How Australia’s university students are using to AI to cheat their way to a degree (The Weekend Australian Magazine Article)

On February 7, The Weekend Australian Magazine published a feature by Ros Thomas focusing on the reliance by University Students on artificial intelligence (AI) to help them complete assessment tasks, especially essays and take-home exams.

It is concerning because it could produce university graduates with next to no knowledge of their field, relying entirely on AI to complete their assessment tasks. They are, in fact, not showing their lecturer or marker what they really know about a topic, because they let the computer do "the talking" for them. 

They also lose the opportunity to develop skills in critical thinking and information skills, such as how to locate, select, and communicate their knowledge, thoughts, and ideas on a topic. Finding information that is relevant, reliable and trustworthy is part of the process as well, particularly in a world where information can easily deceive and mislead us. We need to be able to filter truth from untruth.

While some may have been able to use AI to mould the perfect assignment, AI is not perfect either.  Thomas refers to an account by one student in which incorrect information appeared in a group assignment they had worked on with AI. They, along with another member, had just three hours left before submission and had to rewrite their assignment to ensure they could land a good mark.

From my own experience using AI, I have had to hold AI to account when it omits information, incorrectly quotes information, or provides inaccurate information. More frustrating is wanting a direct quote from a document, only for AI to reword it or ignore it altogether. Even asking for academic papers on a topic (even relating to Teacher Librarianship) has yielded inaccurate results. I still get results that may not answer the question. AI models have improved in reliability, but they can still be inaccurate. There are times my prompts are ignored.

Even in our schools, we face the same situation where students rely on AI to complete homework or research tasks. 

Whether at the school or tertiary level, we need to ensure we set standards for how we use AI. I am not against AI because, in my role, it can simplify tasks. It can help me organise library research lessons or recommend books for a reluctant reader based on the profile I give them (and even upload a reading list or a catalogue listing of books). I then have to check to ensure what I got is accurate. 

If I need to write a report, it can provide a scaffold, template, or draft that I can then tweak to suit what I want to write or present.

It leaves me thinking, what can I teach my students to do? I think I'd have to emphasise the following to encourage AI to be useful, while still encouraging critical thinking and the information skills process.

• Checking the usefulness and reliability of information provided by a chatbot - Is it relevant? Is it correct?
• Organising summaries of notes
• Proofreading written content. Tools such as Grammarly have AI embedded in it. I have found that it has improved my writing skills after regular use of it. 
• Summaries of Pdf files. 
• Fact Checking - Checking to make sure AI-generated summaries are correct. If searching for content, conduct a usefulness and reliability check - Does it answer the research question
• Scaffolding - helping the student to organise their information
• Avoiding situations where one copies and pastes AI-generated content into an assessment task
• Expecting students to edit and reedit written work to ensure that the content complies with assessment requirements and marking criteria, and that it is expressed in their own words. I'd encourage them to think of themselves as the marker and consider what the marker might think of their work. Do they use a word in which they don't know the meaning or usage? I'd tell them not to use it and that teachers know how they typically write. 

These are a few ideas. You may have other ideas.

Newspaper Databases Presentation - Year 12 CAFS

Last week, I had the opportunity to present a research skills lesson to a Year 12 Community and Family Studies Class. They are undertaking an assessment task that requires them to locate newspaper articles on homeless people and the aged.

I embraced this opportunity given how I value the role of newspapers in education and would like to see students engage with newspapers (preferably in print form but digitally as a minimum) to locate valuable and reliable material.

The presentation focused on:

• How to access newspaper databases via the State Library of NSW
• Use of Boolean operators and filters within databases to narrow down their search results
• Evaluate the usefulness and reliability of articles using the RAVEN source evaluation model (similar to CRAPP)
• How to save and back up articles relevant to their research for the task.

I focused on the following databases:

• Australia and New Zealand Newsstream (Proquest) - I performed a live demonstration on the screen of how to use filters, e.g. selecting publications, timeframes, etc
• Sydney Morning Herald (Library Edition)
• PressReader
• Newsbank & Factiva (alternatives for broader searches)

I even showed the students how to download, save and email articles to their inboxes and obtain an academic citation for their reference list or bibliography, as databases such as Australia and New Zealand Newstream can prepare them for you in line with referencing systems. 

One key aspect of the presentation was debunking Google or search engines as the best place to find news as databases are:

• More reliable and credible
• Current
• Relevant to Research
• Able to provide better search options
• Able to offer more options such as newspapers, archives and regional news
• Able to filter out "fake news" or unreliable sources

The weaknesses of a Google search are:

• Results are not always reliable
• Based on what it thinks that you, the user wants
• Preference to list "popular" results at the top of search results
• Paywalls

The students certainly enjoyed the presentation and hopefully do well. The students asked me some great questions; many of them are regulars in the library for their study periods or simply visiting during their break times. 

Vicki Courtenay Presentation - SLANSW Presentation

Last night, I had the opportunity to attend an online presentation by the School Library Assocation of NSW (SLANSW) Teacher Librarian of the year - Vicki Courtenay. Vicki is a Teaching and Learning Librarian at Trinity Grammar at Summer Hill (Sydney). 

I enjoyed listening to some of the work that she has engaged in but also provided insights into the work of the team at the Arthur Holt Library at their main campus in Summer Hill.

I was impressed with the idea of a booking sheet that teachers can use to book for Teacher Librarians to undertake research skills workshops with their classes. I was left wondering why I never had the idea in my head in previous years. I could have even created a flyer that could have provided an overview of ideas for possible research skills lessons. I believe that it could even be used for wide reading lessons etc if the English teacher wanted to focus on a specific aspect of wide reading.

It left me with better ideas as well on how to collaborate with teachers in the preparation of assessment tasks and also educating students in skills associated with academic integrity. Reflecting on it, I think I may have missed opportunities for collaboration even though I did collaborate actively with colleagues focusing on their students specific needs.

Finally I was interested by her insights into wide reading and promoting a positive reading culture. There are many ways that one can promote a positive reading culture, but did enjoy hearing insights into how Trinity Grammar has promoted reading and literature e.g. the book that changed my life. I actually liked the idea that they applied because it makes one reflect on the impact that reading a particular book has changed their lives and how it has changed for the better. Books can inspire us to make the decisions that ultimately shape our lives, whether it may be to change our behaviour, our lifestyles, our perspectivcs, develop our interests or even shape the career path that we choose to take. It may have even had an emotional impact in our lives or help us to discover something.

I could relate to one aspect of the wide reading program that they implement there - sharing reviews of books that have been read as part of wide reading sessions. I have encouraged this. I believe that students are more likely to read a certain title if a friend recommends it than that of a teacher. I think it also helps others to be aware of the books that are popular or are available. I know personally that hearing reviews by other people has even helped me decide what to read next, especially if I am uncertain about it.

Students, CNN and Fake News

I recently read a posting by a Teacher Librarian on the OZTL_NET forums about students perceiving American news channel CNN to be "fake news".

This is concerning given that I believe that such perceptions have been shaped by US President Donald Trump's comments at the reporting by CNN about him and the presidency.

The comment "fake news" has been misused as pointed out by some media outlets including The Guardian to discredit the information. Trump is amongst them, even applying the term to journalists.

Fake News refers to a story that is created to deliberately misinform or deceive readers. The events or information is simply untrue. Information is not verified.

Such articles can also be biased e.g. alleging that individuals were involved or connected to the event when it was not true. This can then be used to advocate a particular argument or justify an argument.

In the United States and Australia, we are blessed to have freedom of the press. News outlets are free to pursue whatever agenda that interests them. To protect the community, there are also standards imposed on how information is presented. Government departments like The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) and the Australian Press Council regulate the media to ensure that viewers or readers are presented with information that is true and accurate.

There is bound to be bias in media outlets and journalists in presenting information. They will have a tendency to usually support one side of the political spectrum. Some will not be afraid to change sides e.g. The Daily Telegraph advised its readers to elect Prime Ministers Gough Whitlam (1972) and Kevin Rudd (2007) despite historically leaning towards the Liberal Party.

So how do we respond to this? We should tell our students to:

1. Verify the information - Check other sources. Are the facts correct? 
2. Consider the audience that it is being written for?
3. Is there bias in the article? Are other perspectives presented?
4. Is the author reputable?
5. Consider the presentation of the content - Is it well written? Is the discussion balanced and fair? Can you understand concepts and ideas? Consider spelling and grammar.

Is CNN Fake News?

I have access to CNN and CNN International at home. I tend to prefer CNN which is the flagship channel of the networks that form CNN. The content is largely talk based focusing on discussion of news issues by various presenters including Anderson Cooper, Don Lemon and Chris Cumno. CNN will also screen special reports and documentaries.

Like any media outlet, CNN has been guilty of controversies on its reporting but it is a reputable source for news and information. Personally, I use it alongside other sources including The New York Times, MSNBC, One America News, NBC and CBS to obtain news on events in the United States and around the world. 

CNN will draw on other news sources including global television networks and news agencies including Reuters and Associated Press. They will go to some effort to verify their sources!!!

There is definitely some bias in its reporting but competitors do the same. However, this becomes less of an issue as long as you obtain other perspectives from other sources.

All My Own Work

One of my projects as the Teacher Librarian (Acting) at Mary MacKillop Catholic College, Wakeley in Term 4, 2017 was to oversee the completion of the All My Own Work modules.

Every school will have their own method or approach. Some schools will require that the students complete it in their own time at home. They then will be required to submit a printout of their results module by module to the school.

Some will allocate time for the students to work independently with no presentation/s etc.

I delivered the course over one day with the Year 10 cohort in the final week of Term 4 last year. The model was that the day was split into three parts with two modules in focus for each session. This worked well for a six period day.

Each session began with a 20 minute presentation, where an overview was provided of the key concepts in each module. Short activities using mentimeter were applied with student responses submitted presented on the screen live. Two examples are below.

This was providing me with live feedback on student understanding and knowledge. Even though I was strapped for time, I was impressed.

I also think showing clips of scenes from comedy shows like Mr Bean made a difference in understanding what can be seen by some as complex ideas.

E.g. Girls were asked to identify examples of Malpractice in this clip from Mr. Bean.

Then they were divided into their house groups, where the under the supervision of a teacher they were working through their modules. I set the pass mark as 85% for each module. Learning Support Students had a modified mark of 70% but they generally managed to get to 85% as well. The supervising teacher would initial that the student had completed the module and had cited the mark on the screen.

A registry was created and then sent through to the members of the school executive for processing with NESA.

Several students were absent, with a follow up session organised two days later. One student had actually done it at home and it was merely for me to sign off their confirmation slips.

A big thank you to those who assisted me on the day!!!

I have uploaded my powerpoint slides from the day for those who may need some direction on how to organise the day.

Assignment Planning & Google Calendars

I have had the opportunity while filling in at Marist College Eastwood for the first part of this term to facilitate study skills seminars.

This week, I focused on  Assignment Planning and Bibliographies.

Bibliographies was fairly simple, with students completing activities and notes based on the details that they need to include. I was impressed with what they know about plagiarism but also curious as to why particular details like publishers and the place of location must be included. One concern, they mention that only websites are listed. I had to remind them of the formats of sources that can be used.

The focus of this entry is on Assignment Planners. One habit I observe is the last minute rush that occurs to complete an assignment. Students easily fall into a trap in holding off assignments.

I focused on their purpose and the benefits of assignment planners. Then I got them to list the steps that they need to undertake to complete an upcoming assignment.

Once they had listed their steps, the information was transferred onto their Google Calendar. I guided them through the steps in posting each step and how Google Calendars can remind them of when other learning tasks are due. They can easily organise their time.

I even required students to list when they intend to visit the library and to see their teachers, because they are important steps in the research process. How will one obtain information if they don't visit the library? How can one get help at the last minute as opposed to when the task is handed out? As the assignment involves creating an object or model, I went a step further and asked them if they do their research before making the model or after they make the model.

We near the end of the week and yes some of them have dropped in to view the resources we have prepared for them. I look forward to seeing more in the days ahead.

Website Evaluation

My recent work at Kingsgrove North High School, gave the opportunity to present Information Literacy Skills sessions to the Year 7 cohort.

I decided to try a session on Website evaluation given they have done some work on online encyclopedias and comparing information from online sources.

When I did my Master of Education Degree, I was guided through the 5W's of Website evaluation modelled by Kathy Shorock. Believe it or not, its the same model used by Historians to evaluate the relevance of sources - Who? What? Where? When? Why?  I decided it was the most straight forward approach to teach them how to evaluate a website and then be able to apply that in History or any other subject.

It is such a handy research skill even in printed form.

Using the resources provided on Schrocks website, I got the students (as a class) to evaluate a website that I picked for them applying a set of criteria. To make it more interesting, I selected a history website in which I manage. Initially, I found that they struggled a little with the concept of the 5W's in the initial discussion, but once we began working together on the sheet and examining the website, they started to develop a good grasp of what they need to consider in selecting relevant websites for their research e.g. use of visual images, tables, graphs and further reading.

I will admit, that even I learn't some useful skills in how to create and maintain a website. I got ticks for the visual images, spelling and grammar, accuracy of information and links to further reading. However, there was no home page which can help one gain an overview of what the site is about.

Louise Limberg - UTS Connected Intelligence Centre Presentation - April 1 2015

On April 1, I attended a presentation by Louise Limberg at the University of Technology, Sydney. She spoke about meaningful learning through information literacy.

As a Teacher Librarian, I need to foster a culture of meaningful learning within my school but ensure that students have the information  literacy skills needed for effective engagement.

One key finding of interest to me was that those who analyse and scrutinise information. Learning outcomes were likely to be more sophisticated with well grounded and independent conclusions of a research topic. If we focus on fact finding, learning outcomes are less likely to be met. Knowledge is fragmented.

I think my qualifications as a history teacher helps me because we need to scrutinise and analyse sources in order to draw a finding or conclusion. I'm currently on a Ten Week block at the Hurstville Boys' High Campus of the Georges River College in Sydney and already I'm telling my students to look at the sources that they use when undertaking research. Even though at the moment its a bibliography, we need to draw some conclusions about sources, particularly if the source is missing information e.g. author. Does it make the source credible or not? Does the information appear accurate compared to other resources.

Another element I need to consider is ensuring the research questions are researchable. Instead of picking topics for research, we as educators need to set research questions that will foster inquiry.

We have also been reminded to provide feedback on student learning and progress in the research process. This can be overlooked when marking an assessment. I feel we need to foster the process of inquiry questions with our students in order to form knowledge and provide the conclusions that we seek from learning.

There are challenges that lie ahead which were identified by Limberg. Technology is ever changing. Obviously we must adapt to those changes especially the easy access to the ever burgeoning amounts of information in a digital world. Information is presented in a wide variety of formats. We need to ensure that students can draw on that variety (not a few) to add their reading, interpretation, assessment and construction of meaning. There is also the challenge associated with politics and society e.g. free access to education or the content to be included in new national curriculum.

As a teacher librarian, I must keep alert to the new and emerging formats and encourage students to utilise it, but at the same time also draw on traditional resources. If a student can draw on a variety of resources, it will become easier to construct meaning. I have found that any student that uses a variety of resources is bound to achieve better results in learning tasks, than one who may for instance rely on two or three websites.

Study Ties College Success to Students’ Exposure to a High School Librarian (Article from the School Library Journal)

An article recently landed in my inbox (hence the title of the post) about the three way relationship between the Teacher-Librarian, teacher and student in shaping the success of students in their studies at tertiary level.

Research has found that the development of information literacy skills is shaped during a student's schooling. Students that were exposed to the expertise and skills of a teacher librarian are more likely to result in better academic achievement at university. Also collaboration with teacher made it even more likely.

I found from my own experience as a student, that we were not necessarily prepared for the requirements to engage in learning effectively at university level. For example, I did not know what a database was and how to use it, nor to reference effectively.

These experiences have helped me as a teacher librarian. I encourage students to make use of databases that may be available to them, either through the school library, their local library or the State Library of NSW. I have found them to be amazed at what they do end up finding.

Or teaching students where to locate books on a certain topic e.g. Music in the 700's.

Also I have encouraged students to not just focus on websites, but also on printed, electronic and audio visual materials through Resource Based Learning.

And finally I have been an advocate of Guided Inquiry because it allows for that reflection on the learning process, right from start to finish. I have guided senior students in writing up a research question/s, recommending resources (as mentioned) or reflecting on the usefulness of a resource.

Wikipedia as a library of knowledge + tips

Judy O'Donnell has written an interesting article on the role of Wikipedia which allows for the creation of a library of knowledge (as I see it) and how we as a global society can shape it.

There are also some useful tips on how to use Wikipedia in research as well.

However in a classroom context, I feel that while it can guide a student in understanding an idea or concept, they can easily fall into the trap of relying on it solely for gaining information. 

I'd only recommend Wikipedia as a starting point for a research task and generally should not be included in a reference list or bibliography. We need to encourage students to locate resources in different formats from different locations. Students also are taught how to verify their information as they can compare information from one source with another source to ensure that it is correct and accurate.