Academic dishonesty in the form of AI STAFF EDITORIAL

Cheating the system is nothing new for high school students. Overstressed, overworked, and/or unmotivated students have always looked for shortcuts to complete their work in hopes of saving time and effort. However, while plagiarism has existed in a variety of forms, there are new tools that take it one step further.

ChatGPT, an AI writing service, can produce a multiple-paragraph essay following parameters set by the user within seconds.

This tool was not created with the intention of helping students cheat their way through an essay; however, that is what has given it its recognition.

This service may offer students an easy out, but at what cost? Yes, it can produce an essay loosely responding to a prompt provided and mark an assignment as “turned in,” but that’s about all.

There are many possible reasons why a student might choose this shortcut but the way students view school is the main issue.

Attending school is required by law, often making it feel like a chore to many students.

On top of the possible distaste some students may have for attending school itself, there is the pressure of upholding one’s grades and GPA. This can lead students who may already have too much going on in their life to look past the real intention of school and assignments and only worry that everything is submitted, even if it was created by AI.

Students taking this route deprive themselves of learning critical thinking and communications skills that will serve them for the rest of their lives.

Instead of finding better ways to learn, they look for other, easier, ways to get the grade they want. For some, they land on routes of academic dishonesty and cheating.

This problem has always been apparent, even when a school’s purpose is to educate its students and provide them with the information they may need to be successful later in their life, benefitting the students themselves. However, with all of the attention that is focused on grades, students lose sight of this.

Under all of the pressure tied to assignments and grades, students often ignore the abundance of resources Maine South offers that would actually help them learn.

Instead of turning to services like ChatGPT, which entirely cancel out the benefits of the assignment, students may learn that visiting the Academic Resource Center and talking through the assignment with a teacher is more helpful, even if it takes more time and thought. However, it is up to the students to acknowledge the benefits of these resources and to set aside time now to help them in the future.

Teachers also further engaging their students by making assignments more personal and flexible or giving students more freedom would encourage students to be more involved and motivated in school.

Encouraging and motivating students to actually see the benefits of doing their assignments and writings is crucial, because sources like ChatGPT aren’t going anywhere, and neither is writing, communicating, and reading.

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Park Ridge, IL 60068 http://www.southwords.org

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Southwords is a student-run publication designed as a public forum for student opinion and balanced reporting on topics relevant to the Maine South community.

Unsigned staff editorials represent the consensus opinion of the Southwords Editorial Board. Personal commentaries represent the opinion of the author alone and do not represent the opinions of the publication nor District 207.

Student participation in the newspaper, whether through readership, submitting articles, or voicing comments or concerns, is encouraged.

Signed letters to the editor can be given to a member of the editorial staff or e-mailed to southwords@maine207.org.

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Editors-in-Chief

Madison Basquin

Elizabeth Handley

News Editors

Olivia Das Gupta

Sayde Feeley

Anthony Sotto

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Jacob Mascort

Campbell Micek

Andjela Trkulja

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Ava Jurek

Lilien Schirazi

Sofia Sclafani

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Caitlin Vengazo

Maggie Woods

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Declan Colleran

Kyra Demeros

Thomas Hurley

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Natalia Kowalewska

Cathy Tserendavaa

Ceylan Yildiz

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Mr. Stathakis