AI How and Why: Avoiding AI Plagiarism at School
Academic integrity isn’t a new concern for teachers, but AI is making many think twice about plagiarism. Preventing it is challenging, but you can learn to avoid it, starting with more human-centered assignments.
Linda DeYounge
Program Manager of Online Learning, Learning Technology Center
Academic integrity isn’t a new concern for teachers. For decades, hawk-eyed educators were on the lookout for students copying their friends’ homework. Not long after the internet arrived, “Wikipedia” became a classroom curse word and teachers quickly got wise to student writing packed with questionable paraphrasing.
Now, there’s a new challenger that’s making classroom plagiarism more accessible (and for students, enticing). Artificial intelligence-powered tools can answer complex questions and write entire essays with a single prompt, raising fears that overuse by students could undermine critical thinking.
As a knee-jerk reaction, you may be eager to prevent this sort of AI-powered plagiarism (and plenty of educators have, as an over-reliance on AI-checker tools illustrates).
Instead, start by reflecting on your assessment practices and consider how your assignments can avoid AI plagiarism by refocusing on authentic, human-centered learning.
Three Assignments that Avoid AI Plagiarism
Faced with the threat of greater AI-powered plagiarism in your classroom, you could spend days and weeks trying to AI-proof all of your assignments. Students often find a way around the best safeguards, though. And besides, they need to learn more than that lesson’s topic; they need to learn how to navigate this new learning landscape with integrity.
Redesigning key assignments and assessments is the way to go. We know that AI excels at text-based responses, like essays, but it can’t replicate in-person tasks where students need to speak, reflect, or interact with their peers.
Lean into human-centered assignments like the examples below and you’ll avoid AI-powered plagiarism while strengthening students’ agency as learners:
Sample Activity
Argumentative Essay → Classroom Debate
Instead of an argumentative essay, hold a classroom debate. Assign or allow students to choose a position to advocate for, either in pairs or in a group.
Can students ask AI to help them come up with arguments and counterarguments? Sure. But they will also need to put their critical thinking skills to work when responding to peers in real-time.
Sample Activity
Research Essay → Thesis Defense
Assign a research essay as before, but add in an in-class reflection that prompts students to defend parts of their essay or research process.
Include reflection questions that ask students to explain their writing process, parts of their research, and specific ideas found in their essay. Grades are based on the cohesiveness of their thesis defense.
Sample Activity
Teaching a Chatbot
Turn the new learning paradigm on its head by assigning students to teach a purpose-built chatbot about a lesson’s topic.
Using tools like SchoolAI or MagicSchool, teachers can design custom chatbots for students to interact with. Rather than writing an essay on a topic, students converse with the chatbot and explain their understanding of the topic, with the chatbot asking clarifying questions.
These tools also allow you to review entire conversation transcripts, making it easier to assess student engagement and understanding after class.
More to Learn about AI Plagiarism
These AI plagiarism avoidance strategies are just the beginning.
You can further explore plagiarism’s evolving nature and rethink your plagiarism-prone assignments in AI Plagiarism Playbook, our free, self-paced online course for K-12 educators.
Developed in response to educators’ concerns about academic integrity, this course keeps you ahead of the curve by guiding you through:
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- How plagiarism is changing in the age of AI
- Tech tools that keep tabs on the student writing process in real time
- Redesigning writing tasks and assessments to emphasize genuine student thought
- Re-introducing AI back into the classroom in ways that are teacher-controlled, structured, and focused on tutoring students
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Anytime, Anywhere AI Learning for Teachers
Whether you’re new to AI or eager to dig deeper, the LTC offers even more online courses that can bolster your skills, confidence, and capacity for harnessing AI in your teaching practice.
In addition, we’ve partnered with ISTE to provide scholarships for free enrollment in two of their GenerationAI courses.
Enroll in any of these courses today to discover that AI is more than a classroom concern – it’s also a classroom catalyst that can enhance lesson planning, student feedback, and content creation:
AI 101 for Schools
Learning Level: Introductory
Cost: Free
Explore the basics of AI – its history, how it functions, and practical ideas for using it in an educational setting – in this course for teachers, coaches, school leaders, and everyone involved in education.
You’ll walk away with a foundational understanding of AI’s emerging role in schools, including ethical concerns and opportunities to personalize student learning. You’ll also gain several basic AI skills, including how to write impactful prompts.
Google Gemini Basics
Learning Level: Introductory
Cost: Free
Unleash the power of Google Gemini in your classroom with this course designed for any educator eager to get hands-on with a user-friendly AI tool.
This course provides a walkthrough of Gemini’s current features. You’ll learn how to use it for everyday tasks like lesson planning and brainstorming, and explore ways to leverage a chatbot with students in your classroom.
GenerationAI: Transforming Teaching and Learning
Learning Level: Introductory
Scholarships: Available
This 5-hour, self-paced course developed by ISTE explores practical applications of AI in teaching and learning.
Participants explore a range of current AI tools, develop implementation strategies, and learn best practices for enhancing instruction using AI technology.
When enrolling, select “Learning Technology Center” as your partner to be eligible for scholarships.
GenerationAI: Artificial Intelligence Explorations for Educators
Learning Level: Intermediate
Scholarships: Available
This 15-hour, self-paced course developed by ISTE guides educators through leveraging AI technologies to solve real-world problems.
Participants will identify the various types of AI, hear about AI technologies on the horizon, and build their own tools to make AI concrete and accessible.
When enrolling, select “Learning Technology Center” as your partner to be eligible for scholarships.
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