OT: AI and cheating — Article about Alcorn

[DerHntr]

A Professor Created a Trap in His Midterm to Catch Students Using AI. Nearly All Made the Same Mistake

As colleges grapple with the rise of AI, a Mississippi history professor’s creative attempt to protect academic integrity has struck a nerve online.

www.today.com

The main point for TLDR folks:

Hidden in white font within the assignment prompt was the word “Madagascar,” placed where it made no contextual sense. Students reading the prompt normally would never see it. But anyone who copied and pasted the prompt into an artificial intelligence chatbot, and then copied the chatbot’s response back into the assignment without reviewing it, would unknowingly include the hidden word in their answer.

“Thirty-two of my 35 students between two classes failed a portion of their midterm because they all used AI to generate their entire response,” he said in a series of TikTok videos explaining what happened. “Apparently they didn’t proofread it.”

 

[DerHntr]

I don’t think faculty will be able to stop cheating as AI increases in functionality. If you don’t see the student doing the work, you have to assume they are using AI at some point. How much they use it is probably a better question than if they use it.

 

[dawgstudent]

The fact they didn't alter any of the answer or review it is the most troubling thing. I always review what AI produces when I ask it to restructure an email.

 

[She Mate Me]

I’ll simply say, based on some firsthand experience, I’m not surprised that this happened or where this happened. But I’m sure it’s common in many places.

 

[dorndawg]

I’ll simply say, based on some firsthand experience, I’m not surprised that this happened or where this happened. But I’m sure it’s common in many places.

Are you not surprised it happened at Alcorn because it's an HBCU? Or is there something unique to Alcorn or that class? Merely curious.

 

[Wesson Bulldog]

I don’t think faculty will be able to stop cheating as AI increases in functionality. If you don’t see the student doing the work, you have to assume they are using AI at some point. How much they use it is probably a better question than if they use it.

Faculty may become a thing of the past soon.

 

[dawgstudent]

Are you not surprised it happened at Alcorn because it's an HBCU? Or is there something unique to Alcorn or that class? Merely curious.

If I was a student - AI would be used...a lot.

 

[She Mate Me]

Are you not surprised it happened at Alcorn because it's an HBCU? Or is there something unique to Alcorn or that class? Merely curious.

Because of firsthand experience with high GPA Alcorn graduates. The resume did not remotely fit the capabilities.

 

[dorndawg]

If I was a student - AI would be used...a lot.

I'd guess those ratios the professor found are going to be the college student usage rate.

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

The fact they didn't alter any of the answer or review it is the most troubling thing. I always review what AI produces when I ask it to restructure an email.

That’s the thing that got me. Almost all of them didn’t even take the time to proofread it.

 

[Chesusdog]

The fact they didn't alter any of the answer or review it is the most troubling thing. I always review what AI produces when I ask it to restructure an email.

Hell, sometimes I'll use a different service or rephrase my query just to see how the answer varies.

 

[GloryDawg]

I thought I heard a parent whose kid is in MRA that got in trouble for using AI for a paper. I believe he said there is a software they use to check to see if it is AI generated. Not sure.

 

[Braves Dawg]

My daughter is a senior at State. Can confirm, it happens there a lot.

 

[DerHntr]

I thought I heard a parent whose kid is in MRA that got in trouble for using AI for a paper. I believe he said there is a software they use to check to see if it is AI generated. Not sure.

There is software to detect it, but you can prompt your own AI to beat that AI’s checks.

 

[dorndawg]

There is software to detect it, but you can prompt your own AI to beat that AI’s checks.

For some reason, this reminded me of Dr Strangelove.

 

[ll Martain ll]

I wonder how many teachers use AI to write tests / assignments.

 

[DawgatAuburn]

Faculty may become a thing of the past soon.

Zero percent chance of that happening.

 

[Hugh's Burner Phone]

And to think all we had were Cliff's Notes.

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

And to think all we had were Cliff's Notes.

My English lit teacher in high school would come up with questions for quizzes for our reading assignments by checking to see what Cliffs Notes omitted in its summary.

 

[RocketDawg]

More power to that professor.

 

[RocketDawg]

I thought I heard a parent whose kid is in MRA that got in trouble for using AI for a paper. I believe he said there is a software they use to check to see if it is AI generated. Not sure.

That is correct, and it goes beyond just AI, including copying previous papers that were turned in.

 

[Willow Grove Dawg]

And to think all we had were Cliff's Notes.

Fraternity test files were somewhat useful. I assume the sororities had them also.
I was shocked when 18 year old freshman me from small town northeast Mississippi learned in the fall of 1984 that lazy-*** members of the faculty utilized the same exact tests semester after semester after semester.

 

[Dawg Raid]

I still have never used AI for any task. Don’t need it

 

[aTotal360]

That’s the thing that got me. Almost all of them didn’t even take the time to proofread it.

You think someone that is copying and pasting Ai would proofread? None of that is shocking. It's actually expected.

 

[dawgstudent]

I still have never used AI for any task. Don’t need it

 

[She Mate Me]

I still have never used AI for any task. Don’t need it

Technically we don’t need an indoor toilet, but it sure makes things more convenient.

 

[eckie1]

My son had a dual credit English professor give him (and quite a few others) a zero on his first assignment. She said her software flagged it as AI. This was way wrong because we helped him proofread as he was writing.

We advised him to send her a direct email explaining that this was incorrect and that he wrote it on his own. She accepted that and he ended up with a 100…. Another of his classmates legit got a zero because he definitely cheated.

I use AI at my current job after barely using it at all before. It’s basically a requirement for us. All I know is that it knows a lot, but it’s way too sure of itself and it wrong A LOT.

 

[TheDawg-Pound]

I thought I heard a parent whose kid is in MRA that got in trouble for using AI for a paper. I believe he said there is a software they use to check to see if it is AI generated. Not sure.

I remember them telling us this 20 years ago. I questioned it then but didn't take the chance. Likely a scare tactic. I'm sure there is software to detect it but not prove it. Back then we were told they use whatever software and it was just a percentage that would raise flags. I think it just compared to other papers. So basically you could just rewrite a paper and pray it was, for example, 85% different in wording.
A friend in high school copied one and did get caught as he just used a paper off the internet. It was word for word so easy to prove what he did.

 

[Dawg Raid]

Thank you! I don’t need a robot to write emails for me

 

[champdawg.sixpack]

If you’re gonna cheat, never make an A. I was partial to a B- or C+.

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

AI is incredible for helping find part numbers or random components that are difficult to search for. I use it all the time.

 

[Podgy]

I don’t think faculty will be able to stop cheating as AI increases in functionality. If you don’t see the student doing the work, you have to assume they are using AI at some point. How much they use it is probably a better question than if they use it.

True

Are you not surprised it happened at Alcorn because it's an HBCU? Or is there something unique to Alcorn or that class? Merely curious.

I was at a party with a couple of LSU football players who graduated last year and they both told me they couldn't have done it without Chatgpt. Both were white, btw.

 

[grinningmule]

Fraternity test files were somewhat useful. I assume the sororities had them also.
I was shocked when 18 year old freshman me from small town northeast Mississippi learned in the fall of 1984 that lazy-*** members of the faculty utilized the same exact tests semester after semester after semester.

I got a copy of "practice" test provided to the football team one semester at State. It was word for word identical to the final exam.

 

[champdawg.sixpack]

I remember Dr Carskaden busted me cheating. He told me to neat him in his office the next day. Gave me the test again and I made a 78. He said “ even if you cheat, you still learn the material” then he failed me! Respected the 17 out of that guy

 

[Wesson Bulldog]

I use it to write radio ads, emails to prospects, analyze used vehicle sales in SW Mississippi, adjustments to buying plans and so on. We have signed on with Podium AI to answer leads.

 

[Herbert Nenninger]

I was a freshman in 2001 when there was a big cheating scandal on the freshman math final. A TA had apparently leaked out the test and about half the class had it (not me).
I asked a guy after the test how he thought he did. He said point blank “I made a 94.” I asked how he knew. He said “ I had the test”.

 

[HotMop]

Fraternity test files were somewhat useful. I assume the sororities had them also.
I was shocked when 18 year old freshman me from small town northeast Mississippi learned in the fall of 1984 that lazy-*** members of the faculty utilized the same exact tests semester after semester after semester.

Yeah, they would never do that*******

 

[HotMop]

I remember them telling us this 20 years ago. I questioned it then but didn't take the chance. Likely a scare tactic. I'm sure there is software to detect it but not prove it. Back then we were told they use whatever software and it was just a percentage that would raise flags. I think it just compared to other papers. So basically you could just rewrite a paper and pray it was, for example, 85% different in wording.
A friend in high school copied one and did get caught as he just used a paper off the internet. It was word for word so easy to prove what he did.

AI in 2006?

 

[Puppers]

AI in 2006?

When I was at state 09-13 the professors used a program called Turn It In (or something like that) to check for plagiarism. I had a few classmates get caught by it. We also had to use a special browser for our classes with online tests that wouldn't let you open anything else in your computer when the test started.