Unfortunately, there has been a rise of authenticity breaches as students are increasingly using AI programs to assist them with their work.

Grammarly is a tool students have been using for some time to check the accuracy of their work. The program, however, also offers a premium package that includes full sentence re-writes among other transformational options. If a student inputs content and uses Grammarly to transform it, the authenticity of that work becomes questionable, particularly if they are no longer able to articulate the meaning of what is being said.

ChatGPT is one of the more recent AI programs students are turning to, though there are others with the same capabilities. ChatGPT is an AI chatbot designed to respond to natural language and have conversations with the user. It can perform a wide range of language-related tasks according to typed prompts. These include generating text and writing assistance, manipulating and transforming text, and question-answering. However, it also has significant limitations as it can generate responses that include bias, misinformation and lack original thought.

If a student uses ChatGPT, or a similar AI program to generate content for any part of an assessment, which they then subsequently submit as their own work, this is a breach of authenticity. If, after investigation by the school, such a breach of authenticity is proven, a student will receive a Not Achieved grade for their assessment, with no opportunity to re-sit that standard.

In order to support students in using AI responsibly, Faculties have been asked to be clear on the purpose of using such programs, particularly if making use of them in the classroom. Clear parameters for this will be established by the classroom teacher. Students have also been emailed an ‘AI and Assessment’ document.

The school’s assessment policy has been updated – further changes may be made as NZQA release further guidelines.

As AI evolves so rapidly, we are learning alongside our students as to how it can be used to effectively support teaching and learning. We really appreciate your support in having discussions at home about the importance of using technology appropriately to ensure any work your son submits is authentic.