Accused: How students respond to allegations of using ChatGPT on assessments

Abstract: This study explores student responses to allegations of cheating using ChatGPT, a popular software platform that can be used to generate grammatical and broadly correct text on virtually any topic. Forty-nine posts and the ensuing discussions were collected from Reddit, an online discussion forum, in which students shared their experiences of being accused (the majority falsely) and discussed how to navigate their situations. A thematic analysis was conducted with this material, and five themes were discerned: a legalistic stance, involving argument strategy and evidence gathering; the societal role of higher education as a high-stakes gatekeeper; the vicissitudes of trust in students vs. technology; questions of what constitutes cheating; and the need to rethink assessment. The findings from this study will help instructors and institutions to create more meaningful assessments in the age of AI and develop guidelines for student use of ChatGPT and other AI tools.