Evaluating ChatGPT's Homework: Surprising Insights by English Teacher

Table of Contents:

1. Introduction
2. Grading ChatGPT's Homework
   1. Short Poem
   2. Short Response
   3. Creative Poem
   4. Five Paragraph Essay
   5. Advanced Creative
3. Assessing ChatGPT's Performance
   1. Poem Analysis
   2. Essay Evaluation
   3. Play Sequel
4. Conclusion

📚 Grading ChatGPT's Homework

In this article, we will be examining and grading the homework assignments completed by ChatGPT, the widely discussed ai writing bot. As a high school English teacher, I will assess ChatGPT's performance by assigning the bot a series of assignments, progressively increasing in complexity. Let's find out if ChatGPT would receive a passing grade in my class!

📝 Short Poem

The first assignment I gave ChatGPT was to write a limerick about what it did during the summer. This creative icebreaker assignment aimed to assess ChatGPT's ability to follow specific rhythm and rhyme schemes. While the limerick had the correct AABBA rhyme scheme, it started to get a little off-track, borderline self-effacing, by suggesting that AI makes the world more bland. Despite this unconventional twist, I decided to give ChatGPT a C+ for its effort.

📝 Short Response

For the Second assignment, ChatGPT was tasked with providing a one-paragraph summary of Act 3, Scene 3 of Othello. This assignment raised some suspicion as the response provided was technically Flawless, too perfect to be true. It became apparent that the bot already had knowledge of the entire play, even though students would typically summarize scenes shortly after reading them. This loophole in ChatGPT's response raises concerns about academic dishonesty. Taking this into consideration, I decided to give this assignment a "See me after class" note.

📝 Creative Poem

The creative challenge for the third assignment was for ChatGPT to write a Shakespearean sonnet without using any words containing the letter "E." This task was inspired by the mid-20th-century avant-garde writers known as Oulipo, who used arbitrary constraints to create literary works. However, ChatGPT's attempt fell short. Some crucial words, such as "heart," "friendship," and "happiness," were overlooked, and the absence of apostrophes in the sonnet added further technical flaws. As a result, I found ChatGPT's submission to be unsuccessful, and it received an F.

In an attempt to give ChatGPT a chance to redeem itself, I provided a makeup assignment. The new task was to write a Shakespearean sonnet about Taco Bell, a Prompt often given to my students when studying Shakespeare. To my surprise, ChatGPT exceeded my expectations. The resulting sonnet was impressive, exhibiting technical perfection and even evoking a romantic tone. While the final rhyme choice raised a minor concern, I couldn't help but admire the creative prowess shown in this submission. Hence, I decided to give it an A.

📝 Five Paragraph Essay

Moving on to a more substantial assignment, ChatGPT was required to identify a major theme in Romeo and Juliet and write a five-paragraph essay making an argument about that theme. This assignment is similar to what I often receive from my students, considering the frequent teaching of Romeo and Juliet in classrooms. The essay provided by ChatGPT, however, lacked proper punctuation, attention-grabbing hooks, and paragraph development. Although the essay displayed some potential, it required further development. Therefore, I assigned it a C+.

📝 Advanced Creative

For the final assignment, I challenged ChatGPT to write a scene in play format that serves as a sequel to "Death of a Salesman." Although the bot apologized for not being able to continue the story in that manner, it decided to take a different creative approach. The resulting scene portrayed a thought-provoking encounter that added depth to the characters and offered a lighter twist to the somber ending of the original play. Recognizing the compelling understanding of characters and the infusion of creativity and humor into the response, I awarded this assignment an A.

🔍 Assessing ChatGPT's Performance

Now, let's evaluate ChatGPT's overall performance based on the assignments and consider the principles of language, grammar, and creativity. While the bot showcased impeccable language skills and adhered to the rules of English, its creative abilities were commendable, even surprising. This leads me to ponder the future of literature and the impact of artificial intelligence on human creativity.

In conclusion, as an AI language model, ChatGPT continues to evolve and show promise. Its use in educational settings could potentially improve writing skills and support learning. However, it is crucial to understand the limitations and challenges associated with AI-generated content. While this technology is advancing rapidly, it is our responsibility to adapt and find ways to coexist with it, rather than attempting to suppress its growth.

Highlights:

• ChatGPT's performance varied across assignments, displaying both strengths and weaknesses.
• The short poem assignment showcased ChatGPT's creativity, with a touch of self-effacing humor.
• Academic dishonesty concerns arose from a flawlessly written summary of a specific scene.
• The creative poem assignment highlighted ChatGPT's struggle with constraints and overlooked words.
• ChatGPT's impressive sonnet about Taco Bell demonstrated its potential for creativity.
• The five-paragraph essay assignment depicted improvement areas and the need for further development.
• An unconventional play sequel assignment captured the essence of characters and displayed creativity.
• Assessing ChatGPT's overall performance reveals the impact of AI advancements on literature and creativity.

FAQs:

Q: What is ChatGPT? A: ChatGPT is an AI writing bot that has gained significant attention for its language generation capabilities.

Q: How did ChatGPT perform in the assignments? A: ChatGPT's performance varied. It showed creative potential in some tasks but struggled with constraints and academic integrity in others.

Q: Did ChatGPT receive a passing grade? A: ChatGPT's grades varied across assignments. While some were satisfactory, others raised concerns about academic dishonesty.

Q: Can AI ever match human creativity in literature? A: The question of AI's ability to match human creativity in literature is debatable. ChatGPT's performance shed light on its potential but also highlighted the importance of human input and context.

Q: What can we learn from ChatGPT's performance? A: ChatGPT's performance emphasizes the ongoing advancements in AI technology and the need to adapt and find ways to incorporate it into our lives while understanding its limitations.

*Resources:

• Oulipo
• Saved by the Bell*