tech
April 15, 2026
To teach in the time of ChatGPT is to know pain
LLM use is the most demoralizing problem I’ve faced as a college instructor.
TL;DR
- Generative AI has made it significantly harder for college instructors, especially in asynchronous online courses, to assess student learning due to the ease of submitting AI-generated work.
- The prevalence of AI use forces instructors into a detective role, consuming excessive time to investigate potential cheating and defend grading decisions.
- Traditional methods of combating cheating, like plagiarism checks or evaluating critical thinking, are becoming obsolete as AI can easily generate sophisticated responses.
- Many instructors are reverting to supervised, in-person assessments or eliminating assignments, which impacts the accessibility of online courses and can reduce pedagogical quality.
- Students may view AI as a tool for workload management rather than genuine learning, potentially hindering the development of critical thinking and subject mastery.
- A significant majority of college faculty surveyed feel LLMs reduce students' critical thinking abilities and present challenges in managing their use.
- There is a perceived disconnect between administrative directives encouraging 'effective AI use' and instructors' goals of ensuring genuine student learning.
- The current AI landscape offers no clear solutions for educators, leading to burnout and a feeling of powerlessness to uphold educational integrity.
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