US University Lecturer Sparks Controversy by Assigning Zero Scores to Students Using ChatGPT for Assignments

University of Texas Lecturer "Cheating with ChatGPT"
Media "Shows Challenges Faced by Educators"

An instructor at a university in Texas, USA, sparked controversy by giving students a zero grade for submitting assignments written by ‘ChatGPT’.

The Washington Post (WP) reported on the 18th (local time) the contents of an email received by students enrolled in an animal science class at Texas A&M University-Commerce from their instructor, Jared Mum.

Mum announced, “Students committed academic dishonesty by using ChatGPT,” and “All students who took this class will receive an ‘X’ (zero points).”

According to the report, Mum used a software program to detect whether students’ assignments were written using an AI chatbot, and concluded that the students submitted AI-generated work as their assignments.

This caused great confusion among senior students about to graduate. One student told WP, “I was frustrated thinking that the effort I put in to earn my degree was not recognized and that my character was being questioned.”

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The student added, “I am currently gathering evidence such as the timestamp records from the Google Docs where I wrote the assignment to prove my innocence.”

Michael Johnson, a spokesperson for Texas A&M University-Commerce, stated in a press release, “No student has failed or been barred from graduation in this class,” and “Some students were cleared of the allegations and received their grades, while one student admitted to using ChatGPT.”

WP pointed out, “Currently, it is impossible to determine with certainty whether a specific text was generated by ChatGPT, and there is no software that can accurately detect this,” adding, “The instructor’s suspicion may be mistaken.”

They continued, “Several companies claim to have software products that can detect AI-generated text, but actual tests show many cases of incorrect judgments.”

They concluded, “The incident at this university highlights the challenges educators currently face regarding AI.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.