College Student Put on Probation for Using Grammarly: AI Misfire or Cheating?
A college student, Marley Stevens, was put on academic probation for using Grammarly, a grammar checking tool, on her paper. The anti-plagiarism software flagged her paper for AI use, even though Stevens only used it for basic spell and grammar checks. This raises concerns about the potential for misidentification by AI plagiarism detection tools and the need for clearer communication between professors and students regarding acceptable writing aids.
Summary
- Marley Stevens, a junior at the University of North Georgia, used Grammarly to proofread a paper.
- The paper was flagged for AI use by Turnitin.com, an anti-plagiarism software.
- Stevens received a zero on the assignment and was accused of cheating.
- She was put on academic probation after a disciplinary hearing.
- Stevens maintains that she did not use Grammarly to generate content, only for basic spell and grammar checks.
- The University of North Georgia declined to comment on her case due to privacy laws.
- Grammarly says its suggestions are not powered by generative AI and warns that some tools may mistakenly flag its use.
- Stevens advises other students to ask their professors about their policies on Grammarly and AI use.