I remember being in high school and reading the syllabi for my new classes when the quarter would change and we would receive a new set of classes. There would be notes about class policies, the grading system, and what constituted cheating. Just four short years ago, cheating was considered sharing notes, having your cell phone out during a test, or whispering answers back and forth with a classmate. Now, there is a whole other realm of possibility for how you can cheat on a test or assignment: AI chat bots.
All of my current classes have specific policies for using ChatGPT in the course. Whether professors accept it or not, many students will continue to use ChatGPT for assignments even if the syllabus specifies not to. For this reason, many college courses allow ChatGPT to be used as long as it is not for direct question and answers during an exam, for example.
Ways I have seen ChatGPT being permitted to be used include things like inspiration for an essay prompt or locating academic papers. An idea that remains constant is to always cross-check the information that ChatGPT gives you as there is the chance that the information the bot spits out is incorrect.
For me and many other college students, the arrival of ChatGPT being available for public use has completely altered the college experience. In many of my courses, there are only a few larger assignments, such as a long essay or exams because professors have grasped that simple question and answer assignments (especially ones on Canvas) can be easily completed by copying and pasting questions directly.
Even though I am not a frequent user of ChatGPT, I can confidently say that after going through college and having access to the platform for almost the whole time has hindered my ability to quickly come up with inspiration and begin writing a paper. I still am able to pick up a pen and begin writing a draft, but I feel like the prevalence of the application and the normalized use of it in my courses does not force me to think outside the box as I would in my high school classes and even earlier on.
The experience of being enrolled in college during ChatGPT’s takeover has been a wild ride, but I can say that I am thankful that I was only here for the beginning of AI and its capabilities. I can confidently say that for future generations of students entering college, the experience may be much different. I am grateful to be graduating with knowledge about ChatGPT without it altering my entire college experience in my classes.