College and university professors and instructors today commonly use discussion board assignments to engage students in their academic studies. Discussion board assignments, though, have become so common that students are increasingly using AI discussion board response tools to meet their course requirements, even when doing so violates school plagiarism and other academic misconduct rules. If you face school disciplinary charges alleging your misuse of AI-generated discussion board posts, retain the Lento Law Firm's premier Student Defense Team for your effective defense. Call 888.535.3686 or use our contact form now for our skilled and experienced attorney representation defending your AI-related disciplinary charges.
The Instructional Role of Discussion Boards
College and university professors are in love with the discussion board. Decades ago, hardly anyone would have imagined an educational use for chat rooms and discussion boards, if they thought at all of such strange new digital forums. But with the advent of the ubiquitous internet, and its saturation with social media comments, replies, and discussion board apps and tools, professors suddenly saw the light and began inviting or requiring students to post discussion board questions and responses for course assignments and credit. Initially, professors offered optional discussion boards, facilitating student study groups. Soon, though, professors required student discussion board participation. Ignore the discussion board assignment at your peril. Students could suffer a reduced or failing grade for not completing the discussion board requirements.
The Quality of Discussion Board Responses
Before long, professors also began setting standards for discussion board responses and requiring students to meet those standards. See, for example, George Mason University's Writing Center's guidelines for meeting discussion board response standards. Also see the University of Nevada, Reno's guide on writing a successful discussion board response. No longer could students give casual answers and raise off-the-cuff questions. Professors wanted thoughtful questions and considered answers, and were ready to evaluate, score, and grade for the quality or lack of quality in student discussion board posts. Discussion board assignments increased student workloads, as some professors neglected to trim other reading, writing, problem sets, lab, paper, and examination requirements. Discussion boards became yet another thing students had to complete in already busy schedules.
AI Use Among College and University Students
Juggling all of their school interests and academic pressures, college and university students have been swift in their uptake of generative AI. If study tools are out there, students are ready to find and use them, especially if they are free or low-cost and convenient. Students have been using AI tools heavily, first for searches, then for spelling and grammar checks, and then for drafting, refinement of text, image generation and enhancement, note taking, discussion summarizing, outline generating, text summarizing, table, graph, and presentation generating, tutoring, translation, and everything else you can imagine. You are likely among the 80% or more of college and university students using AI tools of one form or another. If so, then that is good for you as long as you comply with school policies.
AI-Assisted Discussion Board Posting
Eventually, AI vendors began creating, marketing, and improving AI tools for discussion board posting. If AI tools could write an assignment, solve assignment problems, and take exams for a student, then why not also post on required discussion boards? AI tools certainly exist to generate discussion board posts. Commonly available, low-cost, or free AI discussion board posting tools include HyperWrite AI's Discussion Board Response Generator and “Write Discussion Post with AI” tools, Disco AI's discussion response generator, AIFreeBox's discussion post reply generator, YamiTools' discussion board response generator, and Writecream's discussion board response generator. The AI discussion board tools are out there for any student to use, again presuming that school policies and instructor directions permit it.
Professor AI Assisted Discussion Posting Policies
But professors, departments, and schools haven't been rushing to approve student use of AI discussion board post generators. While professors have generally been supportive of some AI uses, particularly in generating and scoring practice assessments and similar tutorial practices, professors may see a different purpose for discussion board posts, one that contradicts AI uses. The very concept of a discussion board implies some interaction between persons, not machines. Machines interacting with machines isn't even a discussion or an interaction; machines functionmindlessly like machines. Professors generally see discussion boards as a forum for student inquiry, not machine inquiry. They may accordingly intend and prefer that students not use AI discussion response generators, especially for required discussion board assignments for which students receive scores, grades, and credit depending on the volume and quality of their responses.
Communication of AI Discussion Posting Policies
However, a professor's preference and intention that students avoid using AI-assisted discussion board response generators is not the same as a professor's communication, direction, or command not to use AI. Professors can be lax, ambiguous, vague, and even contradictory and inconsistent in their communication of course and assignment requirements. Professors should generally put AI prohibitions in their course syllabi and written assignment instructions, repeating those AI prohibitions orally and ensuring that teaching assistants and administrative assistants remind students of them. See, for example, Cornell University's instructions to professors to be crystal clear about AI permissions and prohibitions. However, mistakes and lapses happen when communicating AI policies and prohibitions. Students can also be lax or even careless in their consideration of professor, course, and assignment rules and requirements, especially regarding the use of such a convenient and powerful tool as an AI discussion board response generator.
Plagiarism and AI-Assisted Discussion Board Posting
Even if a professor fails to adequately communicate a prohibition on AI discussion board response generator use for a scored and graded discussion board assignment, your school's honor code and academic integrity policy may define AI use as plagiarism and academic misconduct. Vanderbilt University, for example, advises students and professors that a student's failure to disclose AI use on a writing assignment violates plagiarism standards, even if the professor permits AI use on the assignment. On the other hand, some colleges and universities may consider unauthorized AI use not to be plagiarism directly, but a related form of misconduct, more like machine ghostwriting. See, for example, the University of South Florida's plagiarism and generative AI guideline.
Academic Misconduct Charges for AI Misuse
Either way, whether plagiarism, ghostwriting, or simply disobeying the professor's instructions, unauthorized or prohibited use of AI discussion board generator tools for a required course discussion board posting may result in academic misconduct charges. Colleges and universities maintain honor codes and academic integrity policies prohibiting plagiarism and other forms of academic misconduct, which either expressly or implicitly prohibit the misuse of AI tools. For example, the University of Kansas's interpretation of its academic integrity rules requires students to disclose AI use on assignments or risk plagiarism-related academic misconduct charges. Your school's honor code or academic honesty policy will likely prohibit plagiarism, violating professor rules regarding an assignment, deceptive or dishonest practices, and attempts to gain an undue advantage in submitted or graded coursework. If you already face academic misconduct charges, those charges arose under such a policy.
Academic Misconduct Proceedings for AI Misuse
If you face academic misconduct charges for AI discussion board posting against your professor's prohibition or without appropriate disclosure, your school will resolve your charges through a defined misconduct procedure. A misconduct charge is not the same as a finding that you committed the alleged AI misuse. Disciplinary officials may have based your AI misuse charge on hearsay, rumor, or report lacking first-hand observation or other credible information. Colleges and universities design their misconduct procedures to satisfy due process, providing the accused student with fair notice of the alleged wrongs and a fair opportunity to respond in a hearing before an impartial decision maker. For example, the University of Virginia's Student Accountability Process ends with the student's right to invoke a formal hearing to contest the charges. If you face your school's misconduct charges, let us invoke your school's protective procedures to present your defense and avoid school disciplinary sanctions.
Sanctions for AI Discussion Generator Misuse
Colleges and universities routinely authorize their disciplinary officials to impose the widest range of school sanctions within official discretion, to fit the sanction to the established wrong. Potential sanctions for unauthorized AI discussion generator posting could range from grade reduction, loss of course credit, or academic probation up to school suspension and expulsion. See, for example, the University of South Carolina's Honor Code academic misconduct sanctions. While generous sanction discretion may appear concerning to you, and you could indeed suffer severe academic discipline, official discretion gives our attorneys the opportunity to advocate for a lesser sanction like a warning or caution, and repetition of an assignment or completion of extra work, that would not appear on your academic record, even if you committed the alleged violation. We may even be able to negotiate for alternative remedial measures like AI training and mentoring, without any official finding of an academic wrong.
Sanction Impacts for AI Discussion Generator Misuse
Your goal for our representation of you on AI discussion generator misuse charges should indeed be to avoid any finding of academic misconduct and any associated punitive sanction. Obviously, school expulsion can have severe adverse impacts, from loss of the degree and its qualification for licensure and employment, to loss of university housing and services, acceleration of student loans, and loss of family and financial support. However, even a lesser sanction like a reprimand or probation may cost you references and recommendations, as well as the ability to gain admission to a preferred graduate or professional program. It could also affect your professional licensure or certification and future employment or advancement. Academic discipline can also have personal, mental, emotional, and relational impacts, affecting your studies, health, and life. Don't underestimate the potential impacts of discipline. Instead, get our skilled and effective representation defending your AI misuse charges.
Defenses to AI Discussion Generator Misuse Charges
Our attorneys may be able to raise any number of defenses to your AI discussion generator misuse charges, depending on your particular circumstances and case facts. A first defense may be that your discussion board responses were not AI-generated. You may have crafted your own original responses. AI detection software can make significant errors, falsely reporting AI use in a larger percentage of cases where the student did not use AI. Our forensic consultants can analyze your discussion board posts for AI use and opine, attest, and testify to the origin of your academic work. We may alternatively be able to show that another student was responsible for the disputed posts and misusing your identity.
We may alternatively be able to show that the professor failed to adequately prohibit AI discussion generator use, or that you were absent and excused when the professor gave an inadequate oral instruction, and that you were not careless in failing to receive and follow it. We may be able to show that as soon as you learned of the AI prohibition, you ceased your innocent AI use and attempted to disclose and rectify your prior unknowing transgression. We may also be able to show that you have a clean, clear, and outstanding academic record and that your use of AI took place under extraordinary exigent circumstances, which have been resolved and are not likely to repeat. Let us identify and advocate for your available defense.
Premier Student Defense Available
If you face AI discussion response generator misuse disciplinary charges at your college or university, retain the Lento Law Firm's premier Student Defense Team to help you defend and defeat those charges. Our attorneys have helped hundreds of students nationwide successfully defend against all kinds of AI misuse and other disciplinary charges. We are available nationwide at any school and for any level or kind of program. Call 888.535.3686 or use our contact form now to retain us for your case. Your higher education is worth preserving and protecting.
