Cheaters have gotten savvy lately. Of course, you'd never bend the rules to get an advantage at your college or university, but you probably know people who do. The latest frontier in academic misconduct is artificial intelligence. These programs can do almost anything, from writing a paper for you to finishing your calculus homework, and for a while, it seemed like it might be impossible to catch AI cheating.
Faculty have gotten savvier lately, too, though. There are tons of new AI programs and apps out there designed to detect whether your work relies too much on AI. Turnitin is a great example. In the early days, the software compared writing to known samples, but the company has upped its game and can now detect the subtle nuances associated with AI work.
Here's the thing: AI detectors like Turnitin aren't foolproof. But because they're fueled by AI themselves, faculty sometimes treat them as though they are. If your work triggers Turnitin, it can be particularly difficult to convince an instructor you're innocent. And let's be clear: even if you did make a mistake, it doesn't mean you deserve a severe sanction like suspension or dismissal.
The Lento Law Firm's Student Defense Team is here to protect your rights and ensure you get a fair resolution to your case. We've worked with hundreds of students on all kinds of academic misconduct issues, and we understand just how tricky it can be dealing with AI. Whatever your situation, we're on your side and ready to bring every resource we have to bear on your case.
What can we do for you? Find out by calling 888-535-3686, or take time right now and tell us about your case.
Just What is Turnitin?
Turnitin was originally designed to prevent old-school cheating. The program developed a massive database of student work, and every time you turned in an essay or a research paper, it compared your work to every known scrap of writing in that database. Eventually, the “database” grew to include an enormous amount of online content as well, plus academic, professional, and scientific articles. Turn in an essay your roommate wrote last semester, and there was a pretty good chance Turnitin could identify exactly where it came from.
AI created next-level plagiarism, though. No more worrying about Turnitin identifying your sources. Your source was a sophisticated computer program that wrote an original, individualized paper every time.
To its credit, Turnitin managed to pivot. The company's engineers developed AI software that was smart enough to detect the use of AI software. Based on language and syntax, Turnitin can now also detect that you've used AI to write a paper, even if the content of that paper is "original."
The Dangers of Turnitin
Look, no one is begrudging faculty access to AI detection software. Truth be told, Turnitin is good for everyone, not just professors. What's the point of going to college if you're just going to issue a few prompts to a program and let it complete all your coursework? Besides, if your school happens to develop a reputation for cheating, your degree's not going to be worth much.
The problem with Turnitin is that it works hard to create the impression that it's 100 percent effective. That makes for great marking. What happens, though, when the program gets things wrong, as it sometimes does? It has also been known to flag papers that have been run through Grammarly, even though Grammarly's only function is to check grammar and spelling.
It's also true that AI software has other uses that don't necessarily involve cheating. Take QuillBot, for example. QuillBot is a paraphrasing tool, and it can't be useful when you're stuck trying to find a new way to say something. Students sometimes use it as a brainstorming tool—you submit a paragraph of your own writing and ask it to give you a new version of that paragraph. The final result is going to show the marks of AI, even if the ideas and the writing are ultimately yours.
The point is, the line between use and misuse of AI technology can sometimes be blurry, and Turnitin isn't always capable of making fine distinctions. When instructors simply accept their reports, they can wind up accusing perfectly innocent students of academic misconduct.
Avoiding Allegations
You shouldn't have to give up access to valuable educational tools just because Turnitin might cast a suspicious eye toward them. QuillBot, Grammarly, Quizlet AI, and Symbolab all have legitimate uses. So, what can you do to minimize the chance that using them triggers an academic misconduct accusation?
- Make sure you're using these programs in the way they were intended. ChatGPT wasn't created as a cheating mechanism. If you're using it that way, you're misusing it.
- Be open with your instructors about your use of AI. When they're aware of what you're doing, they'll be less likely to accuse you of doing anything nefarious. They can also let you know upfront if they'd rather you didn't use certain programs.
- Keep the purpose of your education firmly in mind. If you aren't learning the concepts and skills you need for your profession, you're wasting your time. Anytime you're tempted to take a shortcut, remember that a lower grade in the course is better than failing to master the material.
Trust the Lento Law Firm
Sometimes, no matter how careful you are, trouble comes looking for you. What do you do then?
- Remain calm. Getting upset and saying or doing things out of anger and frustration can exacerbate your situation. Your school does have a process for defending yourself, and you can use this process to clear your name.
- Keep records of everything. Don't throw any coursework away, even if it is unrelated to the specific charges against you. That material could be useful for demonstrating your abilities.
- Finally, and most importantly, don't try to handle the situation on your own. The Lento Law Firm's Student Defense Team knows how your school's disciplinary process works, and we can show you how to use it to your advantage.
The Lento Law Firm has helped hundreds of students defend themselves from college and university charges. We can help you to do the same. Call 888-535-3686 today, or take time right now to fill out our online form.
