Should I Say Something? Academic Integrity

Academic dishonesty has been a significant issue in the School’s history, especially this year. Going to a school with high expectations, students at the School feel pressured to get into top-tier universities. According to Kaleo Chen, a Junior, students are “willing to do anything” to get their desired grades and get into these universities. For example, many students have been using Chat-GPT, an AI tool, to help with their assignments. Although it has been popular for a while, it’s more commonly used now because of how much more well-known and accessible it is. This year in 11th grade history, students were given two essays to have Chat-GPT write. After using AI at the beginning of the year, could this assignment be why it’s more commonly used this year? Junior Elena Kraus agrees, “After all the juniors were given the Chat-GPT essay assignment, I have seen more students using it in class or heard about them using it at home.” After this, another question arises; is it against the school’s academic honesty code to withhold information of other students cheating from the teacher? Informing the teacher another student has been using prohibited resources to do their homework may seem more complicated than it sounds. Explaining to a teacher someone cheated on a homework assignment would be unfair to the person who cheated. They trusted you with information, while you went and “snitched.” This is a clear sign of both a bad and good friend. 

On the one hand, they went behind your back and did something to harm you and your grade.

On the other hand, it’s important to learn the risks of cheating early on, as the risks and consequences become more severe later in life. The correct thing to do as a friend would be to encourage them to explain to the teacher their point of view, or make sure it was only a one-time thing. It is possible one can use the information of someone cheating to prevent it from happening in the future, without telling the teacher. In that case, I think that’s the best way to handle the situation and shouldn’t be against the school’s academic honesty code. 

While Chat-GPT has become more commonly used as a form of cheating, it’s also important to teach students how to use it constructively. AI tools and other technology are becoming increasingly convenient and intelligent, making it easier to use to your benefit. Chat-GPT contains significant amounts of information, which you can use to learn. For example, rather than read a long confusing book about something you are interested in, Chat-GPT can summarize its main points, allowing you to gain something quicker and more convenient. Junior Ezra Reichel agrees, “I feel like students need to recognize that we can use things like Chat-GPT as a resource to learn from… Many students hear the name and automatically assume it’s being used to cheat.” It’s important for the school to recognize the significance of it, and not try to ignore it. We need to figure out how to encourage students to use it as a resource not to cheat, but rather to learn.