Should I worry that my journalism students writing content for the training website of the school I teach part-time are submitting ‘too clean’ copies which I think are machine-aided? – Lekan Otufodunrin
They need to decide on the identity they want to hold
*You only have one question to ask —do you guys want to be true writers or prompt engineers?
Content development has gone from pen-pushing to prompt-pushing. It doesn’t make one a writer. They need to be told. Hence, they need to decide on the identity they want to hold
-Ridwan Adelaja
You shouldn’t worry about their outputs been computer aided
*Learning as we know it is changing and fortunately or unfortunately, this change is irreversible, what happens to teaching when students who passed through the aid of generative AI become teachers themselves? This is a deviation to your question,
To answer it directly, I think you shouldn’t worry about their outputs been computer aided but judge them by other metrics for example, factuality of the claims and content made, alignment of the response to the business goals, actual contribution and relevance of the information contained in their write ups and other tests you can come up with based on domain knowledge and expertise. –
-Oche Akor
Only a little
*Only a little. We need to teach our students to think deeper, write with identity, and own their words. That’s how we keep the work human.
-Tony Onwuchekwa
It’s an emerging threat
*This is an emerging threat to journalism and writing, generally. The path to growth is that learners make mistakes and their assignments get corrected. Then they learn and improve.
-Vincent Nwanma
Educate them about both the disadvantages and advantages of using AI
*It depends on the angle you’re looking from, but first, I think you should be happy that your students are writing better or getting school tasks and assignments done more effectively. This indicates that as a lecturer, you are doing well. So, be happy, sir Lekan Otufodunrin ! 😀
However, with the advent of AI technology, we understand that some students are also using AI to improve their lectures, assignments, or possibly even complete their assignments. If you suspect anything of this nature and there is a policy that forbids students from using AI, this is where you, as a lecturer, have a huge role to play. Have a discussion in class (if you haven’t already) to understand what they know about AI and how they’ve been using it. Based on their feedback, you can start educating them about both the disadvantages and advantages of using AI as a student entering a competitive career. This is precisely what we do at JournoTECH we teach both the disadvantages and advantages of using AI technology. Our team at JournoTECH would be happy to support you in training and teaching your students about both the benefits and risks of using AI technology.
The truth still remains that we can’t assume they are using AI without proof.
-Elfredah Kevin-Alerechi
They are being shortchanged
*AI has only succeeded in serving them with boiled eggs and deny them the opportunity to own a poultry. Sad!
-Unwana Sunday
That’s cheating
*That is cheating. If you detect that truly, they didn’t write it as claimed, they should lose the marks that come with it. We clearly need to have AI framework in Nigeria that will guide its usage. While some AI experts and computer scientists are encouraging its usage, regardless of its implications, journalism cannot afford that. That will lead to misinformation and fake news on a large scale. It is important to follow the global trends of discouraging AI usage for academic purposes by education authorities.
-Richard Adeyinka-Emmanuel
READ MORE: How we use AI – Media leaders
