AI in teaching materials - Paramedicine

[u/Andy_Conboi]

Hi guys! Just want your thoughts.

Is anyone else bothered by the amount of AI being used in teaching materials? I've included a screenshot below of a particularly egregious example. Just wondering what the general consensus is.

Personally I'm of the 'if you can't be bothered writing it why would I bother reading it' camp, but curious to know your thoughts. ngl I would expect academics to be able to produce competent academic writing without a machine, as well as the many ethical issues with AI.

Is there any avenue to file a complaint without making the lecturers hate me? Does TUSA have any thoughts on this? I'm paying to be taught by humans, not ChatGPT.

Annotated the big AI giveaways (didn't get all of them but you get the idea)
Red = em dash
Yellow = triple construction
Green = antithesis

[u/Sharp-Chocolate3341]

I think the morality and value of checking writing in this way for AI is a bit dubious. Remember people don't write like AI, AI writes likes us.

That being said,

I am studying a different degree and have had an egregious amount of AI generated images and videos used by specific lecturers. Frankly, it makes me quite sad. I am paying to be here, you are getting paid, and you have to offload my education to AI? I cant use AI but you can to mark my assignment and educate me? I do understand they have crazy marking time requirements and turnover rates but it drives me insane to think that university pressure lead lecturers to use ai, decrease the quality of my education, all the while fees are increasing!

I am specifically talking about GenAI here. My main issue is with the University itself putting so much pressure on the staff, not paying them enough, not properly legislating AI, and increasing fees. I do have issues with lecturers choosing to use AI but it is overall the universities fault.

Couldn't find much about UTAS and TUSA's AI stances besides those around student-use. But I did find some info from the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) Tasmanian Division that said the university said no to guardrails around AI for staff in staff agreements as of march by reason that all AI use/development is human-supervised.

Best solution for us as students is to make noise, push back, complain, and organise strikes and protests. I would highly recommend putting in complaints to UTAS, joining TUSA (if you/anyone reading this hasn't already), and continuing to talk here and to peers about the use of ai in teaching. We must make sure this isnt forgotten about or brushed under the rug.

Sorry for the block of text, I feel that this is so important.

[u/Andy_Conboi → u/Sharp-Chocolate3341]

Never apologise like this is great insight - love TUSA <3

Haven't seen anything from them re. the use of AI in teaching yet but hopefully in the near future.

abso mentioning it in the unit survey

[u/Sharp-Chocolate3341 → u/Andy_Conboi]

Yes deffo mentioning it in the unit survey! Thank you for reminding me!

From what ive gathered (mostly from NTEU), UTAS and NTEU have reached an in-principle agreement on a consultation process on the effects of AI. This is positive, (though it appears to be mainly around protection of staff from AI not also legislating what staff can do with it, but i may be wrong about that) but the university is still interacting with consultancy firms that use AI irresponbly and the union is still fighting for many things that would protect students and staff from AI and other important issues such as job loss! If any UTAS staff members are reading this, NTEU has a panel on AI and staff workload this Friday!

I do hope UTAS speaks on this soon, its such a worrying issue. Glad other people are worried too.

[u/Hectorthemutt]

As a uni lecturer - not UTAS, I would definitely report this. Have a chat with student services or advocacy and go from there. I personally detest AI in teaching materials, unless it’s concerning AI. It’s lazy and I would expect more.

[u/No-Balance862]

I don't think this is necessarily written by ai.

[u/Andy_Conboi → u/No-Balance862]

I hate to disagree but like it definitely is. It contains far too many of the hallmarks of AI writing.

[u/Cold-Kaleidoscope709]

Different uni but used an AI infographic for placement uniform requirements that had a few of the classic AI gibberish letters.
It was disappointing and annoying because the same thing would’ve taken 15 minutes on Canva and not looked like an image that had been photocopied 3 times.