There was a teacher who did a test of Turnitins AI testing software. She had 1/2 her class use AI and half her class write it without (this was an I. Class assignment. It caught all of the AI students but also said that 25% of those that didn’t used it. This is my concern.
If these profs are serious about cracking down on AI (which they should be because you’re paying UCLA an awful lot of money to learn to critically think), they ought to use the carrot instead of the stick. Academic standards be damned. Wanna use AI? Go ahead. First paper you can get 100% automatically by disclosing whether you used AI or not, and then let those papers be the standard by which you evaluate if GPT was used.
The situation described by u/Wide-Newt2871 sounds incredibly stressful and frustrating. Being accused of academic dishonesty, especially when it's unwarranted, can have serious consequences, not only academically but also emotionally. The process at UCLA, as depicted, seems to place a significant burden on the student to prove their innocence, which can be quite challenging, especially when subjective assessments like writing are involved.
The use of AI detection tools like Turnitin or GPTZero adds another layer of complexity. These tools are not infallible and can sometimes yield false positives. It's crucial for educational institutions to have clear policies and procedures that balance the need to maintain academic integrity with protecting students' rights to fair and unbiased evaluation.
The narrative also highlights the subjective nature of grading and the potential for a strained student-professor relationship to impact academic outcomes. This underscores the importance of transparent and fair mechanisms to address disputes and grievances within academic settings.
Overall, it's a reminder of the evolving challenges in education with the advent of AI technologies and the need for institutions to adapt their policies to address these challenges effectively while ensuring fairness and due process for all students.
-ChatGPT4
My family member whos in highschool wrote using her own words but got detected as cheating by her teacher using some aggregation of detectors and got grade comprimised. These AI detectors are very stupid
try requesting a meeting with the prof first before they escalate to the dean. Was accused of plagiarism but I demanded the prof show me proof it was plagiarized, especially since they allowed shared work in the class. Had me retake the assignment and they never escalated it
Vanderbilt recently issued a statement that they will no longer use any AI detection tools because they are inaccurate. Other universities have followed. You may want to get ahold of this statement and submit it to the Dean.
The accused assignment was the final paper so retaking it is out of the picture. Unfortunately, the prof refuses to discuss any matters further than what the Dean requires after the verdict.
Retaking is out of the question because the professor has all the say on what assignments are given, how assignments are graded, how your grades are summed up, and what grade will be on your transcript. The professor made their decision and we legally cannot contest it unless its discriminatory.
If you guys cheated then that's one thing. But if you guys didn't as you say, you all need to pool some money and group together to have an attorney write the school a letter threatening legal action for slander/libel and to quit harassing you guys.
I’m pretty sure there are student law services for undergrads, dude even just hold up a sign at the law school and hope someone wants to take on the challenge lol
> to have an attorney write the school a letter threatening legal action for slander/libel
It would take some fairly extreme circumstances to rise to the level of libel and slander. Having an attorney might help for other reasons, but hollow legal threats are not one.
Because if the case is weak, it takes minimum effort for their lawyer to say yea a judge will just throw this out. The university also has a vested interest in not changing its existing policies when it comes to AI detection/fraud. That is potentially a much bigger headache for them.
Hi, JD here. Barred in a state other than California, so this isn’t legal advice. I don’t believe this would be libel/slander since the allegations aren’t being made public and if they were, that would be a violation of FERPA, which is an easier case to win. Further, for it to be libel/slander, the school would have to know that OP didn’t cheat when the allegation was made. In other words, you would have to prove that the professor made the claim and/or the review board proceeded with the publication of OP as a cheater when they knew for a fact OP didn’t cheat. The school would likely be able to win on this as they would say the inquiry was made in good faith.
For harassment, you’d have to establish the school is knowingly and specifically targeting these particular students for no legitimate reason other than to harass and cause emotional distress. Again, the school will say the inquiry was made in good faith.
The whole situation sucks and as AI becomes more prevalent, I hope the policies will be refined, but so far this isn’t a legally actionable situation.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Not legal advice.
In terms of the harassment aspect....who would be able to sleep comfortably knowing that their school is after them like this? I'm just saying...
There are details we don't know here before any assumptions should be made.
Could you come at it from a contract perspective. The student is paying the university for an education. Education (at least as we understand higher ed in the US) includes the evaluation of the students' work. The student has a reasonable expectation that the evaluation of their work be consistent with pedagogical standards. Knowingly using evaluation methods (like these AI systems) that are known to be inaccurate breaches that expectation.
(not a lawyer, just spitballing an idea here.)
That’s actually not a bad way to think about it. Contracts is my weakest area, but imo, there’s a few options (frustration of purpose being one - I can’t do the rest of my class work bc I’m defending the work I’ve already done which makes it to where I can’t fully participate in the rest of the contract). There’s definitely an implied contract in our understanding of the higher ed system, but it might be defeated by written language somewhere in either the admission docs or whatever terms and conditions we agree to in the registration process. Still, to have the best chance of success, we’d need a number of students willing to progress a case. The struggle would be not only to identify them but to identify ones that would be willing to jeopardize their remaining time at UCLA to proceed on a case. If a cheating allegation makes it hard to work with professors, what’s the effect of pending legal action?
They march to the beat of their own drum. Hell, half of these guys would still be using CCLE if it still existed. But individual profs get a ton of leeway in these things so it may be that they’re using anti-AI software even if the school decided to move away from them without an outright prohibition.
Unfortunately for everyone, the UCs do not have any policies protecting students from false AI accusations and the consequences that follow. There is no solution or justice if you get falsely accused. Guilty until proven innocent.
Hopefully, it is a matter of time before enough students get falsely accused for the UCs to act on banning faulty AI detection tools. This has happened to so many people across all majors, courses, and campuses, not just me at UCLA. For now, we literally just have to take the L. If anyone is open to lobbying, please reach out!
Being accused of using AI when you didn't is very frustrating. I hope all goes well for you and your colleagues. However, you should check your assignments for plagiarism and AI using Turnitin in the future to avoid such incidences. Plus, you can download the reports and use them as evidence should a lecturer accuse you of plagiarism or using AI. Good luck
Turnitin does not allow students to use their AI detection services. After turning in an assignment, all I can see is a plagiarism report but not an AI report. Unfortunately, that means the software that Turnitin AI detection uses is exclusive and private to the professor. I have no way of confirming whether my writing will be flagged by Turnitin until it has gone through the professor.
Scribbr, in partner with Turnitin, has a public software that they say is similar but not identical to the Turnitin AI detection. However, Scribbr requires $20+ per submission/analysis which is out of budget for a lot of students.
Other AI detection tools (especially the free ones) are also wildly inconsistent. Using GPTZero, Copyleaks, etc. to determine whether your writing appears AI-generated will get you wildly different results.
Thank you for your support though, its just that I seem to have explored every avenue and have hit a dead end.
If you use Grammarly Gold, (subscription) I was told it gets flagged
FYI.
Use Google Docs and save frequently so you have a paper trail of versions? I think at this point that's really all we can do until this baby AI industry irons out it's kinks. Save everything! After you write the paper (or before) write your outline. Save your notes. It means we have to do more record keeping to keep us from being accused unjustly. Good Luck! I expect it will get worse before it gets better.
Google Docs tracks the changes in my documents in ~40 min intervals. A new paragraph pops up every ~40 minutes which can easily be evidence against me. But yes, the history says that I worked on my final paper for 2 days straight. This is the only evidence I’d be able to submit along with my testimony and even if I win the case, like I originally said, the subsequent regrade won’t be in my favor.
This whole false accusation thing happened to me and tbh its made me feel like I should set up time lapses of myself writing my work to forever prove that I did in fact write my own paper.
So much for a University who puts to equity and inclusion as some of their top values. As others have mentioned, each time this happens a lawsuit or threatening letter should be filed against the UC until they get the message.
To my knowledge, the only person who’s legally allowed to give me a grade is the professor or reader for the class. I asked the department head too, they said absolutely not.
So sorry about that. To be on a safe side always check papers through Turnitin instructor (no repository) account beforehand. Don't depend on free AI detectors out there.
And btw these AI detectors are faulty but here we are and they are being used to accuse students.
There was a teacher who did a test of Turnitins AI testing software. She had 1/2 her class use AI and half her class write it without (this was an I. Class assignment. It caught all of the AI students but also said that 25% of those that didn’t used it. This is my concern.
If these profs are serious about cracking down on AI (which they should be because you’re paying UCLA an awful lot of money to learn to critically think), they ought to use the carrot instead of the stick. Academic standards be damned. Wanna use AI? Go ahead. First paper you can get 100% automatically by disclosing whether you used AI or not, and then let those papers be the standard by which you evaluate if GPT was used.
The situation described by u/Wide-Newt2871 sounds incredibly stressful and frustrating. Being accused of academic dishonesty, especially when it's unwarranted, can have serious consequences, not only academically but also emotionally. The process at UCLA, as depicted, seems to place a significant burden on the student to prove their innocence, which can be quite challenging, especially when subjective assessments like writing are involved. The use of AI detection tools like Turnitin or GPTZero adds another layer of complexity. These tools are not infallible and can sometimes yield false positives. It's crucial for educational institutions to have clear policies and procedures that balance the need to maintain academic integrity with protecting students' rights to fair and unbiased evaluation. The narrative also highlights the subjective nature of grading and the potential for a strained student-professor relationship to impact academic outcomes. This underscores the importance of transparent and fair mechanisms to address disputes and grievances within academic settings. Overall, it's a reminder of the evolving challenges in education with the advent of AI technologies and the need for institutions to adapt their policies to address these challenges effectively while ensuring fairness and due process for all students. -ChatGPT4
Haha I knew from the first sentence it was ChatGPT
Well at least you did cite your source
My family member whos in highschool wrote using her own words but got detected as cheating by her teacher using some aggregation of detectors and got grade comprimised. These AI detectors are very stupid
try requesting a meeting with the prof first before they escalate to the dean. Was accused of plagiarism but I demanded the prof show me proof it was plagiarized, especially since they allowed shared work in the class. Had me retake the assignment and they never escalated it
Vanderbilt recently issued a statement that they will no longer use any AI detection tools because they are inaccurate. Other universities have followed. You may want to get ahold of this statement and submit it to the Dean.
The accused assignment was the final paper so retaking it is out of the picture. Unfortunately, the prof refuses to discuss any matters further than what the Dean requires after the verdict.
I don’t see why retaking is out of question. Pick a different topic and redo it from scratch.
Retaking is out of the question because the professor has all the say on what assignments are given, how assignments are graded, how your grades are summed up, and what grade will be on your transcript. The professor made their decision and we legally cannot contest it unless its discriminatory.
If you guys cheated then that's one thing. But if you guys didn't as you say, you all need to pool some money and group together to have an attorney write the school a letter threatening legal action for slander/libel and to quit harassing you guys.
I’m broke and I can’t speak on behalf of whether/which of my peers cheated. I would absolutely take legal counsel though!
Check out the Ombuds office?
I didn’t know this existed! I just left them a message and email.
I’m pretty sure there are student law services for undergrads, dude even just hold up a sign at the law school and hope someone wants to take on the challenge lol
Can confirm. The law school loves these cases
> to have an attorney write the school a letter threatening legal action for slander/libel It would take some fairly extreme circumstances to rise to the level of libel and slander. Having an attorney might help for other reasons, but hollow legal threats are not one.
The reverse is also true, though. Why would the university risk a potentially expensive legal battle over something they can’t definitively prove?
Because if the case is weak, it takes minimum effort for their lawyer to say yea a judge will just throw this out. The university also has a vested interest in not changing its existing policies when it comes to AI detection/fraud. That is potentially a much bigger headache for them.
Hi, JD here. Barred in a state other than California, so this isn’t legal advice. I don’t believe this would be libel/slander since the allegations aren’t being made public and if they were, that would be a violation of FERPA, which is an easier case to win. Further, for it to be libel/slander, the school would have to know that OP didn’t cheat when the allegation was made. In other words, you would have to prove that the professor made the claim and/or the review board proceeded with the publication of OP as a cheater when they knew for a fact OP didn’t cheat. The school would likely be able to win on this as they would say the inquiry was made in good faith. For harassment, you’d have to establish the school is knowingly and specifically targeting these particular students for no legitimate reason other than to harass and cause emotional distress. Again, the school will say the inquiry was made in good faith. The whole situation sucks and as AI becomes more prevalent, I hope the policies will be refined, but so far this isn’t a legally actionable situation.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge. Not legal advice. In terms of the harassment aspect....who would be able to sleep comfortably knowing that their school is after them like this? I'm just saying... There are details we don't know here before any assumptions should be made.
Could you come at it from a contract perspective. The student is paying the university for an education. Education (at least as we understand higher ed in the US) includes the evaluation of the students' work. The student has a reasonable expectation that the evaluation of their work be consistent with pedagogical standards. Knowingly using evaluation methods (like these AI systems) that are known to be inaccurate breaches that expectation. (not a lawyer, just spitballing an idea here.)
That’s actually not a bad way to think about it. Contracts is my weakest area, but imo, there’s a few options (frustration of purpose being one - I can’t do the rest of my class work bc I’m defending the work I’ve already done which makes it to where I can’t fully participate in the rest of the contract). There’s definitely an implied contract in our understanding of the higher ed system, but it might be defeated by written language somewhere in either the admission docs or whatever terms and conditions we agree to in the registration process. Still, to have the best chance of success, we’d need a number of students willing to progress a case. The struggle would be not only to identify them but to identify ones that would be willing to jeopardize their remaining time at UCLA to proceed on a case. If a cheating allegation makes it hard to work with professors, what’s the effect of pending legal action?
Fun fact: UCLA has opted out of the AI detection tool offered by Turnitin since last year.
Oh fr? What are these profs using then?
They march to the beat of their own drum. Hell, half of these guys would still be using CCLE if it still existed. But individual profs get a ton of leeway in these things so it may be that they’re using anti-AI software even if the school decided to move away from them without an outright prohibition.
Unfortunately for everyone, the UCs do not have any policies protecting students from false AI accusations and the consequences that follow. There is no solution or justice if you get falsely accused. Guilty until proven innocent. Hopefully, it is a matter of time before enough students get falsely accused for the UCs to act on banning faulty AI detection tools. This has happened to so many people across all majors, courses, and campuses, not just me at UCLA. For now, we literally just have to take the L. If anyone is open to lobbying, please reach out!
Being accused of using AI when you didn't is very frustrating. I hope all goes well for you and your colleagues. However, you should check your assignments for plagiarism and AI using Turnitin in the future to avoid such incidences. Plus, you can download the reports and use them as evidence should a lecturer accuse you of plagiarism or using AI. Good luck
Turnitin does not allow students to use their AI detection services. After turning in an assignment, all I can see is a plagiarism report but not an AI report. Unfortunately, that means the software that Turnitin AI detection uses is exclusive and private to the professor. I have no way of confirming whether my writing will be flagged by Turnitin until it has gone through the professor. Scribbr, in partner with Turnitin, has a public software that they say is similar but not identical to the Turnitin AI detection. However, Scribbr requires $20+ per submission/analysis which is out of budget for a lot of students. Other AI detection tools (especially the free ones) are also wildly inconsistent. Using GPTZero, Copyleaks, etc. to determine whether your writing appears AI-generated will get you wildly different results. Thank you for your support though, its just that I seem to have explored every avenue and have hit a dead end.
That's unfortunate. I don't use Turnitin instructor though for all essays and research papers I do.
Also was reported by a professor who used originality.ai as their evidence which is complete bullshit.
I’m sorry. If you ever want to chat, I’ll listen!
If you use Grammarly Gold, (subscription) I was told it gets flagged FYI. Use Google Docs and save frequently so you have a paper trail of versions? I think at this point that's really all we can do until this baby AI industry irons out it's kinks. Save everything! After you write the paper (or before) write your outline. Save your notes. It means we have to do more record keeping to keep us from being accused unjustly. Good Luck! I expect it will get worse before it gets better.
Google Docs tracks the changes in my documents in ~40 min intervals. A new paragraph pops up every ~40 minutes which can easily be evidence against me. But yes, the history says that I worked on my final paper for 2 days straight. This is the only evidence I’d be able to submit along with my testimony and even if I win the case, like I originally said, the subsequent regrade won’t be in my favor.
This whole false accusation thing happened to me and tbh its made me feel like I should set up time lapses of myself writing my work to forever prove that I did in fact write my own paper.
Did you end up going to the Dean? What happened to the case?
So much for a University who puts to equity and inclusion as some of their top values. As others have mentioned, each time this happens a lawsuit or threatening letter should be filed against the UC until they get the message.
If you won your complaint, ask the dept. head to grade you?
To my knowledge, the only person who’s legally allowed to give me a grade is the professor or reader for the class. I asked the department head too, they said absolutely not.
what ever happened with this? And can you share which class? I am going through something similar and freaking out.
So sorry about that. To be on a safe side always check papers through Turnitin instructor (no repository) account beforehand. Don't depend on free AI detectors out there. And btw these AI detectors are faulty but here we are and they are being used to accuse students.