Catching this kind of plagiarism was manageable, mostly because it would happen rarely and because the copied text would only be relevant in some ways but not exactly what it should be -this would be a text they found online and thought it could pass as a response to your assignment. Proving this was a copy was even easier, as all we had to do was to google an extract of it to find it on the internet. But AI has made this all a tad more tailored to our students' "needs", complicating things for us.

Indeed, the advent of artificial intelligence (AI) has introduced new challenges in maintaining academic integrity, particularly in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) education. Students now have unprecedented access to AI tools capable of generating essays and texts, created especially for our assignments without any trace on the internet. Cheating has never been easier or quicker. This trend places EFL teachers in the demanding position of detecting and addressing such instances, often without adequate resources, tools, or training. Because is it even possible to detect AI-generated texts reliably? The short answer is no.

There is surely no way for a human to be able to assess whether a text has been written by a human or AI, so there is a plethora of tools developed that claim to be able to make the distinction. Platforms like Turnitin have integrated AI detection capabilities into their plagiarism checking services, aiming to discern between human and machine-generated text. However, the reliability of these tools varies, with some studies indicating limitations in accurately identifying AI-generated content, especially when sophisticated language models are employed. For instance, a study published in the International Journal for Educational Integrit evaluated various AI content detection tools and found significant variability in their accuracy, underscoring the need for more refined detection methodologies to prevent mis-detection of human-written content as AI-generated and vice versa. Another recent study by Weber-Wulff et al. (2023) evaluated 14 different detection tools, and unfortunately, even the best ones only managed around 70-80% accuracy. That means at least 1 in 5 essays could be falsely flagged as AI-generated, which creates a significant risk for students—and for the trust between them and their teachers.

But if there is no way to detect a cheater with the necessary certainty, what is there to help us teachers manage this new reality? I guess there are several strategies we can develop in order to mitigate these challenges. Educating students about the ethical implications of AI misuse and fostering a culture of academic integrity are foundational steps. Of course this is something that will take time and will need to become part of our teaching practise. A good way to get such an abstract concept across even to young students could be assessing AI practises together, and make this use a tool rather than a forbidden sin: teach your students when and how it is ok to use AI, and when it's use can hinder their learning or personal growth. Anther effective strategy is to diversify assessment methods, such as oral examinations and in-class writing assignments, as they can reduce opportunities for AI-assisted cheating. So many of our colleagues are already calling their students into class in order to write their essays and assignments under supervision. 

The heavy burden to educate our students around an ethical understanding and use of AI is once more on the teacher. Engaging with technology positively involves integrating AI as a supportive educational tool rather than viewing it solely as a threat. Teachers can guide students in using AI for drafting and refining their work, emphasizing its role in the learning process rather than as a shortcut. By promoting responsible AI usage, educators can help students develop digital literacy skills essential for the modern world. An article from Business Insider illustrates how one teacher embraced AI tools like ChatGPT to enhance students' learning experiences, highlighting the potential benefits of integrating AI into the classroom when used ethically.

While AI presents new avenues for academic dishonesty, it also offers opportunities to enhance educational practices. By adopting a balanced approach that includes ethical education, varied assessment methods, and the responsible integration of technology, teachers can address the AI challenge and foster an environment of integrity and learning. Even if they can't tell with certainty if a text is AI-generated.

References:

1. Evaluating the efficacy of AI content detection tools in differentiating between human and AI-generated text, Ahmed M. Elkhatat, Khaled Elsaid, & Saeed Almeer: International Journal for Educational Integrity volume 19, Article number: 17, 2023. Link
2. Can AI-Generated Text be Reliably Detected?, Vinu Sankar Sadasivan, Aounon Kumar, Sriram Balasubramanian, Wenxiao Wang, Soheil Feizi: Arxiv.org, 2023. Link
3. The effects of over-reliance on AI dialogue systems on students' cognitive abilities: a systematic review, Chunpeng Zhai, Santoso Wibowo, & Lily D. Li: Smart Learning Environments volume 11, Article number: 28, 2024. Link