Are students actually doing their own work anymore?
I teach online science courses at a couple of different universities, and lately I find myself wondering whether students are actually doing their own work anymore. It seems like AI is everywhere, and the most frustrating part is that many colleges claim they are going to take a tough stance on inappropriate AI use, but when instructors report obvious cases, there often seems to be very little support.
For example, in an introductory 100-level course I teach, students are given a data table and asked to analyze the data, draw conclusions, and write a simple lab report. It is a straightforward assignment designed to help students understand how to interpret data and become familiar with the basic format of a scientific report. Last week, I had a student submit a report in which they discussed meeting with government officials and industry leaders to gather data and then developing a simulation model to forecast future trends. None of that was part of the assignment. Not even remotely. Again, this is an introductory 100-level course. I reported the situation through the proper academic honesty channels. The response I received from the team at the home office was that, because the student was a first-year student, I should use it as an opportunity to teach them about responsible AI use, but still give them full credit for attempting the assignment.
What exactly is that teaching them?
I also regularly see things that are difficult to explain without some type of outside assistance. Students will complete an entire week's worth of discussion posts - an original post requiring two or more paragraphs, plus two or more peer responses requiring at least a paragraph each - in less than five minutes based on the timestamps. I have also seen students do virtually no work for an entire session and then suddenly complete what appears to be eight weeks' worth of assignments in less than an hour.
I just do not understand why universities are not taking these issues more seriously. I graduated about 20 years ago, and I spent countless hours reading, writing, researching, solving problems, and actually learning the material so I could become competent in my field. That was the point of earning a degree. My concern is that some students today are not learning at all. They are using AI tools to produce the work, submitting it, and moving on without developing the ability to analyze information, solve problems, write effectively, or think independently.
What happens when these students graduate and enter the workforce without the skills their degrees are supposed to represent? At some point, employers are going to realize that a degree does not necessarily mean someone has actually mastered the material. Maybe I am just getting old and yelling at the clouds, but it frustrates me to no end. The most discouraging part is when the misuse is obvious, an instructor follows the proper reporting procedures, and the institution ultimately does little or nothing about it.
I'll get off my soapbox now.