Punishment for AI Use

With the rise of AI usage by students, teachers have needed to adhere to stricter regulations to ensure that the work they grade is the student's. Fortunately, this has been brought to the attention of the district during the meeting on March 19. Collectively, the governing board discussed punishments as well as a foolproof way to prevent the use of AI in the first place.

Though not solidified, here are updates sourced from the district meeting surrounding the issue of dealing with AI usage:

1. Teachers can legally assign punishment through public assessments when caught with any traces of AI within an essay. It is also viewed as individual testing for the student. A widely known feature on the extension GoGuardian, which is automatically downloaded on all Hart District student accounts, is teacher viewing. However, teachers also have the ability to cast a student’s activity onto a public screen such as the classroom projector. With this in consideration, the district decided to allow teachers to assign an individual assessment or writing assignment to the student while their chromebook screen broadcasted. This not only tests the student’s knowledge separate from the AI, but also serves as a form of discipline.

2. The idea of public debates was also put on the table. Although still a concept, it was outlined as a public debate in an outside space, such as Valencia’s Quad, between the teacher and student surrounding the topic on whether or not the work was AI generated. Winning this debate would result in a full score for the assignment that was accused of being AI generated. One large drawback that was discussed was the possibility of students beginning to bet during these debates and encouraging the practice of gambling.

3. Similar to public debates, the idea of a public Jeopardy-style game hosted by the teacher was considered. The student would be poised to play against the misused AI program to answer rounds of questions based on the information that the generated assignment was about: “Are You Smarter Than an AI?” This would have to occur during class hours and in front of peers.

4. Finally, when all hope would be lost, teachers would send this slide show to students and their families to simply encourage personal accountability: holdyourselfaccountable 

Even when asked, ChatGPT itself discouraged the use of AI, claiming that “Students should use AI to enhance learning, not replace it—education thrives on critical thinking and originality." Ultimately, as tempting as it may be to use, it is critical to understand the dangers of AI and its possibility to stunt your growth. To prevent this disruption, follow these steps:

1. In a moment of weakness, type in “ChatGPT” into your computer.

2. Take a second to question your choices: “Is this worth it in the long run?”

3. Raise your right finger and use either the mouse or finger pad to move your cursor to the top of the tab.

4. Click the X and exit ChatGPT.

5. It's so easy!