Is use of ChatGPT cheating? Students of health professions perceptions

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to explore student perceptions of generative AI use and cheating in health professions education. The authors sought to understand how students believe generative AI is acceptable to use in coursework.

Materials and methods

Five faculty members surveyed students across health professions graduate programs using an updated, validated survey instrument. Students anonymously completed the survey online, which took 10–20 min. Data were then tabulated and reported in aggregate form.

Results

Nearly 400 students from twelve academic programs including health and rehabilitation science, occupational therapy, physical therapy, physician assistant studies, speech-language pathology, health administration and health informatics, undergraduate healthcare studies, nurse anesthesiology, and cardiovascular perfusion. The majority of students identify the threat of generative AI to graded assignments such as tests and papers, but many believe it is acceptable to use these tools to learn and study outside of graded assignments.

Conclusions

Generative AI tools provide new options for students to study and learn. Graduate students in the health professions are currently using generative AI applications but are not universally aware or in agreement of how its use threatens academic integrity. Faculty should provide specific guidance on how generative AI applications may be used.

Keywords:

• Generative AI
• cheating
• ChatGPT
• artificial intelligence
• higher education

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s.

Additional information

Funding

REDCap at SCTR is supported by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under Grant Number UL1 TR001450.

Notes on contributors

Abby Swanson Kazley

Abby Swanson Kazley, PhD, Department of Health Care Leadership and Management, Medical University of South Carolina.

Christine Andresen

Christine Andresen, MLS, MSIT, MUSC Libraries, Medical University of South Carolina.

Angela Mund

Angela Mund, DNP CRNA, Department of Clinical Science, Medical University of South Carolina.

Clint Blankenship

Clint Blankenship, PharmD, PA-C, RPh, DFAAPA, Division of Physician Assistant Studies, Department of Clinical Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina.

Rick Segal

Rick Segal, PT, PhD, FAPTA, Department of Health Sciences and Research, Medical University of South Carolina.