Assignments

AI in Teachers’ Hands

Reflect on the impact and ethics of a teacher submitting an AI-generated reference letter without the student’s knowledge or consent.

By Helen Choi

Learning Objectives

  • Develop and apply critical thinking and ethical reasoning skills through reflection
  • Evaluate the potential impact of AI-generated content on the trust and integrity of teacher-student relationships

Instructions

Context: You are applying for a job, graduate school, or other important program for which you need to submit a letter of recommendation. Your favorite teacher has agreed to write a letter on your behalf and submits one that is AI-generated without your knowledge or consent.

  1. Prompt an LLM tool of your choice to write a letter of recommendation for you. Assume that your teacher submitted this letter of recommendation on your behalf.
    • To the extent that you feel comfortable, you may customize the prompt to reflect your skills and experiences. You may also create a persona and/or use fake information; otherwise use brackets to anonymize the letter. Do not include any personally identifiable information about yourself in the prompt. For instance, you might use language such as the following: “Write a letter of recommendation for [top student] applying to a graduate program at [top university] and include the following points and examples [xyz]. Refer to the student in the letter as [top student] and to the school as [top university].” 
    • Feel free to re-prompt to refine the letter and get it close to your liking. Do not further customize/edit the LLM output you choose.
    • Include both the prompt(s) and the LLM’s response(s) in your assignment submission.
  2. Write a 300-500 word reflection that considers some of the following questions:
    • Do you like the AI-generated letter? Do you believe it accurately represents your abilities? Do you think you would be considered a strong candidate for the job or program you’re applying to based on this letter?
    • How would you feel if this letter (or one similar to it) was submitted on your behalf? Is it ethical for a recommender to submit an AI-generated letter? What about one that was partially written with AI, but then further edited?
    • Consider whether your stance might change depending upon the extent and degree of AI use. For example, would it be acceptable or ethical if the teacher used a text generator for certain parts of the letter, such as developing a first draft based on AI-generated bullet points, improving the letter’s structure, or making the vocabulary sound more refined? 
    • Do you think learning about your teacher using an AI tool to fully (or partially) write your letter would affect your opinion of them? How?
    • Do the same expectations apply to teachers that apply to students? Is it worse, better, or the same if a teacher uses AI tools without disclosing?
    • How might a student’s use of AI without permission or disclosure impact the trust and sense of community among teachers and students?
    • Bonus question: Is there something that we didn’t ask that came to mind for you? Write (and then answer!) your own reflection question.

Using This Assignment

This assignment is licensed under the Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0 license. Learn more about what this license means, what you can and cannot do with this assignment, and how to properly attribute on our Using Our Content page.

Suggested Citation

Helen Choi. AI in Teachers’ Hands. AI Pedagogy Project. https://aipedagogy.org/assignment/ai-in-teachers-hands/. Licensed under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0.

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AI in Teachers’ Hands

By Helen Choi

Reflect on the impact and ethics of a teacher submitting an AI-generated reference letter without the student’s knowledge or consent.

https://aipedagogy.org/assignment/ai-in-teachers-hands/

Learning Objectives

  • Develop and apply critical thinking and ethical reasoning skills through reflection
  • Evaluate the potential impact of AI-generated content on the trust and integrity of teacher-student relationships

Instructions

Context: You are applying for a job, graduate school, or other important program for which you need to submit a letter of recommendation. Your favorite teacher has agreed to write a letter on your behalf and submits one that is AI-generated without your knowledge or consent.

  1. Prompt an LLM tool of your choice to write a letter of recommendation for you. Assume that your teacher submitted this letter of recommendation on your behalf.
    • To the extent that you feel comfortable, you may customize the prompt to reflect your skills and experiences. You may also create a persona and/or use fake information; otherwise use brackets to anonymize the letter. Do not include any personally identifiable information about yourself in the prompt. For instance, you might use language such as the following: “Write a letter of recommendation for [top student] applying to a graduate program at [top university] and include the following points and examples [xyz]. Refer to the student in the letter as [top student] and to the school as [top university].” 
    • Feel free to re-prompt to refine the letter and get it close to your liking. Do not further customize/edit the LLM output you choose.
    • Include both the prompt(s) and the LLM’s response(s) in your assignment submission.
  2. Write a 300-500 word reflection that considers some of the following questions:
    • Do you like the AI-generated letter? Do you believe it accurately represents your abilities? Do you think you would be considered a strong candidate for the job or program you’re applying to based on this letter?
    • How would you feel if this letter (or one similar to it) was submitted on your behalf? Is it ethical for a recommender to submit an AI-generated letter? What about one that was partially written with AI, but then further edited?
    • Consider whether your stance might change depending upon the extent and degree of AI use. For example, would it be acceptable or ethical if the teacher used a text generator for certain parts of the letter, such as developing a first draft based on AI-generated bullet points, improving the letter’s structure, or making the vocabulary sound more refined? 
    • Do you think learning about your teacher using an AI tool to fully (or partially) write your letter would affect your opinion of them? How?
    • Do the same expectations apply to teachers that apply to students? Is it worse, better, or the same if a teacher uses AI tools without disclosing?
    • How might a student’s use of AI without permission or disclosure impact the trust and sense of community among teachers and students?
    • Bonus question: Is there something that we didn’t ask that came to mind for you? Write (and then answer!) your own reflection question.