I think the folks who support the use of AI in education are missing the point of essay assignments.
Like you are not trying to educate the teacher. You are not trying to demonstrate your ability to produce an essay.
The ENTIRE POINT of Essays is to demonstrate that you understand the material. And you cannot do that if you are not writing the essay yourself.
As a teacher, I would also say, the entire point of the essay is to prove you know how to craft an argument. You can find data, confirm that data is correct, and organize it in a way to show that you know you understand the data you found. If it’s really good: you’ve proven you can be convincing.
These skills help you discuss, debate, and understand things (both facts AND misinformation) far more.
They help you become familiar with crafting an argument, practicing the physical skill of writing, and using formal language that you might need when talking to someone in a position of authority in the future.
At the end of the day, I never cared if my students could remember a historical fact or figure. I cared if they understood the concepts and the practical skills that they could then use in their future careers.
AI will never help with that. Because it keeps the student from ever understanding how to understand in the first place.
ALT
amhrancas 