On Perception of Prevalence of Cheating and Usage of Generative AI

TL;DR

This study explores teaching staff perceptions of student cheating and Generative AI's role, revealing a belief in increasing cheating prevalence and widespread AI use, aligning with institutional data.

Contribution

It provides insights into teachers' perceptions of AI's impact on academic integrity and compares these perceptions with actual cheating statistics over nearly two decades.

Findings

Teachers perceive an increase in cheating prevalence.

AI usage among students is widespread but not always seen as cheating.

Perceptions align with institutional cheating data.

Abstract

This report investigates the perceptions of teaching staff on the prevalence of student cheating and the impact of Generative AI on academic integrity. Data was collected via an anonymous survey of teachers at the Department of Information Technology at Uppsala University and analyzed alongside institutional statistics on cheating investigations from 2004 to 2023. The results indicate that while teachers generally do not view cheating as highly prevalent, there is a strong belief that its incidence is increasing, potentially due to the accessibility of Generative AI. Most teachers do not equate AI usage with cheating but acknowledge its widespread use among students. Furthermore, teachers' perceptions align with objective data on cheating trends, highlighting their awareness of the evolving landscape of academic dishonesty.