By EARYEL BOWLEG
Tribune Staff Reporter
ebowleg@tribunemedia.net
MINISTRY of Education officials are drafting a policy about students’ use of artificial intelligence, according to acting Eduction Director Dominique McCartney-Russell.
She said the policy will focus on what is acceptable and academic integrity, such as “how to cite sources, avoid plagiarism, and avoid cheating.”
“We’re also reviewing our weighted grade scheme” to promote academic integrity, she said.
She said complaints from teachers did not prompt this push but reflected the proactive efforts of ministry officials.
“Students are using ChatGPT,” she said. “Our team members are using ChatGPT in the production or in the development of their lessons. Team members of the headquarters are also using ChatGPT. We did see an uptick in the use of AI, and so that’s why we said we need to put policies in.”
ChatGPT, launched in November 2022 by an AI research laboratory, enables users to have human-like conversations and can be used to write essays, solve mathematical problems, and research various topics.
Mrs McCartney-Russell said she knew of a competition where one or two students may have used ChatGPT to produce their essays.
Teachers have seen AI’s impact, particularly in the language arts, with students’ vocabulary appearing enhanced and their sentence structure deviating from what is discussed in class.
One teacher indicated yesterday that some are reluctant to assign students homework because of AI use.
Daniel Thompson, chairman of UB’s School of Business and president of the Union of Tertiary Educators of The Bahamas (UTEB), previously told The Tribune that UB professors have encountered instances where students have used AI for help with essays, online assignments, and exams. He said measures are being taken to limit AI usage in academic work.
Comments
moncurcool 1 month, 3 weeks ago
Why are teachers even still assigning homework? Our education is still backwards, and has not caught up to better methods in the 21st century.
zemilou 1 month, 3 weeks ago
Perhaps the Ministry could begin by asking AI. For example, a summary response by OpenAI’s ChatGPT:
Note: It was generated in less that 15 seconds.
Writing Assistance: Students can use LLMs to improve their writing by getting suggestions for structure, clarity, and coherence. Teachers can encourage students to use AI to enhance their own ideas, focusing on grammar, organization, and transitions, rather than outsourcing original thought.
Research Support: LLMs can help students explore topics by summarizing complex articles, explaining difficult concepts, and suggesting relevant readings. This is academically sound as long as the AI is used to guide research, not to replace original source engagement.
Idea Generation: Teachers can guide students to use AI for brainstorming essay topics, questions for research, or creative approaches to assignments. It can offer different angles on a topic, sparking critical thinking and further exploration.
Peer Feedback Simulation: Teachers might ask students to use LLMs to generate feedback on drafts as part of revision. This can mimic the process of receiving peer feedback, allowing students to iterate on their work before final submission.
Tutoring and Concept Clarification: LLMs can act as supplemental tutors, explaining difficult concepts in different ways. Teachers can encourage this as a learning tool to reinforce lessons rather than as a replacement for classroom instruction.
Plagiarism or Ghostwriting: Students should not use LLMs to generate essays, papers, or project content and present it as their own. This undermines academic integrity, as the work is not reflective of the student’s own thinking and effort.
Avoiding Critical Thinking: Over-reliance on AI to complete assignments diminishes students' ability to engage deeply with content. Teachers should discourage students from letting AI do the hard thinking for them, especially in subjects that require analysis, argumentation, or personal reflection.
Cheating on Assignments: Using LLMs to answer test questions, solve problems, or provide immediate answers to homework assignments without understanding the material is academically dishonest.
Unverified Information: Teachers and students should avoid using AI as a primary source without verifying facts. Since LLMs are based on a large corpus of data that may not always be accurate or up-to-date, it is crucial to cross-reference information with trusted academic sources.
In both cases, transparency and guided use are key, with teachers fostering an environment where AI tools supplement rather than replace student learning.
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