5 effective ways to stop your students from using ChatGPT to cheat
Thomas Courtley
Education Specialist
This is the topic of the moment. Many teachers all over the world are asking themselves ‘How do I make sure my students don’t get used to relying on ChatGPT to do their homework for them?’ We all know from experience that forbidding the use of ChatGPT is not the right answer. In the long run it would only encourage students to use it secretively, creating an atmosphere of distrust. Instead of stopping them from using it, allow the use of the language model… your way. 😉
1. Challenge your students to ‘beat’ ChatGPT
What about challenging your student to compete with ChatGPT? You could give you students an assignment and ask them to complete it first with the help of ChatGPT, and then to rewrite it or remake it without a language model. This way they might learn something new from AI, but also identify information that is factually incorrect, or could be improved or given a more personalised angle. Encourage your students to work on the text, but also on the text’s structure and layout.
2. Encourage the use of of ‘responsible’ labels
Provide your students with ‘responsible’ labels to indicate if their homework or assignments are made by ChatGPT, 100% percent human creation, or a combination of the two. By doing so, you make it more difficult for students to cheat because you promote an open and honest communication. Your students get the feeling that using ChatGPT is allowed, although at the same time you make sure you encourage the ‘100% human creation’ as something valuable, appreciated & unique.
The Dutch secondary school Hogeschool Rotterdam is busy with a targeted ‘AI and Ethics programme’ to encourage the use of ethical AI. They do so by promoting collaborations between teachers and students, partnerships with EdTech companies, and gathering of knowledge, skills, and tools like these labels.
3. Make sure homework is done at school
A very simple way to make sure students work on their homework alone is to promote ‘homework time’ at school, or adopt a flipped classroom approach. Not only can you make sure they don’t ‘cheat’, but you are also there if they have questions or need you to support them or motivate them. If you want to be even more liberal, you could allow the use of ChatGPT under your supervision, and teach them how to use it to assist them. It should never replace their human approach.
4. Incorporate student experience in their homework
What distinguishes pupils from a language learning model? The model has no personality, insights, opinions, or experiences. It simply searches the wide universe of the internet for answers. On the other hand, your students, while young, have already gathered many experiences, and have their unique personality, insights, and opinions. Our tip is to incorporate their personal experiences and feelings into their homework assignments. In LessonUp, we promote learning techniques that can help you.
5. Encourage teamwork and responsibility
Handing out homework to teams of students can be a great way to make sure they keep each other in check. They could work together after school, or during school hours if you can facilitate them. Together, they can dive into a topic, answer questions, or do research assignments, while checking that the other team members are not using ChatGPT in an irresponsible way. This could be the perfect recipe for motivating your students to give it their best, while working on their social skills.
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