Nothing New Under the Sun
Generative AI and Educator Anxiety over Academic Dishonesty
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5195/ie.2025.484Keywords:
academic dishonesty, generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI), disruptive technologies, internet plagiarism, multimodal assessmentAbstract
In this article, the authors explore the concerns surrounding academic dishonesty related to generative artificial intelligence (GAI). The authors argue that while there are valid worries about students using GAI in ways the displace student work, these anxieties are not new and have been observed with previous disruptive technologies such as the Internet. By recontextualizing this anxiety within a broader historical perspective, educators can develop strategies to mitigate academic dishonesty while leveraging the benefits of GAI integration in education. Drawing upon lessons learned from addressing plagiarism caused by paper mill usage, the authors suggest incorporating multimodal assessments as an effective strategy for ensuring authentic representation of student learning outcomes at all levels of academia but particularly at doctoral level dissertations where oral defenses play a crucial role in evaluating expertise.
References
Abd-Elaal, E.-S., Gamage, S. H. P. W., & Mills, J. E. (2022). Assisting academics to identify computer generated writing. European Journal of Engineering Education, 47(5), 725–745. https://doi.org/10.1080/03043797.2022.2046709
Anson, C. M. (2011). Fraudulent practices: Academic misrepresentations of plagiarism in the name of good pedagogy. Composition Studies, 39(2), 29–43.
Anson, C. M. (2022). Ai-based text generation and the social construction of “fraudulent authorship”: A revisitation. Composition Studies, 50(1), 37–46.
Aoun, J. E. (2017). Robot-proof: Higher education in the age of artificial intelligence. MIT Press.
Autor, D. (2014). Polanyi’s Paradox and the shape of employment growth. https://www.nber.org/papers/w20485
Bartlett, T. (2009, March 20). Cheating goes global as essay mills multiply. The Chronicle of Higher Education. https://www.chronicle.com/article/Cheating-Goes-Global-as-Essay/32817
Bedington, A., Halcomb, E. F., McKee, H. A., Sargent, T., & Smith, A. (2024). Writing with generative AI and human-machine teaming: Insights and recommendations from faculty and students. Computers and Composition, 71, 102833. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compcom.2024.102833
Bower, J. L., & Christensen, C. M. (1995, February). Disruptive technologies: Catching the wave. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/1995/01/disruptive-technologies-catching-the-wave
Carr, N. (2011). The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains. W. W. Norton.
Cassidy, C. (2023, January 10). Australian universities to return to ‘pen and paper’ exams after students caught using AI to write essays. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/jan/10/universities-to-return-to-pen-and-paper-exams-after-students-caught-using-ai-to-write-essays
Chao, C.-A., Wilhelm, W. J., & Neureuther, B. D. (2009). A study of electronic detection and pedagogical approaches for reducing plagiarism. Delta Pi Epsilon Journal, 51(1), 31–42.
Chen, J. J., & Lin, J. C. (2024). Artificial intelligence as a double-edged sword: Wielding the POWER principles to maximize its positive effects and minimize its negative effects. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 25(1), 146–153. https://doi.org/10.1177/14639491231169813
Christensen, C. M., McDonald, R., Altman, E. J., & Palmer, J. E. (2018). Disruptive innovation: An intellectual history and directions for future research. Journal of Management Studies, 55(7), 1043–1078. https://doi.org/10.1111/joms.12349
Coffey, L. (2024, June 25). A new digital divide: Student AI use surges, leaving faculty behind. Inside Higher Ed. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/tech-innovation/artificial-intelligence/2024/06/25/digital-divide-students-surge-ahead
Dante, E. (2010a, November 12). Live chat with an academic mercenary. The Chronicle of Higher Education. https://www.chronicle.com/article/Live-Chat-With-an-Academic/125342
Dante, E. (2010b, November 12). The shadow scholar. The Chronicle of Higher Education. https://www.chronicle.com/article/The-Shadow-Scholar/125329
Delaney, A. (2012, April 9). Unemployed for years, professor turns to ghostwriting for students. HuffPost. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/unemployed-professor-texas-tech_n_1412585
Eaton, S. E. (2021). Plagiarism in higher education: Tackling tough topics in academic integrity. ABC-CLIO.
Eke, D. O. (2023). ChatGPT and the rise of generative AI: Threat to academic integrity? Journal of Responsible Technology, 13, 100060. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrt.2023.100060
Gong, B., Nugent, J. P., Guest, W., Parker, W., Chang, P. J., Khosa, F., & Nicolaou, S. (2019). Influence of artificial intelligence on Canadian medical students’ preference for radiology specialty: A national survey study. Academic Radiology, 26(4), 566–577. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acra.2018.10.007
Heilweil, R. (2022, December 7). AI is finally good at stuff. Now what? Vox. https://www.vox.com/recode/2022/12/7/23498694/ai-artificial-intelligence-chat-gpt-openai
Hill, L. G. C., & Ford, K. (2000). Cross conversations: To what extent should English teachers embrace technology? The English Journal, 90(2), 22–26. https://doi.org/10.2307/821212
Holdstein, D. H., & Aquiline, D. (2014). Who says?: The writer’s research. Oxford University Press.
Holmes, W., & Porayska-Pomsta, K. (Eds.). (2022). The ethics of artificial intelligence in education: Practices, challenges, and debates. Taylor & Francis.
Hopcan, S., Türkmen, G., & Polat, E. (2024). Exploring the artificial intelligence anxiety and machine learning attitudes of teacher candidates. Education & Information Technologies, 29(6), 7281–7301. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-023-12086-9
Hoskere, J. (2019, February 28). Everyday AI: Beyond spell check, how Google Docs is smart enough to correct grammar. Google Workspace Blog. https://workspace.google.com/blog/productivity-collaboration/everyday-ai-beyond-spell-check-how-google-docs-is-smart-enough-to-correct-grammar
Internet, Broadband Fact Sheet. (2024, January 31). Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/internet-broadband/
Johnson, D. G., & Verdicchio, M. (2017). AI anxiety. Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 68(9), 2267–2270. https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.23867
Kohnke, L., Moorhouse, B. L., & Zou, D. (2023). ChatGPT for language teaching and learning. RELC Journal, 54(2), 537–550. https://doi.org/10.1177/00336882231162868
Lam, W. (2011). Forward. In K. K.-K. Wong, Avoiding plagiarism: Write better papers in apa, chicago, and harvard citation styles (pp. xv–xvi). iUniverse.
Lester, J. D. (2008). The essential guide: Research writing across the disciplines (4th ed.). Pearson and Longman.
Li, J., & Huang, J.-S. (2020). Dimensions of artificial intelligence anxiety based on the integrated fear acquisition theory. Technology in Society, 63, 101410. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2020.101410
Marche, S. (2022, December 6). The college essay is dead. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2022/12/chatgpt-ai-writing-college-student-essays/672371/
McCulloch, G. (2020). Because internet: Understanding the new rules of language. Penguin.
McLuhan, M. (1964). Understanding media: The extensions of man. McGraw-Hill.
Newcomb, A. F., Berkebile, N. M., Newman, J. E., & Parker, S. W. (1998). Student projects embracing new computer technologies: Opportunities for student scholarship on... Teaching of Psychology, 25(1), 52–58. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15328023top2501_18
Pearson. (2024, June 24). End of semester ai report: More college students say AI is helping them get better grades. Pearson PLC. https://plc.pearson.com/en-GB/news-and-insights/news/end-semester-ai-report-more-college-students-say-ai-helping-them-get-better
Perlmutter, D. D. (2024). Admin 101: How to lead your campus on AI. The Chronicle of Higher Education. https://www.chronicle.com/article/admin-101-how-to-lead-your-campus-on-ai
Postman, N. (1992). Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology. Knopf.
Renard, L. (1999). Cut and Paste 101: Plagiarism and the Net. Educational Leadership, 57(4), 38–42.
Rogers, E. M. (1962). Diffusion of innovations. Free Press of Glencoe.
Roseblatt, K. (2023, January 5). ChatGPT banned from New York City public schools’ devices and networks. NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/new-york-city-public-schools-ban-chatgpt-devices-networks-rcna64446
Rosenblatt, K. (2022, December 7). New bot ChatGPT will force colleges to get creative to prevent cheating, experts say. NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/chatgpt-can-generate-essay-generate-rcna60362
Ruediger, D., Blankenstein, M., & Love, S. (2024). Generative AI and postsecondary instructional practices. Ithaka S+R. https://doi.org/10.18665/sr.320892
Shrivastava, R. (2022, December 12). Teachers fear ChatGPT will make cheating easier than ever. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/rashishrivastava/2022/12/12/teachers-fear-chatgpt-will-make-cheating-easier-than-ever/
Smith, A. R. (2017). Bare writing: Comparing multiliteracies theory and nonrepresentational theory approaches to a young writer writing. Reading Research Quarterly, 52(1), 125–140. https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.153
Snapper, J. W. (1999). On the Web, plagiarism matters more than copyright piracy. Ethics and Information Technology, 1(2), 127-. https://doi.org/10.1023/a:1010083703905
Stepchyshyn, V., & Nelson, R. S. (2007). Library plagiarism policies. College Library Information Packet Committee, College Libraries Section, Association of College and Research Libraries.
Stone, B. (2022, December 14). Anti-cheating education software braces for AI chatbots. Bloomberg.Com. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2022-12-14/anti-cheating-education-software-braces-for-chatgpt
Susskind, R., & Susskind, D. (2022). The future of the professions: How technology will transform the work of human experts (2nd Ed.). Oxford University Press.
The New London Group. (1996). A pedagogy of multiliteracies: Designing social futures. Harvard Educational Review, 66(1), 60–93. https://doi.org/10.17763/haer.66.1.17370n67v22j160u
Tomar, D. (2012). The shadow scholar: How I made a living helping college kids cheat. Bloomsbury.
Weale, S. (2023, January 13). Lecturers urged to review assessments in UK amid concerns over new AI tool. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/jan/13/end-of-the-essay-uk-lecturers-assessments-chatgpt-concerns-ai
Werse, N. R. (2024). What will be lost? Critical reflections on ChatGPT, Artificial Intelligence writing, and the value of writing instruction. Double Helix: A Journal of Critical Thinking and Writing, 11. https://doi.org/10.37514/DBH-J.2023.11.1.07
White, J. L. (2016). Shadow scholars and the rise of the dissertation service industry: Can we maintain academic integrity? Journal of Research Practice, 12(1).
Yao, C., & Chan, K. (2023, February 17). University of Hong Kong temporarily bans students from using ChatGPT. South China Morning Post. https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3210650/university-hong-kong-temporarily-bans-students-using-chatgpt-other-ai-based-tools-coursework
Zhai, X. (2023). ChatGPT User Experience: Implications for Education (SSRN Scholarly Paper 4312418). https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4312418
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Nicholas R. Werse, Joshua Caleb Smith
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- The Author retains copyright in the Work, where the term “Work” shall include all digital objects that may result in subsequent electronic publication or distribution.
- Upon acceptance of the Work, the author shall grant to the Publisher the right of first publication of the Work.
- The Author shall grant to the Publisher and its agents the nonexclusive perpetual right and license to publish, archive, and make accessible the Work in whole or in part in all forms of media now or hereafter known under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License or its equivalent, which, for the avoidance of doubt, allows others to copy, distribute, and transmit the Work under the following conditions:
- Attribution—other users must attribute the Work in the manner specified by the author as indicated on the journal Web site;
- The Author is able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the nonexclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the Work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), as long as there is provided in the document an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post online a prepublication manuscript (but not the Publisher’s final formatted PDF version of the Work) in institutional repositories or on their Websites prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work. Any such posting made before acceptance and publication of the Work shall be updated upon publication to include a reference to the Publisher-assigned DOI (Digital Object Identifier) and a link to the online abstract for the final published Work in the Journal.
- Upon Publisher’s request, the Author agrees to furnish promptly to Publisher, at the Author’s own expense, written evidence of the permissions, licenses, and consents for use of third-party material included within the Work, except as determined by Publisher to be covered by the principles of Fair Use.
- The Author represents and warrants that:
- the Work is the Author’s original work;
- the Author has not transferred, and will not transfer, exclusive rights in the Work to any third party;
- the Work is not pending review or under consideration by another publisher;
- the Work has not previously been published;
- the Work contains no misrepresentation or infringement of the Work or property of other authors or third parties; and
- the Work contains no libel, invasion of privacy, or other unlawful matter.
- The Author agrees to indemnify and hold Publisher harmless from Author’s breach of the representations and warranties contained in Paragraph 6 above, as well as any claim or proceeding relating to Publisher’s use and publication of any content contained in the Work, including third-party content.
Revised 7/16/2018. Revision Description: Removed outdated link.
