The assignment was adapted due to the rise of generative AI systems like ChatGPT, Bard, and Claude, which have changed the academic environment. The students' essays were fact-checked by their peers due to the tendency of AI tools to fabricate facts and citations. The use of AI for graded assignments is still prohibited. The initiative is part of a broader effort by UK colleges, including Oxford and Cambridge, to make students and teachers "AI-literate" and use the technology ethically.
Key takeaways:
- Oxford University allowed students to use AI tools like ChatGPT to write essays in a class module, aiming to help them understand how to write better essays by using AI responsibly.
- The essays were not part of any formal assessment, and students were encouraged to use AI to think more deeply and broadly about the issues under consideration.
- Students were required to fact-check their AI-generated essays due to the tendency of AI tools to make up facts or use fake citations.
- Use of AI for any work that forms part of a graded assignment is banned, emphasizing that the document produced should be the students' own work.