UTC RAVE Alert

Resources on ChatGPT and Generative AI

UTC Voices on ChatGPT Video Series

 

UTC Voices on ChatGPT Video Series

 UTC Voices on ChatGPT Playlist

“As we see the limitations of this technology more and more, I think it will help us appreciate what a machine cannot do. In the end, it cannot be a fully relational device. I really hope that it will accentuate the importance of having a human element and I believe it will.”

–Dr. Chris Cox

What is ChatGPT?

ChatGPT is an AI language model that employs a neural network to process, understand, and generate human-like language. It excels in various tasks, such as text generation, answering questions, summarizing information, translating text, and engaging in conversations with users. The process involves receiving the user's input, breaking it down into manageable parts (or tokenization), processing it, and generating a relevant and coherent response.

Use caution with ChatGPT and other AI services:

The UT System does not have any legal agreements with any AI developer that provides any assurance of data confidentiality.  Therefore, putting data into ChatGTP or similar services is equivalent to disclosing the data to the public.  Therefore, we must use the same data sharing precautions that we use every day with the new technology.  Specifically, this means the following information should not be placed into any AI service:

Any data whose disclosure to the public would be considered a breach under FERPA, HIPAA, PCI, GLBA or any other Federal or State Statute.

Examples include (not exhaustive):

  • Social Security Numbers
  • Credit Card Numbers
  • Personally identifiable medical information
  • Financial Aid information
  • Student names and grades

Additionally, great caution is suggested with the following information:

  • Research data/Intellectual Property
  • Source code
  • Proprietary data 
  • Internal meeting notes
  • Hardware related information
  • Presentation notes
  • Emails

While generative AI may prove to be a valuable tool, our use of it is limited by our control over how data is stored and accessed.  Please be cognizant of our data stewardship responsibilities as you explore these new technologies and their capabilities.

Limitations of ChatGPT:

These include the potential for misinformation, since its database contains information from the internet, which may not always be accurate. Additionally, its knowledge is limited to data collected in September 2021, which means it may not be up-to-date on current events. Therefore, when asked about current events, ChatGPT may fabricate information or indicate that it is unable to provide a response. ChatGPT can also struggle with understanding certain language aspects, leading to off-topic or unclear responses. Furthermore, it lacks human qualities, such as common sense and personability.

ChatGPT is not a human being:

It does not possess emotions, consciousness, or the same level of understanding as humans. While it is designed to provide accurate and helpful information, it can still make errors or provide incorrect data. ChatGPT might also exhibit biases based on the data used to train it, although efforts are made to minimize such biases. Users should always verify and cross-check the information they receive from ChatGPT before relying on it, especially when it comes to making important decisions or forming opinions.

There are a growing number of similar generative AI tools to explore, each with its own unique characteristics, implications.and use cases.

We may go back to seeing more of the faculty and students wrestling through ideas together […] which to me has always been the point of higher education.

–Dr. Michelle D. Deardorff

 

Tips and Resources for ChatGPT and other Automated Writing Tools

Syllabus Resources 

Here are a few syllabus policies that could be adapted to your courses:

  • Option 1: "There are situations within this course where you will be asked to use AI tools to explore how they can be used. Outside of those circumstances, you are discouraged from using AI tools to generate content (text, video, audio, images) that will end up in any work submitted for a grade. Any student work submitted using AI tools should clearly indicate what work is the student’s work and what was generated by AI. In such cases, no more than 25% of the student work should be generated by AI. If any part of this is confusing or uncertain, please reach out to me for a conversation before submitting your work."

  • Option 2: "All work submitted in this course must be your own. Contributions from anyone or anything else—including AI sources—must be properly quoted and cited every time they are used. Failure to do so constitutes an academic integrity violation, and your instructor will follow the institution’s policy to the letter in those instances."

  • Option 3: "Since writing and analytical/critical thinking skills are part of this course’s learning outcomes, all writing assignments should be prepared by the student. Developing strong competencies in this area will prepare you for a competitive workplace. Therefore, AI-generated submissions are not permitted and will be treated as plagiarism. Ethics still matter, and plagiarism is a serious offense."

Here is a Google Doc with more Sample Syllabus Policies.

Assignment Ideas

Considerations for Assignments and Assessments: 

When developing assignments, consider the range of genres you can incorporate into your class to assess student learning. Ask yourself which of the following assignments will best assess learning in your course, according to your learning objectives. These assignments represent a variety of genres of communication and modes of instruction, including:  

  • Oral exams or in-class writing assignments. 

  • Reflections on experiential learning opportunities. 

  • A podcast-style recording about research students have conducted, processes they’ve developed, experiences they’ve had, what they’ve read, etc.  

  • A video demonstrating how a problem or series of problems was solved. 

  • A specific genre of writing—for example, a grant proposal, a blog post, a policy memo, a white paper, a letter to the editor, and research papers.

  • Other multimodal assignments such as research posters, infographics, or presentations. 

Many of the established best practices in sound writing instruction apply to assignments that ask students to communicate their thinking. These practices include: 

  • Providing students the opportunity to explore a variety of genres and understand the social, textual, and visual conventions of these genres.  

  • Emphasizing the writing and composing process as iterative and complex by providing opportunities for students to brainstorm, draft, revise, and edit.  

  • Giving students the opportunity to understand the rhetorical and social nature of writing and communication, through engaging with real audiences.  

  • Incorporating opportunities for reflection and fostering the metacognitive awareness important to their growth as writers and communicators.  

  • Offering opportunities for students to explore writing and communication styles and conventions in their discipline.  

Scaffolding your assignments will not only provide the student more feedback throughout the research and writing process, but it will also give you a sense of their writing voice and capabilities before receiving a final draft. These stages may include: 

  • Submitting a research question and/or research proposal. 

  • Producing a bibliography or annotated bibliography. 

  • Developing an outline including argument/thesis statement. 

  • Submitting pieces of the assignment (literature review, analysis of findings, etc.). 

  • Submitting a work in drafts (rough draft, peer reviewed draft, final draft, etc.). 

  • Submitting reflections about the student’s composing or thinking process, including the rhetorical choices they made for their project and why they made them. 

Google Docs will show the history of the document’s development. You could ask your student to write and submit their work using Google Docs from start to finish so you could check the history of the document if you suspect use of an AI text generator. (This will require a clear understanding on your part of how the document history function works and some grace for yourself for a semester or two as you figure it out.) ​​​​​​

    Academic Misconduct

    You may be able to avoid some cases of academic misconduct that relate to ChatGPT another other automated writing tools if you start with the following recommendations:

    • Including a policy regarding ChatGPT and other generative AI technology on your course syllabi that is representative of how you’re comfortable seeing your students utilize this technology when working on assignments.

    • Addressing your expectations and boundaries verbally in class at the beginning of the semester and before any assignment where a student might think to utilize AI.

    • Including expectations and boundaries regarding this technology on assignment instructions.

    • Referencing your department’s expectations and boundaries regarding this technology (if a formal statement from your department has been developed and released).

    If you suspect that a student has submitted text generated by AI, consider first having a conversation with that student. You might ask questions like:

    • Question 1: "This writing seems a lot different than the writing you’ve submitted for other assessments. Could you tell me about your process for producing this work?" [It may be that they utilized our Writing Center, worked with a peer editor, etc. Or they may have engaged in academic dishonesty knowingly or unknowingly.]

    • Question 2: "I’m concerned that you didn’t produce this work entirely on your own. Is that the case?" [Sometimes a direct question asked with genuine curiosity can spark a conversation that will identify a learning gap or stress point and create a learning opportunity.]

    • Question 3: "I think this essay, or large parts of this essay, were produced using ChatGPT. I think that because _____ [list your reasons]. Is this the case? And if so, how can I help you prepare to re-write this work and/or prepare better for future assignments?" [Sometimes letting the student know that you’re willing to work with them on producing acceptable writing will open the doors for more honest conversation. If the student confirms use of AI technology, you can enforce the penalty outlined in your syllabus and still work with them to salvage the semester.]

    While AI generated text detectors are not fool-proof, they can produce useful evidence for taking a case to Honor Court. These detectors will develop over time, and the “best” product out there will change as the technology advances. OpenAI (the company that produced ChatGPT) and Turnitin (the plagiarism and similarity detection service at UTC) are currently developing detectors. At this point, we suggest utilizing GPTZero. If you have any questions about how to interpret these tools, please contact the Office of Student Conduct.

    After reviewing the student’s previous work, having a conversation with the student if you think that could be productive, and reviewing the results of an AI-generated text detector, you may consider taking a student to Honor Court. The Honor Code Process at UTC utilizes the Preponderance of the Evidence standard, where we have to prove that something more likely than not occurred. To best support an Honor Code allegation, it is important to communicate your expectations and boundaries clearly, consistently, and as often as possible. 

    ​​​​For any suspected violation of the UTC Honor Code, including the use of generative AI, please document your concern and any conversation you have with the Office of Student Conduct by using the electronic reporting form (www.utc.edu/hcreport). All reports are kept on file with the Office of Student Conduct whether it is information that will result in a grade change through the Honor Code Process or if it is held as a informational report to keep in case of future incidents with the same student. When submitting a report, please include:

    • Syllabus statement, presentation slide, or assignment expectations regarding AI text generators

    • A copy of the suspicious work

    • A copy of other writing produced by the student (if you have it).

    • A summary of the incident as well as any conversation you have had with the student regarding the incident.

    • The results from a detection tool for generative AI writing.

    Other Resources

    Articles

    Podcasts

    What’s going on in there is knowable. The mathemathics behind that is not a mystery. We know how these things fit together and are designed. So my biggest fear is that we treat them as black boxes and then [….] we take the results at face value, too.

    –Dr. Reinhold Mann

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    Walker Center for Teaching and Learning

    Walker Center for Teaching and Learning

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