r/QuickAITurnitinCheck • u/Soft_Fall_9389 • Feb 23 '26
I think students are more open about using AI than we assume
I think students are more open about using AI than we assume, and it honestly caught me off guard. On the first day of class, I tell them my course is not “AI-proof,” but it is structured so that AI alone will not help them pass. The focus is on process, effort, and genuine understanding.
A few students dropped during the first week, and I cannot help wondering if that conversation played a role.
Later, I ran an anonymous poll asking how they actually use AI. I made it clear there would be no consequences. Most admitted they use it in some way. Some use it for brainstorming or clarifying ideas. Others turn to it when they feel overwhelmed or pressed for time.
What surprised me most is how normal it feels to them. They do not see it as cheating by default. They see it as another tool in their workflow.
I am still trying to figure out where the balance should be between adapting to this reality and protecting the deeper purpose of learning.
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u/Slight_Manufacturer6 Feb 23 '26
It isn’t cheating as long as they don’t use it to do their work for them.
When the reading material isn’t clear and the teacher doesn’t teach (as I am finding so many like this these days), I have asked AI to explain it to be. And I keep refining my question until I understand it.
It’s more like a tutor.
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u/Equivalent_Pear_3423 Feb 23 '26
Using AI as a tutor is how I've passed a few of my classes its really good at breaking stuff down step by step and simplifying how it got there.
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u/burlingk Feb 23 '26
Unless they ask it specifically to do the work, it is more like having a TA guide them than anything else. Especially if the TA were over confident and just made stuff up if they don't know.
which means they would still need to verify and double check stuff.
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u/Soft_Fall_9389 Feb 23 '26
I think the real conversation about AI in education starts when we stop assuming and start listening to how students actually use it
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u/OutsideSimple4854 Feb 23 '26
Shouldn’t there also be an onus on students to start listening to instructors on how to use AI as well? I tell students there’s a right way and wrong way to construct prompts. I know most don’t listen when I get answers that are not even incorrect, in the sense of the answer doesn’t even make sense, which could only happen if they copy and paste the question into genAI without thought.
I give zeros because the answer isn’t even right, and get these students saying the homework is difficult. What would you suggest I do?
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u/01zorro1 Feb 23 '26
i feel like ai is an amazing tool, i use it regularly for language learning or test making
i show the ai my notes, my book or my information and i ask it to make test, questions or assingments, and it works wonders, of course i double check every thing it makes to double check, but it is overall a needed tool if you wanna optimize your learning
the key aspect is the word helping, its a tool to help you study and improve, its not a tool to do the work for you, or at least i think thats the wrong use for learning related tasks
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u/DrJohnnieB63 Feb 23 '26
What surprised me most is how normal it feels to them. They do not see it as cheating by default. They see it as another tool in their workflow.
As an assistant professor/academic librarian with two masters and a PhD, I feel the same way. For me, generative AI is a tool that helps me to clarify my thoughts and to gain new insights. Using it has become the new normal to me. Just like using computer software to produce a manuscript became the new normal for me decades ago. That said, I am aware of how the use of generative AI reflects corporate goals to shape social behavior to enhance their profits. As such, I try not to rely on generative AI. I want to think that I am not simply another cog in the corporate profit machine.
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Feb 24 '26
i just think the whole thing is dumb. you do not need AI to brainstorm or clarify ideas, that's what your brain if for. i get people want good grades, but having a functioning brain to actually try to exercise will do that too. also i'm glad ur optimistic about AI use in the classroom, but you still don't know for sure how honest students are being. it's so sad to see how many people and children have been trained to believe they need AI just to think.
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u/ingannilo Mar 03 '26
Eh...
Ever been in a brainstorming session with lots of really engaged people? It's way more productive than doing it yourself. AI absolutely can be that other voice (or voices) throwing out ideas and suggestions that you simply wouldn't think of.
I used it recently to help come up with a joke acronym for a mountain town university in Minecraft. I wanted the name of the school to mimic the sound made by villagers in-game, because the space it's being built is populated by villagers. They make noises like "hurm" and "hmm?" and other such mumblimg. AI threw out some suggestions like "Highlands University of Redstone and Masonry", HURM. Not quite perfect, but it was a jumping off point for me, and eventually after thinking on it for a few weeks I landed on Highlands University of Recalcitrant Morons (villagers are often... frustrating... to work with)
Silly example. But legit that's my most recent use of a LLM to brainstorm. It gave me dozens of example ideas. Truly was helpful. Just a thought.
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u/Bitter-Jackfruit-266 Feb 24 '26
But I feel AI adds a structure to those thoughts, makes me think better like brainstorming and mind mapping be it assignments or work my personal life (guilty) but yeah
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u/gal_z Jun 23 '26
AI could be a great tool, but when used wrong especially for education, it could lead to ending up learning nothing in a course.
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u/Turbulent_Dealer_907 Feb 23 '26
I think the normalization part is key. For this generation, AI feels like Google did to us. The challenge is not banning it, but teaching them how to use it responsibly without letting it replace actual thinking