ROCHESTER, N.Y. — As artificial intelligence technology rapidly evolves, schools are grappling with how to effectively and ethically integrate AI into the classroom. McQuaid Jesuit High School is taking steps to stay ahead of the wave.
Dan Hershel, dean of academics at McQuaid Jesuit, says the school has been periodically revisiting the topic over the last three years.
“The way students and faculty are using technology is changing constantly. So what we might have considered appropriate, or unethical a year ago, is no longer the case now,” Hershel said.
This fall, McQuaid is piloting a framework that identifies levels of AI use students are authorized to use, ranging from no use to full generative use. The framework includes four levels, level zero through three.
“I think we’re just trying to stay ahead of the wave a little bit and expose our kids to it. And, I think it’s most responsible thing,” said McQuaid’s principal, John Serafine.
Here’s what the AI framework looks like:
- Level 0: A.I. cannot be used in any capacity. This is reserved for in-class work and secure testing.
- Level 1: A.I. can be used in an assistive capacity for research, brainstorming, and problem solving with appropriate citations.
- Level 2: A.I. can be used for minor content revision with appropriate citations.
- Level 3: A.I. can be used in a generative capacity to create or modify content with appropriate citations.
“I think the most important part of this framework is that we’re trying to bring students into conversations with teachers about how they’re using AI, as opposed to just setting this up as a, you know, teachers versus students or AI is purely good or purely evil,” Hershel said.
Serafine acknowledged that when he joined the education field, he didn’t anticipate having to make policies around AI. However, he recognizes that education changes daily and AI is the latest wave.
“I think we’re doing the best job that we possibly can, staying on top of it. And, you know, the debate is, you know, is it supplemental or is it a short cut,” he said. “I think we want it to be a supplemental part of our kids’ education. We don’t want it to be a shortcut for learning.”
Hershel says the importance of students citing their AI use, regardless of the level. If a student misuses AI, it provides an opportunity for a conversation with a teacher to guide them towards more appropriate use of the tool.
“There are certainly cases where a student might really go against or go beyond the use of AI that was authorized by the teacher. And in those cases, there could be a disciplinary consequence,” Hershel said. “But it’s often, it’s often the case that, there’s well, I know there’s a big gray area there, so it’s often the case that a student might be, overusing a tool or using a tool that maybe was authorized in one capacity. But here he’s using that tool, beyond the authorized use. So in those situations, it typically results in a conversation with the teacher and some redirection and maybe, you know, an opportunity for the student to, to, to redo the assignment.”
McQuaid students submit their major essays to Turnitin.com, which now has an AI detection functionality. However, enforcing policies around AI use can be difficult. Serafine and Hershel noted that AI detectors aren’t foolproof and the best detector is often the teacher who knows a student’s typical work. This can lead to subjective judgments and difficult conversations with students who feel wrongly accused.
“You need to be, you know, creating, you know, your documents, your essays, your projects in Google Docs where a version history can be verified and again, we’re stressing process over product with, with our, students and teachers,” Hershel said. “This is much more about getting students into an iterative process and making sure that they’re completing assignments through phases, which hopefully will prevent them from, you know, at the last minute, panicking and then, you know, having AI generate something they should have generated themselves.”
Serafine says the goal is authentic learning and growth for students, not just efficiency in completing work. He believes it’s part of the school’s responsibility to prepare students for a future where they will be forced to use AI in college and careers.
The principal also noted that he often sees the influence of AI when reading students’ college essays, which can sound like they were written by an older professional rather than a 17-year-old. He believes colleges are looking for authentic writing from students.
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