Artificial Intelligence (AI) is already in classrooms, and it’s time to embrace it responsibly. Ignoring AI or trying to ban it is unrealistic; integrating it with a clear ethical framework is the practical approach for students, teachers, and administrators alike.
Who is Catalina Londoño?
Catalina Londoño is the Director of Customer Onboarding at Turnitin, a leading plagiarism detection tool. Her expertise in educational technology and AI tools makes her insights valuable for the academic community.
What are AI Tools?
AI tools encompass various software families. Generative tools assist in writing, summarizing, and analyzing texts; language learning tools specialize in vocabulary and conversation practice; information-to-timeline or podcast script converters aid visual learners; and voice-based tools cater to auditory learners.
Some systems train students for exams by formulating questions or prioritizing content, and even help manage time and schedules.
AI Usage in Schools
AI is already being used in two primary ways:
- For students, AI supports studying (summarizing, prioritizing topics, exam simulations), enhances language skills, and helps manage time.
- For teachers, AI aids in creating assessments, exploring new evaluation methods, and reviewing students’ writing processes.
- Institutionally, the responsibility lies in establishing clear integrity and AI usage policies. This coordinated effort involves administrators, teachers, and students.
A guiding principle for this adoption is that technology provides information to inform decisions but should not be used punitively or reduce educational judgment to mere numbers. Ultimately, human discretion should prevail over automated alerts or similarity percentages.
Catalina Londoño’s Recommendations for AI Use in the Return to School
- Digital literacy first: Before using AI, students and teachers should understand available options and their limitations. Recognizing strengths and weaknesses prevents unrealistic expectations.
- AI as a support, not a replacement: While AI can summarize, generate proposals, and train for exams, individual learning responsibility remains crucial. Submitting AI-generated work to “avoid detection” is cheating. The goal is to learn better, not merely pass an assessment.
- Transparency and communication with teachers: If there’s uncertainty about AI usage in an assignment, ask. Agree on permissible AI use, explicitly state the extent of usage, credit the tool, and explain its role to eliminate ambiguity.
- Clear institutional policies: Schools should have academic integrity guidelines and AI usage rules. This includes evaluation criteria, protocols for detecting unauthorized AI use, and teacher/student training processes. Institutional consistency minimizes gray areas.
- Human-criteria evaluation: Similarity detection or AI usage systems assist in enriching the evaluation process, not automating punishments. Teacher and, when applicable, administrator analysis should supersede any automated report.
- Diversify learning with AI: Not all AI tools are text-based. Voice tools, language learners, information organizers, and quiz generators can enhance comprehension and retention.
Primary AI Platforms
Instead of focusing on brands, consider platform families:
- Generative writing and analysis: These tools draft outlines, summarize content, and help structure ideas. They’re widely known and come in free and paid versions, useful for brainstorming, comparing approaches, and identifying argument gaps.
- Language learning: These platforms train vocabulary and conversation in the target language, like English, with immediate feedback.
- Content curation and organization: From reliable sources, these tools generate timelines, audio scripts, and thematic summaries to familiarize learners with complex material.
- Voice-based tools (conversational assistants): Ideal for those who learn best by listening or need to practice spoken expression.
- Teacher support and evaluation: Platforms for creating exams, diversifying assessments, and analyzing writing processes; they include plagiarism and potential AI usage checkers.
As classes resume alongside AI, integrating it with clear rules, transparency, and human judgment allows for harnessing its benefits (organizing, practicing, synthesizing) without compromising academic integrity.
- Question: What is the role of digital literacy in using AI tools?
- Answer: Digital literacy is crucial before using AI tools. Understanding available options and their limitations prevents unrealistic expectations and ensures responsible use.
