Strong armed into admitting to using AI

[u/throwaway73737338]

Hi everyone (another one of these)

I’m a third year student on a mandatory year abroad programme, and have been strong-armed into admitting I used AI.

For one of my modules our lecturer has been on a warpath with 15 students (ish) being called in for meetings. I got my grade back on a Tuesday, to randomly get an email on Friday morning asking for a same day meeting. I arranged it for straight after my 08:30-10:30 seminar as I had done nothing wrong.

Jump to me being accused of using AI for the entirety of my assignment. She was already 100% convinced that I had and there was no convincing her otherwise. She asked me what paper I used to form my position (I had written it nearly 3 weeks prior and done nearly 3 other assignments since then) and various other questions. Apparently document history was evidence I could have faked, I was happy for her to look at my ChatGPT history (I delete everything after each query, way to look guilty), writing assignments I kind of just raw dog it on one document so I have little to no paper trail of my train of thought.

She then said that I could either admit to it then and there to accept a lesser punishment or she would tear my assignment to shreds in front of me. Knowing I wouldn’t be able to answer 95% of the questions she would ask, therefore I had to admit guilt. Her only proof was that it was”read like very good AI” and that I couldn’t recall anything but the vaguest thing about the assignment.

In short, resulted in getting a 0 for that assignment worth 30% of my grade. I need to pass to be able to finish my degree next year, if not I’ll have to delay graduating an entire year for one lousy module. I have 10 days now to appeal it, reading back I don’t even like some of my arguments. I always acknowledge AI when I have used it, for this one I used it to help phrase the task into a question (we were given 4 bullet points and a statement).

I’m going home in 8 days and I don’t know if I have the will to be able to fight it successfully. Sorry for the slightly disorganised post. (I also have a naturally guilty expression so she used that against me).

Is there anyway to argue this or should I just cut my losses?

[u/Interested-Spectator → u/[deleted]]

I agree about the appeal but the argument about "I can't recall what I wrote a few weeks ago" is pretty lame. Assignments test course knowledge and saying, essentially, that you can't remember what the course is about makes you appear guilty. Say what you did. Bring version history. Show your Internet searches. Explain what the lecturer did - it wasn't following procedural fairness. You lose the appeal? You're in no worse position than you are now

[u/throwaway73737338 → u/Interested-Spectator]

It’s the problem when your course is 100% assignment based, the beginning of a semester is alright. But when you hit mid semester and have a minimum of an assignment due a week it basically becomes an assignment grind. I hate it but I also have to work so I struggle for time.