The use of AI-detection tools is no longer a sufficient method for detecting AI-generated content and should not be relied on as the sole tool for detecting such content. Tools such as Turnitin walks a fine line between reliability and reality. On the one hand, it says its AI detection tool was “verified in a controlled lab environment” and renders scores with 98% confidence. On the other hand, it appears to have a margin of error of plus or minus 15 percentage points. So a score of 50 could actually be anywhere from 35 to 65. In addition AI detectors are more likely to incorrectly flag non-native English speakers and neurodivergent writers as AI.
However, there are alternatives. Some of the best tools for preventing abuse of AI tool in assignments stem from proactively establishing clear policies around the use of AI in your course. Consider these possible approaches:
- Announce your policies on AI use both in person and in writing.
- Provide definitions of key terms like plagiarism and cheating in the context of generative AI tools.
- Share clear examples of appropriate versus inappropriate AI applications for specific tasks.
- Explain the rationale behind your AI policies so students understand that the goal is to facilitate meaningful learning—not just enforce compliance.
- If your students will be using generative AI tools, establish clear expectations around how they’ll acknowledge and cite their use of these technologies.
- Help students understand how completing a given assignment will support their learning.
- Build in opportunities for self-reflection and metacognition—for example, by asking students to reflect on what they’ve learned and how they learned it.
- Scaffold assignments by breaking them into smaller pieces that build on one another (i.e. asking students to submit an outline before writing their final paper).
- Give students opportunities to revise their work based on feedback before grading.
