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AI chatbot doing kids' homework for them - undetectable

237 replies

noblegiraffe · 31/12/2022 01:27

The robot apocalypse is upon us - an AI can now produce essays that cannot be picked up by plagiarism software. The Telegraph is breathlessly reporting that teachers are begging the government to solve the problem.

I've been playing around with the AI, and it is, indeed, impressive. It can produce perfectly reasonable essays in response to exam questions, in whatever style that you request; and not just essays, it can answer maths and science questions (and indeed any subject) with step by step explanations

Should teachers be worried? Probably. My DS reports that he has already heard of kids using it to do their homework.

How can we combat this?

Well, for English and humanities teachers, I would advise that you make an account and chat with the AI yourself. Feed it questions, see what it comes up with. It does come up with different answers each time you ask, but with strong similarities. If you feed your essay question in enough times, in enough ways, you should be able to spot AI generated answers.

The other solution is to only bother marking work that the students have produced in class, in test conditions - this is a policy I've had as a maths teacher for years. As a correct answer is a correct answer, who knows if it was produced by the pupil, their tutor, their parents, or the kid they hang out with at break time?

Parents: Try to encourage your kids not to cheat as in the end the AI can't sit their exams for them.

The software won't be free forever. But who knows what is coming next?

chat.openai.com/chat

OP posts:
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TalVez · 31/01/2023 14:39

minipie · 31/01/2023 09:04

Did anyone see the article in the Times where Jane Lunnon, head of Alleyns, talked about the impact on homework? I’ve c&p’d a bit of it below. Not sure she is saying it’s the “end” of homework as the title suggests but definitely a big shift in homework culture/content.

ChatGPT marks end of homework at Alleyn’s School
January 26 2023, 12.01am

Lunnon said there was no longer any point in pupils completing essays at home to be marked. Teachers should instead set research on topics for discussion and assessment in lessons, a process that was already under way at her school.

Its English department recently tested ChatGPT and teachers gave an A* to an essay the AI produced.

Lunnon acknowledged that ChatGPT was “seismic and game-changing” for education but said it also presented great opportunities for both pupils and teachers.

“For us, ChatGPT will involve careful reflection about what we should be asking our pupils to do in school and in class and what they can do at home.”

She said exam boards would have to take action to counter cheating in coursework. English A-level awards a quarter of the marks to candidates based on an essay they complete.

Lunnon told The Times: “I truly feel this is a paradigm-shifting moment. It’s incredibly usable and straightforward. However at the moment, children are often assessed using homework essays, based on what they’ve learnt in the lesson. Clearly if we’re in a world where children can access plausible responses … then the notion of saying simply do this for homework will have to go.

“Homework will be good for practice but if you want reliable data on whether children are acquiring new skills and information, that will have to be done in lesson time, supervised.

“That means some of what is happening in lessons will have to happen at home and there will be a shift in emphasis, such as saying, ‘Here is critical information to read and assimilate before the lesson, then come to class with questions ready.”

Lunnon is busy in the media, she was also on LBC this morning.

mids2019 · 31/01/2023 16:22

The future is worrying. AI produced essays will mean assessments will be done through exam conditions only in a lot of cases setting back social mobility initiatives that have emphasised continuous assessment as a fair system.

Teachers do not want to waste time marking AI produced work so homework essentially will be done in class reducing precious teaching time.

I think this will benefit the MC

minipie · 31/01/2023 17:53

Mids2019 yes I was thinking it could result in longer school days at private schools - if they can’t trust homework they decide they may need more lesson time or at least supervised prep to compensate for the lost time. Doubt state would be able to do that.

mids2019 · 31/01/2023 19:16

@minipie

I agree. If there is no continuous assessment in future mock examinations are going to be of more importance and schools will need resource for this. More mock exams mean less anxiety/scope for failure in the real exam and we need to think what this means

Also praise may only start to be given to or exam results and not for work during term. Is this a good thing?

noblegiraffe · 08/02/2023 13:35

Teachers were offered a prize for spotting ChatGPT essays among thousands of genuine essays, year 4 work while doing a comparative marking assignment.

Could they spot them? No.

twitter.com/daisychristo/status/1623062377095634944?s=46&t=vJCkHZK0crBl-D86FelilA

OP posts:
Floofyduffypuddy · 08/02/2023 17:54

I can't read all this but has someone said whether it
Can be set to write at specific levels

TeenDivided · 08/02/2023 18:07

noblegiraffe · 08/02/2023 13:35

Teachers were offered a prize for spotting ChatGPT essays among thousands of genuine essays, year 4 work while doing a comparative marking assignment.

Could they spot them? No.

twitter.com/daisychristo/status/1623062377095634944?s=46&t=vJCkHZK0crBl-D86FelilA

I guess there is a difference between marking for your own students and marking for students you don't know.

ohdelay · 10/02/2023 13:05

Floofyduffypuddy · 08/02/2023 17:54

I can't read all this but has someone said whether it
Can be set to write at specific levels

Yes, keywords [in the style of| and the input could be anything like "A grade year 8 student, C grade year 8 student, JK Rowling etc.
If it has data sources for graded year 8 work and has consumed harry potter (which it has) it will do a decent job.

sashh · 12/02/2023 07:02

mids2019 · 31/01/2023 16:22

The future is worrying. AI produced essays will mean assessments will be done through exam conditions only in a lot of cases setting back social mobility initiatives that have emphasised continuous assessment as a fair system.

Teachers do not want to waste time marking AI produced work so homework essentially will be done in class reducing precious teaching time.

I think this will benefit the MC

There are other forms of home work and assessment.

AI can't create a pizza that is a model of a eukaryotic cell. I much prefer to have practical tasks when I can for assessment. Most students prefer them too.

Things like Moodle can be used for assessment, diagrams that have to be labelled, fill in the blanks exercises.

JaffavsCookie · 12/02/2023 20:03

But parents hate those sort of tasks Sashh, and they don’t necessarily tell you how much a kid actually knows or whether they have involved parents.
i am now favour the model of homework is consolidation, which is automarked or self assessed, and I mark work that is done in silence, independently, in class.

Postapocalypticcowgirl · 13/02/2023 14:16

Floofyduffypuddy · 08/02/2023 17:54

I can't read all this but has someone said whether it
Can be set to write at specific levels

Yes, to an extent, although it hasn't really mastered the idea of e.g. a 3 mark question.

In some areas it makes very obvious mistakes. In others it doesn't.

So, I queried it to write a GCSE level response about mitochondria- both times, it talked about "ATP" which is not mentioned at all at GCSE, and would be noticable to most teachers.

It thinks this response would be worth 3 marks at A-level:

The mitochondria are a crucial component of eukaryotic cells, playing a central role in cellular metabolism. They are best known for producing ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the primary source of energy for cellular processes, through the process of cellular respiration.

The mitochondria also play important roles in regulating other cellular processes such as cell growth, division and death. They contain their own genetic material and are capable of autonomous protein synthesis, making them semi-autonomous structures within the cell. This allows them to contribute to the overall regulation of cellular metabolism, as well as respond to changes in the cell's metabolic demands.

In addition, the mitochondria play a critical role in signalling pathways associated with cell death (apoptosis), which is important for maintaining tissue homeostasis and preventing diseases such as cancer.

In conclusion, the mitochondria are a vital component of eukaryotic cells, playing critical roles in cellular energy metabolism, regulation of cellular processes and cellular signalling. (3 marks)

But to me it would be noticable as being very long, and beyond the syllabus.

It suggested this as an A-level answer on phagocytosis:

Recognition occurs through the binding of bacteria to specific receptors on the phagocyte's cell surface, such as toll-like receptors. Attachment involves the formation of pseudopodia and the close proximity of the bacterium to the cell membrane. Internalization results in the formation of a phagosome, which then fuses with lysosomes containing enzymes and hydrolytic substances that break down the bacterium. Degradation kills the bacterium and allows the phagocyte to absorb its components.

Which I think would be noticeable in most students as using some language that isn't quite on the A-level spec I teach. In a very able student, it probably wouldn't stick out to me.

This was it's suggestion for a GCSE level answer worth 2 marks:
Phagocytes are special cells in the immune system that play a critical role in protecting the body against harmful microorganisms such as bacteria. The main role of phagocytes is to engulf and destroy these harmful invaders through the process of phagocytosis. This helps to prevent infections and maintain the overall health of the immune system.

To be clear, it would get the two marks, but I would point out to the student there's a lot of fluff around the points that get you actual marks.

I think it may be better at essays than short answer questions.

It's worth baring in mind ChatGTP also claims to be able to do things such as translate into Welsh, which it can't really do successfully. I don't think it's as good as it pretends to be.

williamlaucas · 27/12/2023 12:59

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