August 15, 2023

Faced With Generative AI, Teachers Are Returning to Paper and Pen

Teachers have been reporting that they are returning their students exams and homework assignments to classic paper and pencil to combat the rise of cheating with generative AI. This blog discusses the implications of the news.

ChatGPT and Education

ChatGPT has taken the world of education by storm since its release in late 2022. Over the course of just a few months, students and teachers around the world have recognized the AI chatbot’s capacity to transform the education system—perhaps both for ill and for good.

From one perspective, generative AI tools provide students with an invaluable study resource, an infinitely-patient, resourceful private tutor that can be used to answer questions about subjects, whip up practice problems, or provide convincing examples of different curriculum content could open new doors for the way students learn.

At the same time, others have pointed to the dangers of opening up widespread access to AI tools that can be used to cheat, and generate content, effectively plagiarizing entire assignments. Recently, last concern has led teachers to take more drastic measures.

Can We Stop Students from Cheating with AI?

It was not long after its launch that several major education districts moved to ban ChatGPT from school wifi completely. The tool has led to a new wave of academic misconduct throughout the education system, as students take advantage of its text generating capabilities to produce assignments that cannot be effectively checked for plagiarizing. And while limiting the tool’s network access may help to an extent, this does not stop students from using ChatGPT at home.

One teacher interviewed by Insider reported that they had decided to take their response a step further, announcing that all students would now be filling out assignments using classic paper and pencil. This approach, in addition, to the use of more strict timed exams, has potential to help. It also signifies how disruptive generative AI has been for society at large.

And yet, it seems unlikely that teachers will be able to curb the implications of such a widespread social change with such stopgap measures. Aragon Research feels ChatGPT is here to stay, and education will need to adapt accordingly.

Bottom Line

Generative AI is disrupting the education system as teachers return to old-school methods like paper and pencil to keep students from cheating. Time will tell whether these methods work, or whether schools will need to adapt more closely to the generative AI transformation.