Designing Assignments and Activities with ChatGPT and Generative AI in Mind

Generative AI, such as ChatGPT, can be a powerful tool to engage students in learning and creativity. Essentially, generative AI tools are those that create content on their own without human intervention. It can be useful for writing text, generating ideas, creating images, writing and editing code, and more. By designing assignments that incorporate generative AI technology, instructors can provide students with opportunities to explore, create, and problem-solve. However, as an instructor, you may also want to create assignments that challenge students to demonstrate their own knowledge and skills without relying heavily on AI-generated content. In this article, we will review different assignment ideas and strategies to create prompts and assignment ideas in different disciplines.

Table of Contents

Syllabus statements and student input, is ai use cheating.

  • AI Detection
  • Design Assignments to Limit AI Use
  • Design Assignments to Work with AI
  • Registration
  • Recording from August, 2023
  • Workshop Slides

Intelligent.com conducted a poll of more than 1,000 current college students in May 2023 regarding their use of ChatGPT for coursework. 30% of students used ChatGPT for coursework during the 2022/2023 academic year, and of that group, 46% utilized it frequently. Users of ChatGPT and other generative AI tools like Bing Chat and Google Bard continue to grow with some flattening of the upward trend in summer 2023. Generative AI is rapidly advancing and becoming more prevalent in education, work, and our daily lives. As an educator, it’s a good idea to help students be aware of the ethical considerations surrounding the use of generative AI.

  • Consider adding an acceptable use statement in your syllabus. Here are some guidelines and examples.
  • How do you think generative AI can be applied to the course assignments in this class?
  • Can you share any specific examples of generative AI being used in educational settings?
  • How can we ensure that AI tools are used in a way that promotes skill development in our course?
  • After reviewing the assignment directions and grading information, what would be some helpful uses of AI tools that will still allow you to learn the content and demonstrate your learning?
  • Based on various surveys and instructor experiences, not all students believe it is ethical to use AI on assignments. Be sure to include a discussion/policy about how AI can or cannot be used in group work.

There is no standard for determining if AI use by students qualifies as plagiarism or cheating . There is also no consistent standard for citing or crediting work using an AI tool. It may be useful to check with your professional organizations and journals and share any of their policies with students. Currently, AI is part of retail and other business careers, education in personalized learning, systems that make recommendations, human resources decisions, healthcare, agriculture, gaming, marketing, finance, and more .

Organization and publication examples:

  • RTDNA Journalism Association
  • NIH Grants Peer Review Policy
  • IEEE Journal Submission Policy

Citation Style Guidance:

  • APA: How to Cite ChatGPT
  • MLA: How Do I Cite Generative AI in MLA Style?
  • Chicago Style Manual

It may be useful to reflect on how you define plagiarism and cheating and then help guide students to think about it. Review this image from Matt Miller @DitchThatTextbook to help guide your thinking.

Plagiarism and cheating graphic with a spectrum showing "Bot-Created" to "Student-Created" to help guide teachers in thinking about what counts as plagiarism and what does not.

No True Detection of AI is Possible

There is no “fool-proof” way to detect AI use in student projects, and there have been many stories published about false positives and negatives using various AI detectors.

At NC State University, we provide access to Turnitin, which has an AI detector if you would like to get some input on if students have used AI to craft their writing. That said, do not use Turnitin as sole evidence that a student has cheated or plagiarized. Please review the academic integrity guidance and policies from the Office of Student Conduct. Note that the Division of Academic and Student Affairs also encourages faculty to notify students if they plan on using Turnitin.

  • Turnitin at NC State
  • Turnitin AI Detection
  • Article on AI detection issues with Turnitin

AI detection and AI detector workaround programs are regularly being created and released. Here are some common tools and videos guiding students and content creators on how to get around AI detection.

  • AI Text Classifier by OpenAI
  • AI Content Detector: Writer  
  • AI Writing CheckWriter’s AI Content Detector
  • Video: How to Not Get Caught Using ChatGPT at School
  • Video: New Way to Bypass AI Detection

There are also some red flags you can look for in reviewing student work. It’s helpful (albeit difficult in large classes) if you know your students writing and can determine if an assignment does not fit their typical way or level of writing. What to look for:

  • A factual error or made-up citation
  • Missing required assignment data sources or article text
  • “Too perfect” in terms of grammar and usage
  • Overly formal, detached, or impersonal style/tone
  • Predictable formations – -like a five-paragraph essay from middle school language arts
  • The writing too directly and repetitively parallels the assignment directions

Note: Students who are good at prompt writing and provide context, follow-up questions, a voice for the AI, etc., may not produce writing that exhibits these flaws. You may also want to consider having a conversation with a student about their work and topic if you have concerns. ChatGPT-4 (a paid option) is significantly better at avoiding these style issues, and Bing Chat is powered by GPT-4 (free).

Designing Assignments to Limit AI Usage

There are ways to design assignments that can make generative AI use more difficult for students. However, as tools become more sophisticated, assignment revisions may not be enough to truly prevent students from using AI; however, these strategies are a good start.

Ask ChatGPT

Ask ChatGPT to provide assignment examples in your field that would be difficult for it to complete. Include context, specific learning outcomes, and more to get a more specific list of suggestions. Prompt Example:

  • You are a professor for an introductory course in {subject area} at the college level. You are trying to design assignments that would be tricky for students to use AI to complete. What are some assignment ideas and topics within the field that would be difficult for Bard to complete successfully?
  • You are a professor for a college statistics course. Students are expected to recognize and be able to explain the central role of variability in the field of statistics. They also must be able to find variability when interpreting data. What are some course assignments that students can complete to show they have met these objectives and that are difficult for ChatGPT to complete? Explain how the assignment will help students demonstrate their understanding and what makes it complicated for a generative AI tool like ChatGPT. See the results here!

Require Specific Data Sources to be Used in the Assignment

ChatGPT is not connected to the web. It’s a “pretrained” tool that has not been trained on information post-2021. So, incorporating specific texts into assignments can make things more difficult for ChatGPT. You can ask students to write and cite sources/text from specific articles or videos. You can also provide data sets that students must use in their work.

Google Version History

Require that students submit written work using Google Docs, Slides, Sheets, etc., and use version history to validate that the writing and input occurred over time vs. in large chunks suggesting that students may have copied and pasted from another source like ChatGPT. Students have also used time stamps in Google Docs version history to exonerate themselves from false positives picked up by AI detectors.

Incorporate Student Discussion and Collaboration

In-person student discussions that reference past class activities, readings done outside of class, previous lectures, and so on can be integrated into your course. Examples:

  • Ask students in a chemistry course to compare and contrast two models that they read about for homework or that were shared in a recorded lecture. Ask students to come up with examples in class (or on a discussion board) with a partner based on the reading assignment.
  • Use Perusall and set the auto-grading (ai-assisted) feature to highly weight active engagement time and getting responses. Manually grade and let students know that credit comes from their in-text conversations with each other.

Reflective Assignments

AI tools are not truly reflective and aren’t likely (even fictionally) to make good connections between course content and personal experience or learnings. Examples:

  • Write a reflection on a time when you struggled with a {subject area} concept. What was the concept? How did you eventually understand it? What advice would you give to other students who are struggling with the same concept?
  • Compare and contrast two different ways of solving a problem {in your content area}. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each method? When would you use one method over the other?

Real-World & Localized Connections in Assignments

Some AI tools are not connected to the internet and will not have an understanding of local references or the most recent sources. Others may not be able to draw connections that make sense to humans who understand those “smaller” contexts. For example, we asked Bard to write a short story set in a modern-day context in Raleigh, North Carolina on the NC State Campus and gave it some specific guidelines. In addition to writing a formulaic story , Bard regularly referenced “The Old Well” which is part of the UNC-Chapel Hill campus. Prompt example:

  • Analyze the impact of a recent policy change {content-specific} or ask students to choose a policy change that has been implemented in the last year. Research the policy change and its implications for the economy. Write a report that includes the expected impact, strengths and weaknesses of the change, and recommendations for how the policy change could be improved.

Take Assignments through a Process

Asking students to complete an assignment with a process including steps like brainstorming, mapping, drafting, peer review, an interview, and a final product can make it difficult for them to find successful ways to use AI. It may be able to help students with sections of the assignment but not the entire product or process. You can also ask students process-oriented questions along the way. You can also include ambiguous questions or those that require positions on controversial topics. Examples:

  • Compare your answers to your team’s answers. Discuss any differences.
  • Explain the process you followed to arrive at your conclusion.
  • Analyze the ethical implications of each step in the process and propose alternatives if necessary.
  • Explain the long-term consequences of implementing this process and how they might evolve over time.
  • Discuss the role of creativity and innovation in…
  • Identify potential biases, assumptions, and problems that could arise and suggest methods to mitigate them.

Retrieval Practice Activities

Retrieval practice activities allow students to practice recalling information from class activities, lectures, readings, and so on. If specific to course content, AI would not be helpful in these activities (particularly if completed in person). More on retrieval practice .

Multi-Step with a Creative Component

Create projects in which students demonstrate their learning. Essentially find ways to ask them to take what they’ve learned, organize it, and make something with it. Examples:

  • Short story writing in which students must use content information, specific vocabulary, and maybe even primary sources to craft a story.
  • Ask students to create a comic strip based on a concept, vocabulary, a reading, etc.
  • Students creating a public service announcement video to demonstrate learning

Blended Instruction or Flipping

You may also want to consider using blended or flipping formats for your course in order to limit AI use. In this model, students would learn content outside of class time and then use class time for the application of what they learned.

Designing Assignments to Work with AI

AI tools are likely to be used by students in future careers and likely in their coursework, so one approach is to incorporate the tools directly and intentionally into assignments and activities.

“Am I going to teach students to write or to write with AI tools like ChatGPT? Derek Bruff

Consider these assignment reflection questions from Derek Bruff’s article “Assignment Makeovers in the AI Age.”

  • Why does this assignment make sense for this course?
  • What are the specific learning objectives for this assignment?
  • How might students use AI tools while working on this assignment?
  • How might AI undercut the goals of this assignment? How could you mitigate this?
  • How might AI enhance the assignment? Where would students need help figuring that out?
  • Focus on the process. How could you make the assignment more meaningful for students or support them more in the work?

Consider these ideas for assignments that can work with AI tools:

  • Use AI to generate multiple explanations for a concept and ask students to critique the AI-generated explanations. Ask them to cite/use specific course readings, notes from lectures, etc., in their critiques.
  • Save time in reviewing student writing by asking them or requiring them first to get an AI review of their work, then reflect on the review, make edits, and then submit their final work.
  • Include an AI tool in a “Think-Pair-Share” activity in class. Students pair with another person in class and then with an AI tool.
  • Ask students to predict what responses they will get from AI to specific course content questions, problem sets, etc.
  • Provide several responses from AI and ask students to make a better or different product using those drafts/responses. They might make a mind map from a narrative created by AI and then find three additional sources to support or expand on different sections of the mind map.
  • Assign a peer teaching project in which students will teach a concept or review a concept for their peers. Encourage students to get help from AI with the content and in designing a short activity that can be done as part of the peer teaching. Make students responsible for answering questions from peers and instructors. Use any gaps to adjust your own teaching.
  • Ask students to debate an AI tool — students on one side and ChatGPT on the other.
  • Ask students to find evidence for an AI-created “main points” of an article. First, copy and paste an article into ChatGPT (or a link to an article into Bing or Bard) and ask the tool to summarize the key points of the article. Then provide that to students and ask them to find quotes or details that expand on each point.

NC State Office of Faculty Excellence: Navigating the Landscape of Higher Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

Writing Instructors –> Tim Laquintano, Carly Schnitzler, and Annette Vee — TextGenEd: An Introduction to Teaching With Text Generation Technologies (Assignment examples for AI Literacy, Creative Explorations, Ethical Considerations, and more – access at the bottom of the article)

Writing Instructors –> Anna Mills (Curator). AI Text Generators and Teaching Writing: Starting Points For Inquiry

AI Writing Detection: Red Flags

Ethan & Lilach Mollick — Using AI to Implement Effective Teaching Strategies in Classrooms: Five Strategies, Including Prompts

Ethan Mollick — Assigning AI: Seven Ways of Using AI in Class and The Homework Apocalypse  

Jeffrey Young — EdSurge Instructors Rush to Do ‘Assignment Makeovers’ to Respond to ChatGPT” 

Derek Bruff

  • Assignment Makeovers in the AI Age: Essay Edition
  • Assignment Makeovers in the AI Age: Reading Response Edition

Tyler Cowen & Alexander Tabarook How to Learn & Teach Economics with Large Language Models, Including GPT

Sam Lau & Philip Guo Teaching Programming in the Age of ChatGPT – O’Reilly  

AI Prompts for Teaching  

Impact Research: K-12 Teachers & Students ChatGPT Use

Torrey Trust — Essential Considerations for Addressing the Possibility of AI-Driven Cheating, Part 1 | Faculty Focus  

Ideas to Limit AI Use in Assignments from Google Bard  

Educause Review: Artificial Intelligence

An introduction to prompting generative AI like ChatGPT for teaching and learning  

ChatGPT, Chatbots and Artificial Intelligence in Education – Ditch That Textbook

Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Teaching and Learning (PDF)  

Rethinking your Problem Sets in the World of Generative AI – MIT

Hybrid Teaching: Best Practices

Blended Learning | Columbia CTL  

How We Use AI to Enhance Your Writing | Grammarly 

30 AI tools for the classroom – Ditch That Textbook  

College of Education ChatGPT Resources

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  • Using ChatGPT for Assignments | Tips & Examples

Using ChatGPT for Assignments | Tips & Examples

Published on 13 February 2023 by Jack Caulfield and Tobias Solis. Revised on 15 May 2023.

People are still figuring out the best use cases for ChatGPT , the popular chatbot based on a powerful AI language model. This article provides some ideas for how to use the tool to assist with your academic writing .

ChatGPT can assist you with the following steps when writing a paper, thesis , or dissertation :

  • Developing a research question
  • Creating an outline
  • Generating literature ideas

Paraphrasing text

  • Getting feedback

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Table of contents

Developing a research question with chatgpt, creating an outline of your paper with chatgpt, generate literature ideas, getting feedback from chatgpt, limitations of chatgpt, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about using chatgpt for assignments.

You can use ChatGPT to help you formulate a clear and concise research question by generating and improving potential questions.

With the help of ChatGPT, you can develop a large number of possible research questions within a short time. This is a great way to generate ideas and different approaches to a topic.

However, make sure that the generated questions make sense and meet your needs. As you can see from our example, you can keep working with ChatGPT to adapt its suggestions to your needs (or just edit the text directly if you already have a clear idea of what you want).

First input

Develop three possible research questions on the following topic: “The influence of social media on political opinion formation.”

ChatGPT output

  • To what extent does exposure to diverse political perspectives on social media affect individuals’ political opinions and behaviours?
  • How does the personalised algorithm of social media platforms shape the formation of political opinions among its users?
  • What are the underlying factors that determine the effect of social media on political opinion formation, and how can they be measured and analysed?

Second input

Based on the second research question, develop three further research questions on the topic of polarisation in UK politics.

  • Build my scientific method, qualitative discourse analysis, into each question
  • Include the term “filter bubble” in each question
  • How does the filter bubble effect on social media platforms contribute to the polarisation of political attitudes in the UK? A qualitative discourse analysis.
  • What is the role of filter bubbles in perpetuating and reinforcing political echo chambers in the UK? A qualitative discourse analysis.
  • How does the influence of filter bubbles on social media affect the ability of individuals to engage in productive political discourse across ideological divides in the UK? A qualitative discourse analysis.

Third input

Try to incorporate “qualitative discourse analysis” into the questions themselves, instead of using it as a separate sentence.

  • How does a qualitative discourse analysis of filter bubble effect on social media platforms contribute to understanding the polarisation of political attitudes in the UK?
  • What is the contribution of a qualitative discourse analysis to understanding the role of filter bubbles in perpetuating and reinforcing political echo chambers in the UK?
  • How does a qualitative discourse analysis of the influence of filter bubbles on social media inform our understanding of the ability of individuals to engage in productive political discourse across ideological divides in the UK?

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You can also use ChatGPT to help you draft a research paper outline or thesis outline . To do this, try generating possible headings and subheadings and then improving them. ChatGPT can help to generate a clear and well-structured outline, especially if you keep adjusting the structure with its help.

However, it doesn’t have a deep understanding of your topic. As a result, inappropriate headings may sometimes be generated. It’s important to check that the outline makes sense and covers all the points needed to answer your research question.

You should also ensure that the headings and subheadings follow a logical structure. Scribbr’s Proofreading & Editing service can help you with this.

Create an outline for an academic research paper with the following research question:

“What is the contribution of a qualitative discourse analysis to understanding the role of filter bubbles in perpetuating and reinforcing political echo chambers in the US?”

The paper will be about 8 pages long.

  • Background information on filter bubbles and political echo chambers
  • Purpose of the study
  • Research question
  • Thesis statement
  • Definition and concept of filter bubbles
  • Definition and concept of political echo chambers
  • Previous studies on the role of filter bubbles in perpetuating and reinforcing political echo chambers
  • Critiques and limitations of previous studies
  • Research design
  • Participants
  • Data collection and analysis
  • Validity and reliability
  • Findings from qualitative discourse analysis
  • Results related to the research question
  • Implications of the findings
  • Interpretation of the results
  • Comparison with previous studies
  • Limitations of the study
  • Implications for future research
  • Summary of the results
  • Implications for understanding the role of filter bubbles in perpetuating and reinforcing political echo chambers
  • Conclusion and recommendations for future research
  • List of references used in the paper
  • Data collection materials
  • Examples of qualitative data analysis

This seems like too much information to fit into only 8 pages. Can you condense the outline, for example removing the appendices and simplifying the structure?

  • Background on filter bubbles and political echo chambers
  • Definition of filter bubbles and political echo chambers
  • Previous studies on the role of filter bubbles
  • Limitations of previous studies
  • Implications for understanding the role of filter bubbles
  • Final thoughts

ChatGPT can be a useful way to generate ideas regarding what sources you might use in your work. Try asking it for suggestions about where to look and what to consider.

However, we advise against using it to find sources directly. It’s not designed for this and, if asked to do it, often just creates fake sources and presents them as real. Search a database like Google Scholar instead.

What types of sources could I use to write a paper on the following research question?

“What is the contribution of a qualitative discourse analysis to understanding the role of filter bubbles in perpetuating and reinforcing political echo chambers in the UK?”

When writing a paper on the contribution of qualitative discourse analysis to understanding the role of filter bubbles in perpetuating and reinforcing political echo chambers in the UK, you could use the following types of sources:

  • Academic journals and articles: These are a good place to start when you’re looking for information on specific topics and they can provide you with in-depth analysis and perspectives on the topic at hand.
  • Books and book chapters: These sources can provide comprehensive overviews of a particular topic and can also offer theoretical frameworks and historical perspectives.
  • Government reports and studies: Government agencies may have conducted studies on the role of filter bubbles in perpetuating political echo chambers.
  • News articles and media reports: These sources can provide insight into the current state of the issue, as well as opinions from various stakeholders.
  • Online sources: Websites, blogs, and online forums can provide a range of perspectives on the topic and can also be useful in exploring the experiences of individuals who are affected by filter bubbles and political echo chambers.
  • Data and statistics: Relevant data and statistics on the prevalence and impact of filter bubbles and political echo chambers in the UK can be useful in providing evidence to support your arguments.
  • Expert interviews and focus groups: Conducting expert interviews or focus groups with individuals who have experience with or knowledge of the topic can provide valuable insights and perspectives that can be used to support your arguments.

You can also try using ChatGPT to paraphrase text. ChatGPT can quickly generate a number of different paraphrases of the same idea. You can keep typing “again” in the chat until you are satisfied with the result.

This kind of paraphrasing can be helpful to, for example, non-native speakers who want to improve the fluency of their text. However, be careful. The paraphrases often:

  • Contain grammatical errors
  • Include false information

So you should always check the output to make sure it’s correct. If you’re unsure, you can run the text through the Scribbr Grammar Checker and cross-reference the information against other, more credible sources .

An alternative is to use the Scribbr Paraphrasing Tool , which was designed directly for this purpose.

Paraphrase the following text:

“A filter bubble results from a social media algorithm’s attempts to cater to an individual user based on data such as their search history and previous behaviour on the site. It results in the user only being presented with information that confirms their biases.”

Restructure the sentences and use other phrasings for the following parts:

  • “results from”
  • “only being presented with”

“A filter bubble is created when a social media algorithm customises its content for a particular user based on their data, such as their search history and past actions on the platform. This leads to the user being confined to information that reinforces their pre-existing beliefs.” Note We strongly advise against having ChatGPT write text for you and trying to pass it off as your own work. This is academically dishonest and is widely considered plagiarism . It will usually result in an automatic fail, as well as other potential consequences .

You can also use ChatGPT to get feedback on the argumentation and structure of your paper and suggestions for improvements.

An advantage of this is that you can get feedback from ChatGPT on different text excerpts at any time. However, one downside is that ChatGPT does not have a deep understanding of your research question, so its feedback and suggestions may be shallow or inappropriate.

This kind of feedback cannot replace input from an experienced academic supervisor who’s familiar with your topic. Use ChatGPT feedback as a supplement, not a substitute for human feedback.

If you need in-depth feedback on your writing from someone with academic expertise, try Scribbr’s Proofreading & Editing service .

[Text you want to get feedback on.]

Thank you for submitting your research paper for review. Let me provide you with my constructive criticism:

Clarity of Explanations: Overall, the explanations are clear and concise, but there are a few areas that could benefit from additional clarification. For example, in the first paragraph, you mention “the mental lexicon,” but do not provide a definition or further explanation for what this is. It would also be helpful to provide a definition of “lemma.”

Smoothness of Language: The language in the paper is generally smooth, but there are a few instances where it could be refined. For example, the sentence “The symptoms vary from adding superfluous words and taking pauses to hoarseness of the voice” could be rephrased to “The symptoms of these disorders can range from excessive use of words and pauses to hoarseness.”

Structure of Text: The structure of the text is clear, with each paragraph building on the previous one. However, the transition between the first two paragraphs could be smoother. Perhaps you could add a sentence or two to bridge the gap between the two topics.

Even though ChatGPT is a powerful writing tool, you should keep the following limitations in mind:

No original research

Risk of plagiarism, fake sources, fake “facts”.

ChatGPT was trained using existing texts, and the texts created by the AI are based on this data. It’s not capable of doing its own research, only of synthesizing sources that it was trained on.

Additionally, because the texts that it was trained on only go up to 2021, it’s unfamiliar with more recent world events, cultural trends, and developments in different fields of research. This means it may provide outdated information.

Because ChatGPT was trained using existing text, the AI tends to reuse that content in a way that may be considered plagiarism. The AI may copy text from an online publication in its responses.

Additionally, using ChatGPT to write your assignment for you is considered plagiarism regardless of where it got the content from, because you’re passing off something you didn’t write as your own work.

ChatGPT was trained on a wide variety of sources, but it’s not able to accurately tell you what sources it’s using for any given output. Worse, it has a tendency to make up sources that don’t actually exist when you ask.

In addition, ChatGPT is not designed as a citation generator and cannot add correctly formatted citations to your work. Instead, try a tool designed for this purpose, like the Scribbr Citation Generator .

ChatGPT is not always trustworthy when it comes to giving you factually correct information. While it doesn’t deliberately lie, it also doesn’t have “knowledge” in a traditional sense, and it lacks the ability to verify its claims.

Instead, its responses are based on recognising and reproducing patterns that it has seen in other texts. This means that if it doesn’t “know” something, it tends to guess. And its guesses are presented with full confidence, just like established facts.

So it’s very important that you carefully check any factual claims made by ChatGPT against more credible sources —and don’t cite ChatGPT as a source of factual information for your research.

If you want more tips on using AI tools , understanding plagiarism , and citing sources , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations, examples, and formats.

  • Citing ChatGPT
  • Best grammar checker
  • Best paraphrasing tool
  • ChatGPT in your studies
  • Is ChatGPT trustworthy?
  • Types of plagiarism
  • Self-plagiarism
  • Avoiding plagiarism
  • Academic integrity
  • Best plagiarism checker

Citing sources

  • Citation styles
  • In-text citation
  • Citation examples
  • Annotated bibliography

Yes, ChatGPT is able to create code in different programming languages like Python, Java and C++.

There are several ways you can use ChatGPT in your studies , such as if programming is part of your bachelor’s or master’s degree.

You should not trust ChatGPT’s results unconditionally. While you can use ChatGPT during your studies to clarify questions, you should always double-check the answers you receive against other credible sources , as it doesn’t always give correct information. Don’t cite ChatGPT as a source of factual information.

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If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the ‘Cite this Scribbr article’ button to automatically add the citation to our free Reference Generator.

Caulfield, J. & Solis, T. (2023, May 15). Using ChatGPT for Assignments | Tips & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved 21 May 2024, from https://www.scribbr.co.uk/using-ai-tools/using-chatgpt-for-assignments/

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How ChatGPT (and other AI chatbots) can help you write an essay

screenshot-2024-03-27-at-4-28-37pm.png

ChatGPT  is capable of doing many different things very well, with one of the biggest standout features being its ability to compose all sorts of text within seconds, including songs, poems, bedtime stories, and essays . 

The chatbot's writing abilities are not only fun to experiment with, but can help provide assistance with everyday tasks. Whether you are a student, a working professional, or just getting stuff done, we constantly take time out of our day to compose emails, texts, posts, and more. ChatGPT can help you claim some of that time back by helping you brainstorm and then compose any text you need. 

How to use ChatGPT to write: Code | Excel formulas | Resumes  | Cover letters  

Contrary to popular belief, ChatGPT can do much more than just write an essay for you from scratch (which would be considered plagiarism). A more useful way to use the chatbot is to have it guide your writing process. 

Below, we show you how to use ChatGPT to do both the writing and assisting, as well as some other helpful writing tips. 

How ChatGPT can help you write an essay

If you are looking to use ChatGPT to support or replace your writing, here are five different techniques to explore. 

It is also worth noting before you get started that other AI chatbots can output the same results as ChatGPT or are even better, depending on your needs.

Also: The best AI chatbots of 2024: ChatGPT and alternatives

For example,  Copilot  has access to the internet, and as a result, it can source its answers from recent information and current events. Copilot also includes footnotes linking back to the original source for all of its responses, making the chatbot a more valuable tool if you're writing a paper on a more recent event, or if you want to verify your sources.

Regardless of which AI chatbot you pick, you can use the tips below to get the most out of your prompts and from AI assistance.

1. Use ChatGPT to generate essay ideas

Before you can even get started writing an essay, you need to flesh out the idea. When professors assign essays, they generally give students a prompt that gives them leeway for their own self-expression and analysis. 

As a result, students have the task of finding the angle to approach the essay on their own. If you have written an essay recently, you know that finding the angle is often the trickiest part -- and this is where ChatGPT can help. 

Also: ChatGPT vs. Copilot: Which AI chatbot is better for you?

All you need to do is input the assignment topic, include as much detail as you'd like -- such as what you're thinking about covering -- and let ChatGPT do the rest. For example, based on a paper prompt I had in college, I asked:

Can you help me come up with a topic idea for this assignment, "You will write a research paper or case study on a leadership topic of your choice." I would like it to include Blake and Mouton's Managerial Leadership Grid, and possibly a historical figure. 

Also: I'm a ChatGPT pro but this quick course taught me new tricks, and you can take it for free

Within seconds, the chatbot produced a response that provided me with the title of the essay, options of historical figures I could focus my article on, and insight on what information I could include in my paper, with specific examples of a case study I could use. 

2. Use the chatbot to create an outline

Once you have a solid topic, it's time to start brainstorming what you actually want to include in the essay. To facilitate the writing process, I always create an outline, including all the different points I want to touch upon in my essay. However, the outline-writing process is usually tedious. 

With ChatGPT, all you have to do is ask it to write the outline for you. 

Also: Thanks to my 5 favorite AI tools, I'm working smarter now

Using the topic that ChatGPT helped me generate in step one, I asked the chatbot to write me an outline by saying: 

Can you create an outline for a paper, "Examining the Leadership Style of Winston Churchill through Blake and Mouton's Managerial Leadership Grid."

After a couple of seconds, the chatbot produced a holistic outline divided into seven different sections, with three different points under each section. 

This outline is thorough and can be condensed for a shorter essay or elaborated on for a longer paper. If you don't like something or want to tweak the outline further, you can do so either manually or with more instructions to ChatGPT. 

As mentioned before, since Copilot is connected to the internet, if you use Copilot to produce the outline, it will even include links and sources throughout, further expediting your essay-writing process. 

3. Use ChatGPT to find sources

Now that you know exactly what you want to write, it's time to find reputable sources to get your information. If you don't know where to start, you can just ask ChatGPT. 

Also: How to make ChatGPT provide sources and citations

All you need to do is ask the AI to find sources for your essay topic. For example, I asked the following: 

Can you help me find sources for a paper, "Examining the Leadership Style of Winston Churchill through Blake and Mouton's Managerial Leadership Grid."

The chatbot output seven sources, with a bullet point for each that explained what the source was and why it could be useful. 

Also:   How to use ChatGPT to make charts and tables

The one caveat you will want to be aware of when using ChatGPT for sources is that it does not have access to information after 2021, so it will not be able to suggest the freshest sources. If you want up-to-date information, you can always use Copilot. 

Another perk of using Copilot is that it automatically links to sources in its answers. 

4. Use ChatGPT to write an essay

It is worth noting that if you take the text directly from the chatbot and submit it, your work could be considered a form of plagiarism since it is not your original work. As with any information taken from another source, text generated by an AI should be clearly identified and credited in your work.

Also: ChatGPT will now remember its past conversations with you (if you want it to)

In most educational institutions, the penalties for plagiarism are severe, ranging from a failing grade to expulsion from the school. A better use of ChatGPT's writing features would be to use it to create a sample essay to guide your writing. 

If you still want ChatGPT to create an essay from scratch, enter the topic and the desired length, and then watch what it generates. For example, I input the following text: 

Can you write a five-paragraph essay on the topic, "Examining the Leadership Style of Winston Churchill through Blake and Mouton's Managerial Leadership Grid."

Within seconds, the chatbot gave the exact output I required: a coherent, five-paragraph essay on the topic. You could then use that text to guide your own writing. 

Also: ChatGPT vs. Microsoft Copilot vs. Gemini: Which is the best AI chatbot?

At this point, it's worth remembering how tools like ChatGPT work : they put words together in a form that they think is statistically valid, but they don't know if what they are saying is true or accurate. 

As a result, the output you receive might include invented facts, details, or other oddities. The output might be a useful starting point for your own work, but don't expect it to be entirely accurate, and always double-check the content. 

5. Use ChatGPT to co-edit your essay

Once you've written your own essay, you can use ChatGPT's advanced writing capabilities to edit the piece for you. 

You can simply tell the chatbot what you want it to edit. For example, I asked ChatGPT to edit our five-paragraph essay for structure and grammar, but other options could have included flow, tone, and more. 

Also: AI meets AR as ChatGPT is now available on the Apple Vision Pro

Once you ask the tool to edit your essay, it will prompt you to paste your text into the chatbot. ChatGPT will then output your essay with corrections made. This feature is particularly useful because ChatGPT edits your essay more thoroughly than a basic proofreading tool, as it goes beyond simply checking spelling. 

You can also co-edit with the chatbot, asking it to take a look at a specific paragraph or sentence, and asking it to rewrite or fix the text for clarity. Personally, I find this feature very helpful. 

The best AI chatbots: ChatGPT isn't the only one worth trying

How to use chatgpt (and how to access gpt-4o), virtue, intellect, and trust: how chatgpt beat humans 3-0 in a moral turing test.

ChatGPT in Higher Education: Facts and Ideas to Consider

A laptop with ChatGPT on its screen

Introduction

It is safe to say that by now, you have seen many articles/posts, opinions, and stories about ChatGPT—and the larger AI-Language Learning Models (LLMs)—in relation to higher education and teaching/learning in particular. These writings included several perspectives ranging from raising concerns to celebrating new opportunities and a mix of the former and the latter. Also, these writings continue to evolve and grow rapidly in number as new AI-powered LLMs continue to emerge and evolve (e.g., Google’s new AI LLMs: Bard ).

The intent of this piece is not to add another article sharing tips or concerns about ChatGPT. That being said, this article (1) summarizes the major concerns about ChatGPT and (2) the ideas about its positive implications based on what it is published to date.

Concerns about ChatGPT

Faculty, scholars, and higher education leaders have raised several concerns about ChatGPT. These concerns stem from possible ways it can be used.

  • Using ChatGPT to cheat by asking it to write essays/answer open-ended questions in exams/discussion forums and homework assignments (December 19th, 2022 NPR Story ) (December 6th, 2022 Atlantic Story ) (January 16 New York Times Story ).
  • Using ChatGPT to author scholarly works which conflict with the ethical standards of scientific inquiry. Several high-impact/profile journals have already formulated principles to guide authors on how to use LLMs AI tools and why it is not allowed to credit such tool as an author—any attribution of authorship carries with it accountability for the scholarly work, and no AI tool can take such responsibility (January 24th, 2023 Nature Editorial ).
  • ChatGPT can threaten the privacy of students/faculty (and any other user). Its privacy policy states that data can be shared with third-party vendors, law enforcement, affiliates, and other users. Also, while one can delete their ChatGPT account, the prompts they entered into ChatGPT cannot be deleted. This setup threatens sensitive or controversial topics as this data cannot be removed (January 2023 Publication by Dr. Torrey Trust ).
  • ChatGPT is not always trustworthy, as it can fabricate quotes and references. In an experiment conducted by Dr. Daniel Hickey at Indiana University Bloomington, Instructional Systems Technology department, “ ChatGPT was able to write a marginally acceptable literature review paper, but fabricated some quotes and references. With more work such as including paper abstracts in the prompts, GPT is scarily good at referencing research literature, perhaps as well as a first-year graduate student.” (January 6th, 2023, Article by Dr. Daniel Hickey )

Excitement about ChatGPT

At the other end of the spectrum, there have been several ideas that express interest and excitement about ChatGPT in higher education. These ideas stem from how they can be used ethically and in a controlled manner.

  • Using ChatGPT to speed up the writing of drafts for several outlets (reports, abstracts, emails, conference proposals, press releases, recommendation letters, etc.) ChatGPT can produce elaborated writing that must be edited to remove any possible inconsistencies or inaccuracies (December 7th, 2022 Social Science Space story )
  • Using ChatGPT in the process of brainstorming ideas for curriculum design, lesson planning, and learning activities. The tool can provide some novel ideas or remind educators of some instructional techniques and strategies that they had heard about in the past (January 23rd, 2023, Article by Dr. David Wiley ).
  • Using ChatGPT to provide students tutoring/scaffolds. The tool can act like a virtual tutor who does not simply give the answer to the student but rather scaffold them to reach the correct answers by themselves. (Sal Khan, founder/CEO of Khan Academy, Spring 2023 TED Talk )
  • Teaching with ChatGPT to train students on using AI tools and models, provide opportunities to exercise critical thinking skills, and improve their technological literacy (January 12th New York Times story ).

Concluding Thoughts

There are major concerns about ChatGPT and the larger AI-powered Language Learning Models (LLMs) phenomenon. These concerns are legitimate and are opposed by notable ideas about the positive implications of AI-powered LLMs in higher education classrooms. As we aspire to make evidence-based educational and learning design decisions, one should carefully review the research that has been done on AI in relation to higher education up to this point and engage with the gaps as opportunities to expand knowledge and find new opportunities and risks.

Our University’s newly formed advisory committee on the applications of generative AI is a good example of how higher education institutions ought to recommend the use, evaluation, and development of emergent AI tools and services. Additionally, discussions about generative AI and its implications on education happening in public venues are necessary to strengthen the public-facing mission of the University, where input from educators, students, and members of the community is welcome.

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Generative AI for Course Design: The Basics

Outsmart ChatGPT: 8 Tips for Creating Assignments It Can’t Do

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Since the latest version of ChatGPT emerged late last year, educators have been puzzling over how to reconcile traditional writing instruction with tech that can churn out everything from essays to haikus with uncanny sophistication.

Some educators contend ChatGPT can be a learning tool, while others say it’s more likely to be used as a cheating tool. In fact, more than a quarter of teachers say they’ve caught students using ChatGPT to cheat, according to a survey from Study.com, an online learning platform .

That raises the question: Can educators remove students’ temptation to use ChatGPT and other so-called “large language models” to plagiarize by coming up with assignments that the ChatGPT won’t be able to handle? If yes, what might those assignments look like?

We asked educators and experts on all sides of the broader debates about ChatGPT to give us some strategies for AI-proofing assignments. Here’s what they told us:

1. Ask students to write about something deeply personal

Consider having students delve into their scariest moment, the biggest challenge they ever overcame, or even answer a quirky personal question: Would you rather be the bucket or the sand?

It’s difficult at this point for AI to fake highly personal writing, said Joshua Rosenberg, an assistant professor of STEM education at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. (For the record, Rosenberg thinks it’s valuable for teachers to incorporate AI writing tools into some assignments.)

To be sure, even with these personal essays, students “could make it up,” acknowledged Kristin Daley Conti, a 7th grade science teacher at Tantasqua Junior High School in Massachusetts. But most of her middle schoolers are too eager to share their stories to outsource the job to AI, she explained. “They like to center things around themselves,” she said.

One wrinkle: Writing only about personal heroes or big life challenges isn’t as effective as other types of assignments for teaching students the reasoning and critical thinking skills that good writers must master, said Michelle Brown, the founder and CEO of CommonLit, an online reading program.

“I cringe a little bit at the idea that we will overcorrect and make a lot of writing personal,” she said. “What makes writing instruction good is that you’re synthesizing complex information from a complex text or complex sources. So, if we’re trying to make our assignments ChatGPT-proof that could be one way, but I worry about the consequences on student learning.”

2. Center a writing assignment around an issue specific to the local community

ChatGPT doesn’t have a strong background in hyperlocal issues, though that is likely to change as the tool becomes more sophisticated, experts say. But for now, educators may be able to minimize how much help ChatGPT can be on a particular assignment by grounding it in the school community—maybe even by asking students to write about a new school rule or the student council election.

Teachers could also ask their students to connect information about the water quality in a nearby pond the class studied to global patterns in environmental conservation. “There probably just isn’t a lot of data” available online about such a small body of water, Rosenberg said.

Did We Miss Anything?

Got a tip for making assignments ChatGPT-proof not mentioned here?

📧 Email [email protected] with your ideas.

3. Direct students to write about a very recent news event

At this point, ChatGPT can’t capture much information about things that happened just days earlier, Rosenberg said. Teachers could ask students to compare a very recent news event to a historical one, say the balloon that was reportedly sent by the Chinese government to spy on the United States with the Cuban missile crisis.

While ChatGPT may be able to spit out some sort of answer, it is likely to be muddled, Rosenberg said. “The model might generate just factually wrong things about time-sensitive events,” he said. “That can be a good cue to teachers that something’s fishy.”

4. Have students show or explain their work

In math class, students usually show how they arrived at a particular answer to get credit for solving a problem. That concept could apply to writing, Rosenberg said. For instance, teachers could prompt students to detail their brainstorming process, explaining why they choose to write about a particular topic.

Teachers could also ask questions such as: “How did you decide to structure your paper this way? Did you just start writing or did you think ‘my first paragraph is going to be on this and then my second paragraph on this?’” Rosenberg said. “That could just hold students a little bit more accountable for their process of writing.”

On a similar note, two literacy focused technology nonprofits, CommonLit and Quill, would love to see developers come up with new technology that analyzes keystrokes or various versions of a draft to decide whether a particular piece of writing was produced by a human or a robot, a more sophisticated process-based approach to discouraging cheating.

5. Ask students to give an oral presentation, along with the written work

One way to make this work: Ask students to record themselves on a video platform such as FlipGrid, talking about their essay, story, report, or other assignment, Daley Conti, the middle school science teacher, suggested.

That could deter cheaters. And it would provide students who did get help from AI in completing their assignment with an incentive to at least learn the content. “Even if they did get it from ChatGPT, they would have had to read it, digest it, and then talk about it,” Daley Conti said.

6. Return to a pre-digital age and ask students to handwrite their essays in class

This low-tech solution seems obvious. And it might be the most surefire way to make certain that students aren’t getting help from AI or even their parents or other students in the class.

Sal Khan, founder of one of the most prominent education technology tools, Khan Academy, sees value in having students do their writing the old-fashioned way , even as he thinks K-12 schools should help students learn to write using ChatGPT as well.

“One mitigation, which isn’t a bad idea, is to have students do more writing in class periods, in front of you,” Khan said in an interview. “I think it’s a good idea to do more of your actual writing and workshopping in class. The best writing classes are the ones where it’s like a real writers’ workshop, and kids are writing all the time. And the teacher and peers are giving each other feedback.”

7. Put project-based learning to work

Teachers could lean towards big, multi-disciplinary projects that an AI essay “isn’t going to be an appropriate measure of,” said Joseph South, the chief learning officer for the International Society for Technology in Education, a nonprofit.

For instance, he said, several school districts explored water quality in different parts of the country for a social studies course, looking at different policies in different states and cities. They tested the water in their own communities, looking for contaminates. Then they created graphs and charts showing the impact of local policies on local water supplies, and presented their findings.

“ChatGPT was never going to do that project for them,” South said. “It’d be impossible to cheat on that project with it. And the kids didn’t want to cheat because they were doing something really cool and interesting and relevant to their lives.”

If students are “taking pride in their work, they don’t want a robot to write it,” he said.

8. Run the assignment through ChatGPT before giving it to students

Maybe asking students for their take on a local issue—the school board election, perhaps—is one way to get around the power of ChatGPT. One hiccup: If users point ChatGPT to specific sources, it will use them in crafting a response to a prompt. So, if students put in links to a few articles in the local newspaper about the election, the tech may produce a surprisingly sophisticated take.

Teachers hoping to come up with assignments the tool can’t handle should keep that in mind, said Peter Gault, the founder and executive director of Quill, a literacy-focused technology nonprofit. “The trick is if you could say read this article, and then give a link and then do it and then see how it performs,” he said.

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Universities warn against using ChatGPT for assignments

  • Published 28 February 2023

Pieter Snepvangers

Former student Pieter Snepvangers used ChatGPT to write him an essay answer as part of an experiment

Universities are warning students they could be punished for using artificial intelligence (AI) to complete essays.

"Don't take the chance," said Steve West, Vice Chancellor at the University of the West of England (UWE).

It comes after a former University of Bristol student experimented with the ChatGPT bot to get a 2:2 on one of his old essay questions.

"I got 65% and it took two weeks when I did it. ChatGPT was 12 marks off - that's scary," said Pieter Snepvangers.

ChatGPT, which reacts to users in a conversational way, provides convincingly human responses to questions using information from the internet,

Mr Snepvangers' essay was graded at 53% by one of his former lecturers, who was fully aware it had been created using artificial intelligence.

The student asked the bot 10 questions and received a 3,500-word essay, which he then spent 10 minutes formatting for the experiment.

'Convincing' English

"ChatGPT didn't produce in-text referencing, but my lecturer said if I had done that it would have scored a high 2:2 or a 2:1," said Mr Snepvangers.

"He said the English was convincing, but it often danced around answering the actual question.

"Can you imagine what the software will be like for students starting university now by their third year?

"Universities have to switch on and find a way of adapting their assessments," said Mr Snepvangers.

His lecturer also said four out of 33 essays handed in for one module this year "looked fishy from an AI perspective."

A University of Bristol spokesperson said: "ChatGPT's unauthorised use, like that of other chatbots or artificial intelligence software, would be considered a form of cheating under our assessment regulations."

UWE Vice Chancellor Steve West

Vice chancellor of UWE, Steve West says the technology "can't be put back in the bottle"

ChatGPT has become hugely popular since it launched in December.

It is trained on large amounts of data that enable it to make predictions about how to string words together.

It can be hard to detect using traditional anti-plagiarism software because it generates a brand new answer for questions asked.

'Students don't need AI'

Vice chancellor of the University of the West of England, Steve West - who warned students that using AI to create essays would be an "assessment offence" - said he had dabbled with the software.

"I'm a foot surgeon by background so I put in a question about a complex surgical procedure and it gave me an answer.

"Would I use that answer to do that surgery? Absolutely not.

"We can't put the technology back in the bottle, but its limitations have to be understood.

"But academic staff are bright and they will spot it being used. Students - you're brighter than that, you don't need to do it," he said.

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Professors want to 'ChatGPT-proof' assignments, and are returning to paper exams and requesting editing history to curb AI cheating

  • College professors are looking to "ChatGPT-proof" assignments to curb cheating.
  • Some professors suggest returning to paper exams and asking students to show editing histories. 
  • Changes to assignments come as teachers debate the usage of generative AI in the classroom. 

Insider Today

Since OpenAI's ChatGPT came out last November, a number of teachers have caught their students using the chatbot to cheat and plagiarize on their assignments.

Now, professors at colleges across the US and beyond are trying out ways to "ChatGPT-proof" their assignments, as concerns grow that students may be missing out on learning by using AI cut corners and tools that detect AI-generated text have been found to be prone to errors.

Bonnie MacKellar, a computer science professor at St. Johns University in New York, said that she is making students in her intro courses take paper exams instead of digital ones and having them handwrite their code. Paper exams will be a bigger portion of her students' grades this fall, she said, compared to previous semesters. In turn, students will be disincentivized to outsource their logical thinking to AI, which she said could stunt their learning and leave them unprepared for more advanced computer science classes down the line.

"I hear colleagues in humanities courses saying the same thing: It's back to the blue books," MacKellar said.

Other professors seek to curb AI cheating by reframing assignment questions so students are required to "show their work," William Hart-Davidson, an associate dean at Michigan State University who leads AI workshops for faculty members, told Insider over email.

Assignment questions, Hart-Davidson said, "should include a request for students to be explicit and reflective about the moves they are making."

"We don't just want them to reproduce a fact or a rote response, but to learn to account for their reasoning in a deliberate way," he said.

Related stories

For instance, ChatGPT can easily answer a straight-forward question like "Tell me in three sentences what is the Krebs cycle in chemistry?" he said.

To avoid this, Hart-Davidson told Insider that teachers should reframe the question to something like "revise an existing passage" on the Krebs cycle, which would require students to point out errors, identify writing for clarity and accuracy, and explain how the writing could be improved.

That way, students are forced to think through their answers, rather than regurgitate what a chatbot tells them, which Hart-Davidson said could help improve their writing.

Some professors suggest students show their work by including their editing history and drafts along with their completed assignments. A document that logs all the typos corrected and the sentences rephrased in an essay can prove that a human wrote it, Dave Sayers, a professor at the University of Jyväskylä in Finland, wrote for the Times Higher Education , an education blog.

A guide from Butler University in Indianapolis on how to chatbot-proof assignments suggests that teachers could eliminate the essay, issue impromptu oral exams, and foster classroom discussions around how to best use the chatbot's responses.

The changes to school assignments come as teachers grapple with how to best integrate AI tools like ChatGPT into their classrooms. While some professors require their students to use ChatGPT to generate project ideas , some schools have outright banned the usage of AI to avoid cases of academic dishonesty.

Despite the controversy, some teachers are using AI chatbots themselves to streamline their workflows. Shannon Ahern, a high school math and science teacher in Dublin, Ireland, previously told Insider she used ChatGPT Plus to write lesson plans , generate exercise worksheets, and come up with quiz questions, which she claimed saved her hours of time.

As far as cheating goes, some teachers don't see that changing — with or without AI.

"I worried that my students would use it to cheat and plagiarize," Ahern said. "But then I remembered that students have always been cheating — whether that's copying a classmate's homework or getting a sibling to write an essay — and I don't think ChatGPT will change that."

Are you a student that secretly uses AI for your school work? Reach out to Insider's Aaron Mok at [email protected], or by encrypted messaging app Signal at 718-710-8200. Your identity will remain anonymous.

Axel Springer, Business Insider's parent company, has a global deal to allow OpenAI to train its models on its media brands' reporting.

Watch: What is ChatGPT, and should we be afraid of AI chatbots?

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Teachers working around AI tools as student use of Chat GPT grows in high schools

The use of Artificial Intelligence continues to grow all around the world, including in our schools.

Students are using these tools to help write papers.

But that leads to the question about ethics and whether students are actually learning.

"Write about the top three issues that presidential elections that young people care about," Juno Wozny typed into ChatGPT.

The 18-year-old showed News 3 how she uses the AI tool that allows you to have human-like conversations to complete tasks.

Within seconds an entire paper popped up on her screen, something that would have taken many of us hours of research and writing to complete in the past.

"There's plenty of ways where it can be used," Wozny said. "You could put your essay in there and say, write it at this level grade."

MORE NEWS 3 | CCSD principal sends message about students bringing weapons as 'protection' to school

The Rancho High School student, graduating in just a few days, says this is just one of several AI tools she's used to help her at school.

"I take little snippets and then I'd also do a little research on my own and just type it up like that," she said.

Wozny's history teacher Reuben D'Silva says he caught on quickly that students were using AI for school work.

"I was getting perfect essays, you know from the prompts I was putting up for students, down to the commas in the punctuation," said D'Silva. "I was getting these like theses back from students, you know, five-paragraph responses within hours of those assignments."

When he would confront students, he said they would get creative.

"They started getting better at it, you know, you know, copy and pasting certain portions, doing their own writing into the mix," said D'Silva.

There are several AI detection tools online.

But D'Silva says he doesn't use them because they don't have 100% certainty.

So, he's been taking a different approach.

"We're taking it back to the 80's, 70's," said D'Silva. "A prompt on the board and then having the students write then and there you're right in front of me."

AI has been taking over schools nationwide over the last two years.

The ACT, the nonprofit that administers the college readiness exam, released a report in December after polling more than 4,000 high school students around the country. https://www.act.org/content/dam/act/secured/documents/High-School-Students-Use-and-Impressions-of-AI-Tools-Accessible.pdf

It showed that 46% of students reported using ai tools, the most common being Chat GPT.

46% of the students who used AI said they used it for school assignments.

64% of those students reported they used AI tools a few times a month or less.

News 3 asked Wozny if she believes she's still learning of using AI.

"It's not necessarily not doing your work," said Wozny. "It's more of just looking for extra assistance when sometimes you're a little too scared to ask teachers or whatever."

Last year, Chat GPT was banned by some of the largest districts.

New York City Public Schools was included on that list.

But last May the district reversed the decision and instead created a policy around how to best use it.

D'Silva agrees that AI can be valuable for students if used correctly.

"We should try to embrace it and see how we can, you know, create a partnership now of technology, student needs, teacher expectations," he said.

News 3 reached out to the Clark County School District regarding its policy on AI use.

In a statement, the district said:

"CCSD continues to monitor emerging artificial intelligence technology, such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and others. While new technologies may provide opportunities for student learning, the District is still evaluating the best options for using these programs on CCSD devices.
Using such technology to complete school work could violate the Student Code of Conduct and may result in a failing grade or loss of credit for the assignment or task, detention, and/or suspension."

What are your thoughts on students using AI for school work?

Reach out to the Crisis in the Classroom tip line by emailing [email protected] or calling 702-805-0489.

Teachers working around AI tools as student use of Chat GPT grows in high schools

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Introducing GPT-4o: OpenAI’s new flagship multimodal model now in preview on Azure

By Eric Boyd Corporate Vice President, Azure AI Platform, Microsoft

Posted on May 13, 2024 2 min read

  • Tag: Copilot
  • Tag: Generative AI

Microsoft is thrilled to announce the launch of GPT-4o, OpenAI’s new flagship model on Azure AI. This groundbreaking multimodal model integrates text, vision, and audio capabilities, setting a new standard for generative and conversational AI experiences. GPT-4o is available now in Azure OpenAI Service, to try in preview , with support for text and image.

Azure OpenAI Service

A person sitting at a table looking at a laptop.

A step forward in generative AI for Azure OpenAI Service

GPT-4o offers a shift in how AI models interact with multimodal inputs. By seamlessly combining text, images, and audio, GPT-4o provides a richer, more engaging user experience.

Launch highlights: Immediate access and what you can expect

Azure OpenAI Service customers can explore GPT-4o’s extensive capabilities through a preview playground in Azure OpenAI Studio starting today in two regions in the US. This initial release focuses on text and vision inputs to provide a glimpse into the model’s potential, paving the way for further capabilities like audio and video.

Efficiency and cost-effectiveness

GPT-4o is engineered for speed and efficiency. Its advanced ability to handle complex queries with minimal resources can translate into cost savings and performance.

Potential use cases to explore with GPT-4o

The introduction of GPT-4o opens numerous possibilities for businesses in various sectors: 

  • Enhanced customer service : By integrating diverse data inputs, GPT-4o enables more dynamic and comprehensive customer support interactions.
  • Advanced analytics : Leverage GPT-4o’s capability to process and analyze different types of data to enhance decision-making and uncover deeper insights.
  • Content innovation : Use GPT-4o’s generative capabilities to create engaging and diverse content formats, catering to a broad range of consumer preferences.

Exciting future developments: GPT-4o at Microsoft Build 2024 

We are eager to share more about GPT-4o and other Azure AI updates at Microsoft Build 2024 , to help developers further unlock the power of generative AI.

Get started with Azure OpenAI Service

Begin your journey with GPT-4o and Azure OpenAI Service by taking the following steps:

  • Try out GPT-4o in Azure OpenAI Service Chat Playground (in preview).
  • If you are not a current Azure OpenAI Service customer, apply for access by completing this form .
  • Learn more about  Azure OpenAI Service  and the  latest enhancements.  
  • Understand responsible AI tooling available in Azure with Azure AI Content Safety .
  • Review the OpenAI blog on GPT-4o.

Let us know what you think of Azure and what you would like to see in the future.

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IMAGES

  1. Write College Assignments in 5 Seconds Using Chat GPT 📝👨‍💻

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  2. How to use Chat GPT? ChapGPT for assignments, article writing, and code

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VIDEO

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  2. How to use CHAT GPT For Assignment and Research part 1

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  4. සිසුන් Assignments වලට chatGPT භාවිතා කරන එක නවත්තන හැටි! How to stop chatGPT plagiarism

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COMMENTS

  1. ChatGPT

    Assignment Helper. By khoirul ashraff. A formal, knowledgeable guide for all assignments. Sign up to chat. Requires ChatGPT Plus.

  2. Using ChatGPT for Assignments

    Using ChatGPT for Assignments | Tips & Examples. Published on February 13, 2023 by Jack Caulfield and Tobias Solis. Revised on November 16, 2023. People are still figuring out the best use cases for ChatGPT, the popular chatbot based on a powerful AI language model.This article provides some ideas for how to use ChatGPT and other AI tools to assist with your academic writing.

  3. Designing Assignments and Activities with ChatGPT and Generative AI in

    ChatGPT-4 (a paid option) is significantly better at avoiding these style issues, and Bing Chat is powered by GPT-4 (free). Designing Assignments to Limit AI Usage. There are ways to design assignments that can make generative AI use more difficult for students. However, as tools become more sophisticated, assignment revisions may not be enough ...

  4. Using ChatGPT for Assignments

    ChatGPT can quickly generate a number of different paraphrases of the same idea. You can keep typing "again" in the chat until you are satisfied with the result. This kind of paraphrasing can be helpful to, for example, non-native speakers who want to improve the fluency of their text. However, be careful.

  5. How to Write an Essay with ChatGPT

    You can use ChatGPT to brainstorm potential research questions or to narrow down your thesis statement. Begin by inputting a description of the research topic or assigned question. Then include a prompt like "Write 3 possible research questions on this topic.". You can make the prompt as specific as you like.

  6. Introducing ChatGPT

    ChatGPT is a sibling model to InstructGPT, which is trained to follow an instruction in a prompt and provide a detailed response. We are excited to introduce ChatGPT to get users' feedback and learn about its strengths and weaknesses. During the research preview, usage of ChatGPT is free. Try it now at chat.openai.com.

  7. How to use ChatGPT as a learning tool

    ChatGPT, a chatbot software launched by the AI company OpenAI in November 2022, synthesizes online data and communicates it in a conversational way. Unlike a search engine, ChatGPT can write verse in the style of Shakespeare, dole out dating advice, and—especially concerning to educators—answer test questions and write essays.

  8. How ChatGPT (and other AI chatbots) can help you write an essay

    1. Use ChatGPT to generate essay ideas. Before you can even get started writing an essay, you need to flesh out the idea. When professors assign essays, they generally give students a prompt that ...

  9. How to use ChatGPT in your studies

    Input. Please write a program in Python that calculates the sum of all numbers from 1 to N, where N is entered by the user. ChatGPT result: Here is one way to write a program in Python to calculate the sum of all numbers from 1 to N: n = int (input ("Enter a positive integer: ")) sum = 0. for i in range (1, n+1):

  10. PDF Incorporating ChatGPT into Your Assignments

    New Modes of Learning Enabled by AI Chatbots: Three Methods and Assignments. GPT This! a writing assignment in the age of GPT-3 & other Large Language Models Educator Considerations for ChatGPT (from Open AI) Critical AI: Adapting College Writing for the Age of Large Language Models Such as ChatGPT: Some Next Steps for Educators.

  11. PDF A Teacher's Prompt Guide to ChatGPT

    Use Chat GPT to generate examples of high-quality responses to assignments and tasks. You could input the following prompt into Chat GPT: "Generate an example of a well-written essay on [topic] that meets the criteria for an 'A' grade." Pitch each lesson at the right level for students in the class.

  12. ChatGPT in Higher Education: Facts and Ideas to Consider

    Using ChatGPT to cheat by asking it to write essays/answer open-ended questions in exams/discussion forums and homework assignments (December 19th, 2022 ... With more work such as including paper abstracts in the prompts, GPT is scarily good at referencing research literature, perhaps as well as a first-year graduate student." (January 6th ...

  13. Outsmart ChatGPT: 8 Tips for Creating Assignments It Can't Do

    8. Run the assignment through ChatGPT before giving it to students. Maybe asking students for their take on a local issue—the school board election, perhaps—is one way to get around the power ...

  14. ChatGPT

    Access to GPT-4, GPT-4o, GPT-3.5. Up to 5x more messages for GPT-4o. Access to advanced data analysis, file uploads, vision, and web browsing. DALL•E image generation. Create and use custom GPTs. $20 /month; Start now (opens in a new window) Limits apply. Join hundreds of millions of users and try ChatGPT today.

  15. Incorporating ChatGPT into Classes with Writing Assignments: Policies

    The Provost's office offers two recommendations for allowing the use of Chat GPT and other Large Language Models in their three recommended syllabus policy statements. For instructors who wish to embrace ChatGPT. Artificial intelligence (AI) language models, such as ChatGPT, may be used for any assignment with appropriate citation.

  16. Universities warn against using ChatGPT for assignments

    Universities warn against using ChatGPT for assignments. 28 February 2023. Former student Pieter Snepvangers used ChatGPT to write him an essay answer as part of an experiment. By Jonathan Holmes ...

  17. ChatGPT

    Assignment Helper. By chunho yau. Helps with assignments subtly, mimicking human errors. Sign up to chat. Requires ChatGPT Plus.

  18. ChatGPT Just Got Better. What Does That Mean for Our Writing Assignments?

    The GPT-3.5 version is simpler and less precise, with sentences like: "The author recounts her son's desire to wear dresses to school and the reactions he faced from classmates and parents ...

  19. How to Create Compelling Writing Assignments in a ChatGPT Age

    This genre of writing assignment could be applied to any work that a student produces: a traditional essay, a research presentation, even an essay exam. Shift the title to "creator's statement ...

  20. How teachers started using ChatGPT to grade assignments

    A new tool called Writable, which uses ChatGPT to help grade student writing assignments, is being offered widely to teachers in grades 3-12. Why it matters: Teachers have quietly used ChatGPT to grade papers since it first came out — but now schools are sanctioning and encouraging its use. Driving the news: Writable, which is billed as a ...

  21. Professors Find Ways to 'ChatGPT-Proof' Assignments

    Aug 10, 2023, 12:32 PM PDT. Professors are finding ways to "ChatGPT=proof" their assignments to prevent cheating. PeopleImages/Getty. College professors are looking to "ChatGPT-proof" assignments ...

  22. Teachers working around AI tools as student use of Chat GPT grows ...

    It showed that 46% of students reported using ai tools, the most common being Chat GPT. 46% of the students who used AI said they used it for school assignments. 64% of those students reported ...

  23. How to Write an Introduction Using ChatGPT

    You can use ChatGPT to brainstorm potential outlines for your introduction. To do this, include a brief overview of all relevant aspects of your paper, including your research question, methodology, central arguments, and essay type (e.g., argumentative, expository ). For a longer essay or dissertation, you might also mention section or chapter ...

  24. College students pitted against ChatGPT to boost writing

    New University of Nevada online courses aim to teach future educators about AI limitations through competition. Amid the swirl of concern about generative artificial intelligence in the classroom, a Nevada university is trying a different tactic by having students compete against ChatGPT in writing assignments. Students in two courses at the University of Nevada, Reno, are going head-to-head ...

  25. Introducing ChatGPT Team

    ChatGPT Team includes: Access to GPT-4 with 32K context window. Tools like DALL·E 3, GPT-4 with Vision, Browsing, Advanced Data Analysis—with higher message caps. No training on your business data or conversations. Secure workspace for your team. Create and share custom GPTs with your workspace. Admin console for workspace and team management.

  26. The Best Ways to Ask ChatGPT Questions

    But that can lead to some unusual requests. Some researchers even ask the chatbots themselves for tips on how to talk to them. Siung Tjia/WSJ. Want to get the best answers out of an AI? It's all ...

  27. Introducing GPT-4o: OpenAI's new flagship multimodal model now in

    We are eager to share more about GPT-4o and other Azure AI updates at Microsoft Build 2024, to help developers further unlock the power of generative AI. Get started with Azure OpenAI Service. Begin your journey with GPT-4o and Azure OpenAI Service by taking the following steps: Try out GPT-4o in Azure OpenAI Service Chat Playground (in preview).

  28. How can I access GPT-4, GPT-4 Turbo and GPT-4o?

    GPT-4 Turbo vs. GPT-4o. GPT-4o has the same high intelligence but is faster, cheaper, and has higher rate limits than GPT-4 Turbo. Specifically: Pricing: GPT-4o is 50% cheaper than GPT-4 Turbo, coming in at $5/M input and $15/M output tokens). Rate limits: GPT-4o's rate limits are 5x higher than GPT-4 Turbo—up to 10 million tokens per minute.