‘It has changed everything’: University professor speaks about the impact AI is having on classrooms

A researcher speaks about academic integrity as artificial intelligence changes how people learn and engage.

The introduction of AI has changed the way many students and teachers handle education and assignments, especially when it comes to cheating or plagiarism, according to a professor at the University of Calgary.

“It has changed everything. The same way the internet changed education 30 years ago, now we’re trying to figure out how this new technology can impact teaching, learning and the ways we assess our students,” said Sarah Eaton in an interview with CTV Your Morning Atlantic’s Crystal Garrett.

Not all the impact has been bad though, as Eaton says AI can be a useful tool for teachers and students.

“I use it in my own teaching, for lesson planning, helping me figure out assignments, and I also use it with my students. Transparently, we have great conversations on how they can use tools like ChatGPT to help them do their work better,” she said.

“You can use it for brainstorming, you can also write a draft and say, ‘Critique it, where are the flaws in my ideas, how do I make this better?’ Again, sort of using it like your own personal tutor.”

Though it’s a useful tool, Eaton says it’s also introduced new problems, particularly in terms of plagiarism.

“Traditionally to identify plagiarism, we had a source text, an original text and a plagiarized text, well that source text, we don’t know where it comes from anymore because ChatGPT gives a unique output every time, so if we’re just looking for a comparison, we don’t know what to look for anymore,” she said.

Despite the worries with AI, Eaton says people need to learn to work with it as it will undoubtedly have an impact on everyone’s lives, even outside the classroom.

“When I work with young people today, I try to think about their future and their career, AI will undoubtedly be a part of their future careers.”

Eaton will be hosting a lecture, Beyond Plagiarism: Fostering Academic Integrity in the Age of Generative AI in the Multipurpose Rosaria Room at Mount Saint Vincent University at 7 p.m. on Thursday.