ENG1503
MAY JUNE
PORTFOLIO
DUE 12 June 2025
,ENG1503
MAY JUNE PORTFOLIO
Semester 1
DUE 12 June 2025
Question 1: The Modern Face of Academic Dishonesty: Improper AI Usage, Declining
Critical Thinking, and Workforce Impacts
The advent of artificial intelligence (AI) has heralded a transformative era across various
sectors, and higher education is no exception. While offering unprecedented opportunities
for learning and research, the unsupervised and improper integration of AI tools,
particularly generative AI, has simultaneously birthed a nuanced and pervasive form of
academic dishonesty. This new dimension transcends traditional transgressions like
plagiarism and cheating, fundamentally eroding the bedrock of academic integrity by
fostering a decline in critical thinking skills and posing significant challenges for the future
workforce. This essay will critically examine these interconnected impacts, drawing upon
contemporary scholarly discourse to provide a comprehensive understanding of this
evolving phenomenon.
The Shifting Paradigm of Academic Dishonesty with AI Integration
Academic dishonesty, traditionally conceptualized as plagiarism, cheating, and
fabrication, has historically threatened the integrity of scholarly pursuits (McCabe et al.,
2001). However, the proliferation of sophisticated AI tools, such as ChatGPT, Bard, and
other large language models (LLMs), introduces a complex layer to this existing landscape.
Students can now generate essays, solve complex problems, and even design research
proposals with minimal intellectual input, often without direct copying (Stahl, 2021). This
blurs the lines between legitimate assistive technology and outright academic fraud. The
ease with which AI-generated content can be passed off as original work complicates
detection and attribution, challenging existing policies and pedagogical approaches
designed for pre-AI misconduct (Susnjak, 2022). The ethical dilemma deepens when
considering that AI tools can mimic human writing styles and thought processes, making it
difficult to discern genuine student effort from AI-assisted output, thereby compromising
the fairness and validity of assessment processes (Bretag et al., 2019).
, The Erosion of Critical Thinking Skills
Perhaps the most profound and insidious impact of improper AI usage is its contribution to
the decline of critical thinking among students. Critical thinking, defined as the objective
analysis and evaluation of information to form a judgment, is a cornerstone of higher
education and a fundamental skill for navigating complex contemporary challenges
(Facione, 1990). When students rely excessively on AI for generating ideas, structuring
arguments, or even completing entire assignments, they circumvent the cognitive
processes essential for developing independent thought, analytical reasoning, and
problem-solving abilities (Lim et al., 2023).
The "black box" nature of many AI algorithms means that users often receive outputs
without understanding the underlying reasoning or data sources, fostering a passive
consumption of information rather than active engagement. This reliance diminishes the
capacity for:
• Original Ideation: Students may default to AI-generated concepts rather than
developing their own unique perspectives.
• Argumentation and Synthesis: The effort required to construct coherent
arguments, synthesize diverse sources, and defend positions is outsourced to AI,
weakening these essential academic muscles (Cheung et al., 2021).
• Error Detection and Bias Recognition: AI models, while powerful, can perpetuate
biases present in their training data and sometimes generate factually incorrect
information (Hall et al., 2021). Over-reliance prevents students from developing the
critical discernment necessary to evaluate information for accuracy and bias, a
crucial skill in an age of misinformation.
Ultimately, an over-reliance on AI undermines the very purpose of higher education: to
cultivate intellectually curious, critically engaged, and independently thinking individuals
(Ginsburg, 2020).
MAY JUNE
PORTFOLIO
DUE 12 June 2025
,ENG1503
MAY JUNE PORTFOLIO
Semester 1
DUE 12 June 2025
Question 1: The Modern Face of Academic Dishonesty: Improper AI Usage, Declining
Critical Thinking, and Workforce Impacts
The advent of artificial intelligence (AI) has heralded a transformative era across various
sectors, and higher education is no exception. While offering unprecedented opportunities
for learning and research, the unsupervised and improper integration of AI tools,
particularly generative AI, has simultaneously birthed a nuanced and pervasive form of
academic dishonesty. This new dimension transcends traditional transgressions like
plagiarism and cheating, fundamentally eroding the bedrock of academic integrity by
fostering a decline in critical thinking skills and posing significant challenges for the future
workforce. This essay will critically examine these interconnected impacts, drawing upon
contemporary scholarly discourse to provide a comprehensive understanding of this
evolving phenomenon.
The Shifting Paradigm of Academic Dishonesty with AI Integration
Academic dishonesty, traditionally conceptualized as plagiarism, cheating, and
fabrication, has historically threatened the integrity of scholarly pursuits (McCabe et al.,
2001). However, the proliferation of sophisticated AI tools, such as ChatGPT, Bard, and
other large language models (LLMs), introduces a complex layer to this existing landscape.
Students can now generate essays, solve complex problems, and even design research
proposals with minimal intellectual input, often without direct copying (Stahl, 2021). This
blurs the lines between legitimate assistive technology and outright academic fraud. The
ease with which AI-generated content can be passed off as original work complicates
detection and attribution, challenging existing policies and pedagogical approaches
designed for pre-AI misconduct (Susnjak, 2022). The ethical dilemma deepens when
considering that AI tools can mimic human writing styles and thought processes, making it
difficult to discern genuine student effort from AI-assisted output, thereby compromising
the fairness and validity of assessment processes (Bretag et al., 2019).
, The Erosion of Critical Thinking Skills
Perhaps the most profound and insidious impact of improper AI usage is its contribution to
the decline of critical thinking among students. Critical thinking, defined as the objective
analysis and evaluation of information to form a judgment, is a cornerstone of higher
education and a fundamental skill for navigating complex contemporary challenges
(Facione, 1990). When students rely excessively on AI for generating ideas, structuring
arguments, or even completing entire assignments, they circumvent the cognitive
processes essential for developing independent thought, analytical reasoning, and
problem-solving abilities (Lim et al., 2023).
The "black box" nature of many AI algorithms means that users often receive outputs
without understanding the underlying reasoning or data sources, fostering a passive
consumption of information rather than active engagement. This reliance diminishes the
capacity for:
• Original Ideation: Students may default to AI-generated concepts rather than
developing their own unique perspectives.
• Argumentation and Synthesis: The effort required to construct coherent
arguments, synthesize diverse sources, and defend positions is outsourced to AI,
weakening these essential academic muscles (Cheung et al., 2021).
• Error Detection and Bias Recognition: AI models, while powerful, can perpetuate
biases present in their training data and sometimes generate factually incorrect
information (Hall et al., 2021). Over-reliance prevents students from developing the
critical discernment necessary to evaluate information for accuracy and bias, a
crucial skill in an age of misinformation.
Ultimately, an over-reliance on AI undermines the very purpose of higher education: to
cultivate intellectually curious, critically engaged, and independently thinking individuals
(Ginsburg, 2020).
