It can be difficult to tell if a student has truly used AI on an assignment, and you don’t want to accuse them of it without proof. Here are some signs that a student may have used AI to complete their work:
1. They use an em dash.
An em dash is a long dash that can replace commas, parentheses, or colons to add emphasis or insert extra information. When AI uses an em dash, it doesn’t include a space before or after the dash like this: She was going to explain—but then changed her mind. An em dash is also longer than a regular hyphen on the keyboard, so students must specifically add it, which most students wouldn’t know to do.
2. They turn in work that is slightly off prompt.
Their work sounds like they misunderstood the directions. AI doesn’t fully grasp context or classroom specific directions. Maybe you asked students to compare something, but the work that is submitted is more of a summary.
3. Their work is generic.
They don’t take a stance or answer the question clearly. AI tends to generalize answers and avoids taking strong or nuanced positions. You may notice ideas being repeated without specific examples or added depth.
4. It just doesn’t sound like them.
The voice and vocabulary doesn’t match the student. You probably know your students’ writing. It’s a strong sign that a student has used AI if the writing sounds too polished or formal. Their vocabulary may include words or phrases the student doesn’t normally use or doesn’t know the meaning of.
So, what do you do about it? Here’s how I approach it:
1. Check the revision history.
If it’s a Google assignment, start by checking the revision history. If students only have a few revisions, or if revisions are only a few seconds apart, it’s likely they copied and pasted from somewhere. Ask students about their process for writing the assignment and look for inconsistencies. Classwork that takes one class period may have 3-10 edits, while a full essay could be 50 or more over time.
2. Ask some key questions.
Talk to them – I like to pick a few suspicious lines from the assignment and simply ask the student what they meant by their word choice, playing up my earnest confusion. Most of the time, my middle school students can’t define the words they used, and it’s clear the work is not their own.
3. Fight fire with fire.
Use AI! I copy and paste the sus assignment into AI and ask it to create a short quiz based on the assignment. If students truly wrote the assignment, they should be able to ace the quiz! I include questions about the vocabulary used and the ideas they discuss.
4. Create a citation routine.
4. Have students complete an AI Citation. This can be a separate page students staple to a paper assignment, a digital form, or something else! You can do this with the entire class and with most assignments to set the stage for honesty.
5. Go back to the ground rules.
Remind students of the expectations and rules for your class or social contract. If you’ve created a specific AI use contract, use it! Say something like, “This is the AI contract that you signed. Have you done anything to violate the contract on this assignment?”
Preventing the misuse of AI is the most important step! Taking the time to explicitly teach students about what AI can do and how to use it for good (not evil) will help reduce student cheating and help you confidently handle AI conversations and conflicts. I created this 5 part AI unit to help empower you and your students to use AI responsibly to increase their learning – not replace it! It includes detailed directions, ready to print resources, and editable digital activities – check it out here!
How do you handle student AI use in the classroom? Let me know in the comments!
