Dear Student: Don't Make Me Read (or Grade) Your AI-Generated Crap
Appealing to students' intrinsic motivation in Survey of World Mythology
Key Takeaways from TLDR
Here are the key takeaways from the text:
The professor allows AI use in assignments, as long as it's acknowledged and cited, and encourages students to use AI as a tool rather than a replacement for their own work.
The assumption is that students want to learn and that some AI use may go undetected, but ultimately students are responsible for their own education.
The professor emphasizes that over-reliance on AI can make work boring and that students should engage personally with course material.
In discussion posts, the professor values students' original thinking over polished but generic AI-generated responses, encouraging genuine engagement.
Students are reminded to acknowledge any AI usage, and there's a push to make assignments more interesting by focusing on students’ unique ideas.
One of the more interesting features of my experiment in teaching English 215 Survey of World Mythology with a syllabus policy that allows students to use generative AI for any reason as long as they acknowledge and cite is that students are remarkably confessional about their AI use. Since they know they won’t get into trouble, they immediately respond to my gradebook queries about possible AI use, and sometimes they even reach out proactively to explain their use and their thinking. As a result, I’ve had several productive discussions with students about how to use AI to augment rather than replace their work.
But in allowing AI use, I am operating under two assumptions: 1) that my students want to learn the course material; and 2) that I may not catch some generative AI use that is not acknowledged and cited. These are two related assumptions.
When I decided to “lean in” to teaching with generative AI, I also had to set some personal boundaries. It is not my job to be the AI police. By allowing students to use the tool, I am essentially reminding students of something that was always true, even before generative AI: Students are responsible for their own learning.
I’ll do my best to make my course content interesting and engaging. I’m here to explain tough concepts and provide support to growing thinkers and writers. But if they decide that using AI for every assignment is the way they want to shape their college experience, that’s on them, not on me.
As I told one student who emailed me recently to “confess” AI use that I thought was completely appropriate, “What I don’t want you to do is have it think for you. I assume you are taking this course because you love mythology (like I do). Don’t let an unthinking bot steal your joy—but definitely use it to help you tackle difficult concepts! I ask students to cite and acknowledge their use so that we can all track how we are using these tools.”
The World’s Most Boring Discussion Board Posts
Now on to discussion boards and generative AI use, the subject of this story.
Look, discussion boards in asynchronous online classes are ubiquitous, and they are low-hanging fruit for AI plagiarism. Sure, an easy replacement would be Flipgrid or VoiceThread, but I actually want my mythology students to practice writing. As we move into the fourth week of the semester, I am noticing a slight uptake in polished, five-paragraph essay responses to discussion prompts that don’t really answer the question I asked (also, for the record, I do not now and will not ever teach five-paragraph essays. Get wrecked, ChatGPT!).
So I made a short video for my students this week, demonstrating how to get ChatGPT to write their discussion prompt, then begging them not to do that. The chatbot responses are so boring! And boring responses will be graded accordingly.
Here’s a link to the video (and a reminder that I have a YouTube channel! And I occasionally post stuff there! So “like and subscribe” or whatever the kids say).
What I Sent My Students (and a Reminder to Cite and Acknowledge)
Author’s note: Yes, I use too many exclamation points. If you know me in person, you’ll understand, or you can watch the video and get a sense of my irrepressible joie de vivre that apparently I can only communicate through excessive punctuation.
Hi, Class!
I know I have mentioned that I allow the use of generative AI in this course--and I do! But in these weekly discussions, what I am really looking for is you. Generative AI bots are helpful tools, but they can't think your thoughts for you.
I often suggest ways in my discussion prompts that you can use generative AI to augment your own understanding of difficult concepts. For example, last week, I suggested using a chatbot to explore the concept of mythemes.
Yes, ChatGPT can definitely "write" your discussion post, but only if you don't want to earn a very good grade. I don't really grade these posts for grammar or spelling, and I definitely don't want to read a boring five-paragraph essay. What I am looking for is engagement. I made a quick video (embedded) to show you how ChatGPT can “write” your discussion posts–and explain why I don’t really want to read them.
Here's an AI acknowledgement statement for this chat (required any time you use generative AI in my class):
I acknowledge the use of ChatGPT 4o to write my entire discussion post. I chose to use AI to write this discussion post because I wanted to show my students how boring the chatbot output is and let them know I am much more interested in their own thoughts and reactions. My prompt and the chatbot output are below.
Me: I am taking a Survey of World Mythology course, and I need your help with writing a discussion post. You are an expert in mythology. I would like you to create a model post for me so that I can compare what you wrote with my own work. Here is the discussion prompt: The British mythographer Marina Warner explains the historical context of the Christian apocalyptic text, “The Book of Revelations” in the 2005 essay assigned as supplementary reading this week. Warner writes “The language of intolerance and intemperateness, the anathema on the enemy, amounts to this: a spell of exclusion. But who are the others who must be destroyed? Who are we?” (22). Give one example, either from Warner's essay or from the National Geographic Story of God episode “Apocalypse,” of how this apocalyptic myth has been used in contemporary American politics. How does this apocalyptic myth continue to influence contemporary political thought? Who are “the others” in America today? Who are “we”? What similarities and differences to the Christian myth do you see in the apocalyptic myths of other cultures?
ChatGPT: Sure, here's a model post for your Survey of World Mythology course based on the discussion prompt. Remember to compare it with your own work and make any necessary adjustments to fit your course requirements and personal insights:
Discussion Post: The Contemporary Resonance of Apocalyptic Myths in American Politics
Marina Warner's analysis of "The Book of Revelations" in her 2005 essay illuminates the enduring potency of apocalyptic narratives in shaping collective identities through the lens of exclusion. Warner's exploration of the "language of intolerance and intemperateness" resonates deeply when considering its use in contemporary American politics. One poignant example of this is observed in the political rhetoric surrounding the "War on Terror." Here, the apocalyptic framing casts global terrorism as a profound existential evil, echoing the dualistic conflict portrayed in Revelations between the forces of good and the ultimate evil.
This apocalyptic narrative has been instrumental in shaping U.S. political discourse, particularly in the post-9/11 era. The delineation of "the others"—often represented as terrorists or nations harboring terrorists—versus "we," the assumed righteous and innocent, underscores a stark us-versus-them scenario reminiscent of Christian apocalyptic myth. This narrative serves not only to justify various military and policy actions but also to consolidate a national identity against a common enemy.
The apocalyptic myths of other cultures often share this theme of cosmic battle and ultimate renewal, though they manifest differently. For instance, the Norse myth of Ragnarok foretells a great battle leading to the world's end, followed by its rebirth. This myth, while similarly cataclysmic, differs in that it lacks the moral absolutism found in Christian apocalyptic narrative, presenting destruction and renewal as part of a cyclical natural order rather than a final battle between good and evil.
The comparison of these myths reveals a common thread in the human desire to understand and contextualize the end times within a framework of moral or natural order. However, the distinct moral dimension in Christian apocalypse—casting specific groups or behaviors as evil needing eradication—can have profound implications when transposed onto modern political issues. This highlights both the unifying potential and the dangerous divisiveness of apocalyptic myths when applied to contemporary politics. Thus, in answering Warner's question, "Who are we?" and "Who are the others?" in today's America, it becomes evident that these myths continue to shape not only how we view our political foes but also how we see ourselves in the narrative of global events.
This post integrates insights from Warner's essay with contemporary political scenarios, comparing them with broader mythological themes. Make sure to personalize and adapt the response to align with your own analysis and understanding of the course materials.
Me: I need an image that expresses how sad I am as a teacher when I read a discussion board post written by a chatbot instead of a student. I would like you to use a Disney pixar animation style for the image. It should be clean and focus on the female teacher and the computer screen.
ChatGPT: Here's the image that expresses the sadness of a teacher reviewing a discussion board post written by a chatbot. The style is reminiscent of early 20th-century American cartoons, focusing on clean lines and vibrant colors to convey the emotional scene. Let me know if there's anything else you'd like to add or change!
Yawn. Good thing I don’t grade ChatGPT on spelling either. Anyway, how are you dealing with generative AI discussion boards in the classroom? And how are your students responding? Come find me on Threads @anarchistmom and let me know! And happy prompting!