ChatGPT Use and Abuse: A 3 Year Look at Undergraduate Perceptions and Usage in the Classroom

Abstract

The release of ChatGPT, a generative artificial intelligence (AI) model, in November of 2022 marked a pivotal transition in how students use technology to learn. The ability of these models to process natural language inquiries and produce cogent, highly tailored answers has sparked serious concern among educators regarding its implications for academic integrity and the future of education. The current research surveyed (n = 845) college students in a cross-sectional design administered over the course of seven semesters and focused on students’ use of ChatGPT in the classroom and their views on the appropriateness of these actions. Results indicated that students’ awareness of ChatGPT rose rapidly following its release (Spring 2023: 58.5%; subsequent semesters: 81.8% to 100%). Cheating behavior (e.g., asking ChatGPT to write a final draft of a paper) increased over the course of data collection (r = 0.24, p < 0.001), with 33.9% of students reporting using the software sometimes to always to help with class assignments and 12.7% reporting using it to write essays/papers or parts of essays/papers due for class. The discussion focuses on key trends regarding student cheating behavior using ChatGPT over time as well as possible explanations for the changes in student usage.