ChatGPT blues

Since I'm not teaching this semester, the challenge of generative AI for teaching and learning isn't front and center, but when I had a chance to talk to one of my favorite students today I learned that the battle continues. None of the student's classes this semester will have final papers - or, it seems, any papers at all! Blue books - for hand-written in-class exams - only! Papers are evidently too easily compromised by ChatGPT and, one instructor told his class, he wanted to spare them the embarrassment and hassle of getting caught. Another instructor told her class that perfect grammar in a paper was a giveaway that a paper was AI-generated. Sounds punitive and untrusting, I said, but predicted that we spooked professors would find ways to learn from and with this newest challenge, as we did with online teaching, etc. The student is sorry not to get the chance to write papers but says the instructors are right to be alert. He's seen students in a seminar type a professor's question into ChatGPT and raise their hands to participate in discussion. Yoicks!