AI in College Essays?

When I taught English to college freshmen, I always offered a review session before an exam. This was very well-attended: every student, even those I rarely saw, sat there, alert. Students would write down every word I said, anticipating that they could then respond precisely to every test question. 

But the last thing I wanted was for them to parrot back the review. I asked for short essay responses that would prove that students understood the material, could think critically about it, make connections, and express their ideas coherently. That would show me that they were truly getting something out of the course, which required reading works of fiction and non-fiction dealing with politics, relationships, race/ethnicity, and other nuanced topics. No one could possibly “copy” from anyone else to craft an effective answer.

When students use AI, I hope they adhere to that standard.

Students’ ideas and personal experiences should be a reflection of their thought process–AI can’t make those up. If they use AI in other capacities, they have to use it well enough to enhance an effective essay. That means not flattening it out, dulling the tone, and elevating the language to an unrealistic level. So far, I haven’t seen essays that used AI successfully (that I know of).

In a recent Chronicle of Higher Ed webinar about how colleges are using AI, Rick Clark of Georgia Tech added real value to the discussion (he usually does). I am paraphrasing the point he directed to the colleges:

Colleges: build your prompts around what you want to see rather than worrying about students using Chat GPT. We need transparency about this, not secrecy. Even our transition from a paper to a paperless admissions process was a huge change! AI is just a step in the college process evolution--it doesn’t mean that the human mind gets a pass.