This assignment, by Paul Fyfe, is from the TextGenEd collection in the WAC Clearinghouse Repository.
The abstract from the site explains:
This assignment asks students to use an accessible language model to write their term papers—with the goal of fooling the instructor. While initially framed as something sneaky or as a shortcut for writing, the assignment makes students confront and then reflect upon the unexpected difficulties, ethical dimensions, and collaborative possibilities of computationally-assisted writing. It can use any web-based text-generating platform, be adapted to various courses, and does not require significant technical knowledge.
Key Features of This Assignment
- AI-Assisted Writing Experiment
- Students use accessible language models like GPT-3 to generate parts of their term papers. This hands-on experiment helps students explore the capabilities and limitations of AI in writing, as well as the ethical dimensions of using such tools.
- Critical Reflection and Analysis
- After integrating AI-generated content into their papers, students write a reflective analysis discussing their experience, the effectiveness of the AI-generated content, and their own thoughts on the ethical implications of AI-assisted writing. This reflection encourages deeper engagement with the material and critical thinking about AI’s role in writing.
- Appendix of AI Contributions
- Students include an appendix that highlights the contributions made by the AI, allowing for transparency and a clear distinction between human and AI-generated content. This feature promotes ethical use of AI and helps students understand the collaborative possibilities and boundaries of AI in writing.
Find the full version of this assignment at the WAC Clearinghouse.