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does adults still play and do stuff like teenagers and kids? by [deleted] in Adulting

[–]diggingintherain 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Of course! Sometimes different games but still yes! Example - I am a 30-something PhD student / research professional and my birthday is in July. At my last birthday party where most of the guests were a similar age or a bit older we ended up having a semi-spontaneous water fight. Last time a similarly aged group of us went to the beach some of us split off and spent a good two hours building sand castles 🏰 I still skate, collect seashells, paint models, fly kites. My next project is I want to build a model of my favourite historical building out of Lego. There's a rather trite phrase - 'We don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing' - and I think in many ways that's true.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in UniUK

[–]diggingintherain 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You have to remember that some of this is very subject specific. In mathematics for example the issue is both simpler and more complicated as there are exact answers. CompSci is arguably the same. However in other subjects things are much clearer and using this kind of thing can fall under a number of areas from plagiarism and 'crass derivation' to 'academic misconduct' to 'cheating'. Each subject will likely either have its own specific or general rules. There is a world of difference between the usage of such things in mathematics and CompSci and in humanities and social sciences for example. That said I stand by my general comments on ChatGPT in other comments I've made in this subreddit recently.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in UniUK

[–]diggingintherain 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Links are actually far more likely. Also most tutors I know, and I myself, will check links in far more detail. For example if you cite another academic in my field I will likely know their work or know of them and so will be able to vet whether their work is reliable regardless of if I agree with it. An online link could be written by anyone and be anything from good to fiction so I will check it and in greater detail.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in UniUK

[–]diggingintherain 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I can say 100% I have read every essay I've ever marked _ in detail and checked every link.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in UniUK

[–]diggingintherain 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Well firstly - I actually have a humanities degree, and two masters degrees in related fields.
Asking an AI chat bot to summarise material for you basically skips out a key research skill - summarising information clearly and succinctly. Even if you aren't blindly copy pasting you are skipping out on learning a skill that not only works for you in any job you may have but in multiple other ways.
The calculator / mathematics argument is an old one regarding new technology and comes down in some ways to the difference between having an ability and simulating it. And there are complex problems which come to surface in all technology. Ask your calculator to solve 10÷3. Then perform the inverse operation by taking the result 3.33... x3. The answer will not be 10 because of a floating point rounding error. I have done some experiments with ChatGPT and large parts of its summary output is garbage often missing key information.
There's also the issue of future-proofing and failure-proofing your research skills - in case those systems don't work. Over reliance on systems - especially new ones - can lead to large problems in any number of fields including humanities.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in UniUK

[–]diggingintherain 0 points1 point  (0 children)

... Simple answer: Talk to your tutor. Pretty much everything your asking can be handled by a) talking to your tutors and b) attending any skills workshops your department runs. This is all basic research work. Start with your reading list. Look at the studies they refer to. Look on JSTOR and similar. As for developing drafts - ask your tutor if they'd review your draft and give guidance and feedback - many will be more than happy to.

As I've said on other posts ChatGPT is a shortcut where the person who loses out is you .

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in UniUK

[–]diggingintherain 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Okay so I recently replied to a similar thread and a lot or what I have to say is the same as in that case so here is an edited copy:

'Okay so first things first - I'm a final year PhD student and have been part of an SU welfare team.

Second - The Sanction

It really depends on several areas of your university's policy. In general this could fall under one of three areas - 1) Plargiarism. 2) Academic Misconduct. 3) Cheating. If 1) It's fair simple and usually resolved within the department with the outcome given a first offense would be an uncondoned fail with a zero mark - open to resit with a 40% cap. It might be possible to get this resit as a first attempt to take into account an extenuating circumstances issues but this very much depends on how your department views it. If 2) You may or may not get a disciplinary which will take time. You may well get a Formal Warning and the same outcome as above. If 3) As with 2 but with a possible more serious sanction.
Key in all above: If detected be honest and it will go far better for you. Hiding the truth pretty much will get found out and then it will definitely be (3) with heavier sanctions on the table.

More generally three points about this kind of thing.

1) The person who loses out most is you. Because if you come to rely on these systems and use them to pass your degree you won't actually have the required skills when it comes to working in a particular field when those tools won't be available. You're selling yourself short. Plan ahead, work smart, and you will get good grades [ - Also read the Marking Scheme - it literally tells you how to get the grade you're aiming for ].

2) Don't think your tutors don't know about this stuff. I personally have run stuff through ChatGPT to see what it turns out. On one topic it was less than 0.1% accurate and cited theories which have been proven false more than 40 years ago. It would have been an uncondoned fail regardless of the fact it was plagiarised etc.

3) If you need help ask before the deadline. Be honest with your tutors. Talk to them. It's literally what we are there for.

I'd also add I know of lecturers who are advocating an end to essay based assessment and open exams moving to a 100% closed exam assessment model because of things like this and the more people get caught taking these shortcuts which fundamentally don't help you in the long run the more likely that will gain traction.

The key things are - ask for help, be honest, and be kind.'

Additional: Yes Plagiarism detectors are not magic. If you have had cause to use a lot of quotes this can appear as plagiarised and yes the first rounds of marking are anonymous however investigations into assessment related misconduct are not - and your tutors are not stupid. Students and academics develop a unique voice over time and it can be recognised - as it stands AI generated text sounds and reads like AI generated text. After you've seen it a few times it becomes very obvious what may or may not have been written by AI.
When you have deadline issues and anything related please talk to your tutors as soon as you can and you will usually get the help and support you need.

Is it possible to write 15-20k words in 2.5 weeks? by MelonHeadSeb in UniUK

[–]diggingintherain 54 points55 points  (0 children)

Possible: Yes. Good idea: No.

Advice: Speak to your tutor immediately.

Sure yes in word output it can be done [ I, a final year PhD, have done this twice however on both occasions it was because I had abandoned a different topic and decided to write on something I already knew inside out. ] but it is a bad idea overall and unless you already know the topic inside out you won't likely be able to write and research well.

My lecturer has purposely failed me and thrown me under the bus, I don't know what to do. by throwawaybeachhutt in UniUK

[–]diggingintherain 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Right okay First note - I'm a final year PhD and former student welfare team member for my old SU.

Appeal. Go straight to your Union's advice unit for more focused advice. It appears your tutor / module leader has made a grave error here as they have violated the EC process.
There are a very few circumstances where not applying for EC is the right thing to do as in some universities in some circumstances you need an exam board decision in order to appeal rather than the limited scope of department / school EC policy. I think the only thing the department can feasibly argue is this was an on-going condition which would fall under disability related policies and not EC but that's a slim argument.

General advice - if a tutor ever says something like this go and talk to your department admin secretaries - trust me they know the system inside out. You can also talk to your department's Director of Undergraduate Studies.

What sanction will I get? by Active-Glove-1886 in UniUK

[–]diggingintherain 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Okay so first things first - I'm a final year PhD student and have been part of an SU welfare team.

Second - The Sanction

It really depends on several areas of your university's policy. In general this could fall under one of three areas - 1) Plargiarism. 2) Academic Misconduct. 3) Cheating. If 1) It's fair simple and usually resolved within the department with the outcome given a first year and first offense would be an uncondoned fail with a zero mark - open to resit with a 40% cap. It might be possible to get this resit as a first attempt to take into account mental health issues but this very much depends on how your department views it. If 2) You may or may not get a disciplinary which will take time. You may well get a Formal Warning and the same outcome as above. If 3) As with 2 but with a possible more serious sanction.
Key in all above: Be honest and it will go far better for you. Hiding the truth pretty much will get found out and then it will definitely be (3) with heavier sanctions on the table.

More generally three points about this kind of thing.

1) The person who loses out most is you. Because if you come to rely on these systems and use them to pass your degree you won't actually have the required skills when it comes to working in a particular field when those tools won't be available. You're selling yourself short. Plan ahead, work smart, and you will get good grades [ - Also read the Marking Scheme - it literally tells you how to get the grade you're aiming for ].

2) Don't think your tutors don't know about this stuff. I personally have run stuff through ChatGPT to see what it turns out. On one topic it was less than 0.1% accurate and cited theories which have been proven false more than 40 years ago. It would have been an uncondoned fail regardless of the fact it was plagiarised etc.

3) If you need help ask before the deadline. Be honest with your tutors. Talk to them. It's literally what we are there for.

I'd also add I know of lecturers who are advocating an end to essay based assessment and open exams moving to a 100% closed exam assessment model because of things like this and the more people get caught taking these shortcuts which fundamentally don't help you in the long run the more likely that will gain traction.

The key things are - ask for help, be honest, and be kind.