Educational Technology
r/edtech
TL;DR - What if we scaled the oral conversation to combat cheating?
Hi everyone! I'm a student at Stanford studying Computer Science and a researcher at the Stanford AI & Education Lab (https://piechlab.stanford.edu/)
With the rise of generative AI, I've noticed that cheating is becoming increasingly prevalent. However, I don't believe that the solution to this problem is to surveil more. For one, AI detectors like DetectGPT just can't keep up, and never will. But more importantly, I think that shifting the focus from product to process and increasing meaningful touchpoints between a student and teacher is the key to cultivating greater trust – the true solution to cheating.
Over the past few quarters at Stanford, I've been experimenting with using oral conversation as a way to uncover true student understanding. Incubated at the Stanford Piech Lab, I am developing Speak On It!, a tool that uses AI to create personalized conversational experiences for each of your students.Our AI reads a student's essay and simulates a conversation with them, asking specific follow-up questions that probe them and reveal their true conceptual understanding. We then compile these videos and send teachers a series of warnings and highlights, helping them identify crucial missteps without spending excessive time grading.
As a researcher, I don't know what it's like to be a teacher. I don't enter the classroom everyday, trusted to empower and educate students. I know that the last few months have brought a lot of change to your workflows, but I would love to hear your perspective on this idea. Hopefully, it could be uniquely valuable for you and your class. If you would like to see our research, you can find our tool here: https://sherpalabs.co/
On another note, I would also love to host an information session and discuss Stanford's findings regarding AI in the classroom! Feel free to reply to this if that would be of any interest to the community.
![](http://web.archive.org./web/20230704180807im_/https://www.redditstatic.com/desktop2x/img/renderTimingPixel.png)
EDIT: Reddit, that was really fun! Thank you all for the thought-provoking questions. The future belongs to those who learn, change, and grow.
Hey Reddit! I’m Jeff Maggionalda, the CEO of Coursera. Learners worldwide come to Coursera to learn in-demand skills and earn credentials from the best universities and companies, like Yale, University of Pennsylvania, Google, and IBM.
A bit about me: I studied English and Economics in college, got my MBA, became the first employee and CEO of Financial Engines in 1996, and took the company public in 2010. I joined Coursera in 2017 because I believe access to education can unlock opportunities for people all over the world — and ultimately move humanity forward.
I love talking about the future of education and work, especially since ChatGPT has changed the game. As A.I. transforms every job — even those that require a degree — we all need to learn new skills. Luckily, the tech is making online learning better and more equitable. But what people study, how they learn, and where and how they work are all changing really fast.
AMA!
See Fortune’s degree program rankings for more: https://fortune.com/education/