Teachers are worried that students are using artificial intelligence (AI) to cheat on their school assignments. Some students manage to avoid detection. While AI can help education, teachers say its misuse is a major issue. Many schools use software to check for AI in essays, but it is not always effective.
Doug Walker, head of science at St. Patrick’s College Wellington, mentioned that the misuse of AI is increasing quickly. The school now runs a detector on all computer-based work. He believes many students might use AI if given the chance. It’s challenging for teachers to figure out how much of the work is actually done by students versus AI.
AI detection tools can give different results about whether an essay was created by AI. Walker often examines the edits students make to their work. In one case, he found a student asked ChatGPT to rewrite their essay in a more youthful style. Students now copy and paste less, as they know that raises suspicion. Some use AI to generate sources or simplify complex ideas, but Walker warns this can blur the line between help and full cheating.
Auckland English teacher Kit Willett found that about 20% of students misused AI last year, which surprised him. Cheating with AI has become easier because it is so accessible. Onslow College’s deputy principal, Michael Bangma, believes many instances of AI misuse go unnoticed. He said some schools are going back to old methods, like writing by hand, to avoid these problems.
Susana Tomaz from Westlake Girls High School argued that concerns about misuse are sometimes exaggerated. AI hasn’t increased plagiarism; it is just a new method. The Education Ministry has guidelines, but Hamilton teacher Benny Pan thinks more guidance is needed. He feels this lack of direction allows students to misuse AI without fear.
In Tauranga, Maungatapu School teacher Chris Dixon noticed that while students used AI to enhance their stories about Maui, the final products lost the children’s unique voices. This raised questions about ownership of their work. While some students liked the results, Dixon is concerned this could impact their creativity. AI helped them finish projects quickly, but he fears it could discourage traditional skills like drawing.
