College Student Faces Academic Probation for Using Grammarly: Alleged “AI Violation”
University of North Georgia Student Accused of Cheating After Anti-Plagiarism
College Student Faces Academic Probation for Using Grammarly: Alleged “AI Violation”
University of North Georgia Student Accused of Cheating After Anti-Plagiarism Software Flags Grammarly Use
A college junior at the University of North Georgia Dahlonega Campus has been placed on academic probation after being accused of using artificial intelligence (AI) to write a paper. Marley Stevens, 21, denies the accusation and claims that she only used Grammarly, a web browser attachment, for proofreading purposes. The incident has raised concerns about the potential for wrongful accusations of cheating through AI detection systems.
Stevens used Grammarly to proofread a criminal justice paper she submitted in October. However, the paper was flagged by the anti-plagiarism software TurnItIn.com for alleged AI use. As a result, she failed the assignment, lost a scholarship, and faced disciplinary action, including academic probation.
Stevens expressed her disbelief when her professor informed her about the positive AI response from TurnItIn.com. She shared a screenshot of the email on TikTok, highlighting her confusion and shock. According to her professor, the entire paper, except for the last few sentences, showed signs of AI-generated content. Stevens argued that she only used Grammarly for spellchecking and not for creating or editing the paper’s content.
Other students who have used Grammarly for spell check have also been flagged by the TurnItIn.com system, according to Stevens. Despite her attempts to explain that Grammarly is not like ChatGPT, a more advanced AI language model, her professor gave her a zero and accused her of cheating. Stevens, who had maintained a 3.0 GPA before the incident, pleaded to redo the paper to avoid failing the class.
The University of North Georgia stated that it could not comment on Stevens’ case due to privacy laws. Still, it emphasized that the inappropriate use of AI is addressed in their Student Code of Conduct. Stevens mentioned that she and other students had used Grammarly on previous assignments without facing any penalties. She also revealed that some professors had encouraged them to install the Grammarly extension.
Despite her academic probation, Stevens continues to work two jobs to support her education. She considered transferring to another college but found it to be a more expensive option. In light of her experience, she advises other college students to inquire about the use of Grammarly and AI with their professors.
The incident has sparked a discussion about the potential pitfalls of relying solely on AI detection systems and the need for more precise guidelines regarding the use of AI tools in academic settings.