No credit (even if it’s due)

Open-access STEM research archive arXiv decrees ChatGPT  cannot be named as an author of a research paper. For-profit publishers will undoubtedly agree, AIs can’t pay article processing charges.

There’s more in the Mail

In Features this morning

Tim Winkler on the return of students from China  – it’s a start international ed providers need to build on.

plus Jack Breen (UNSW) warns there are too many social-media platforms, sub-platforms and content formats in HE for anybody to keep up with – but all is not lost.

with Stephen Colbran, Colin Beer and Michael Cowling (all CQU) set out the ChatGPT challenge – regulate or liberate.

and Anthony Weber, Robert Vanderburg, and Amy McIlwraith on how CQU empowers students to reduce academic misconduct, as well as, Angela Brew on this week’s Australasian Council for Undergraduate Research conference. Both are selections by Commissioning Editor Sally Kift for her celebrated series Needed now in learning and teaching.

Checking-out ChatGPT

OpenAI announces “a classifier,” “to distinguish between text written by a human and a text written by AIs from a variety of providers”

The creator of panic de jour, ChatGPT announces its product “correctly identifies” 26 per cent of AI-written text. The more text, the better the system gets.

OpenAI nominates “using AI tools for academic dishonesty” as one of the uses for classifiers.

But as for text-bots eating jobs, perhaps not yet.

OpenAI’s statement is attributed to four authors and 13 contributors.

Much to say

“I look forward to speaking at Universities UK International HE Conference, from February 28 to March 1,” Unis Aus chief executive, Catriona Jackson, via Twitter. Presumably she will take comfort-breaks.

Todays Headline Story

TEQSA warns on AI

Chief Commissioner Peter Coaldrake states the power of new tools requires a deep think on approaches to teaching and learning and assessment practices

However the Tertiary Education Quality Standards Agency is interested in more than academic integrity. In a letter to HE providers yesterday Professor Coaldrake also pointed to, the potential for AI in preparing grant applications and writing research papers.

And he pointed to potential problems in counter measures – citing privacy and IP issues in uploading student assessment tasks to third-party platforms to detect AI.

Professor Coaldrake added that last March he had highlighted, “the impending release of powerful AI tools” and urged institutions, “to ensure that their academic integrity policies and communication with students were responding to contemporary circumstances.”

“Some,” he adds, “have responded actively to the challenges and are now well placed to respond to generative AI.”  He advises that TEQSA is keen to understand the different approaches being taken.

Ratings agency cautious on immediate benefits of China arrivals

S&P states they will be “a boost” for universities and the broader economy but in the short-term could reduce revenues, as Chinese students who cannot get to Australia for first semester defer in the light of their government’s new requirement they must study on campus.

New arrivals are “unlikely to shift the dial on our credit ratings.”

The agency rates five Australian universities, ANU, La Trobe U, Uni Melbourne, UNSW and Uni Wollongong and assesses them all “stable.”

Appointments

James Angus is inaugural chair of the Cumming Global Centre for Pandemic Therapeutics, at the Peter Doherty Institute. The centre has $250m from Canadian philanthropists Geoff and Anna Cumming (CMM September 1 2022).

Rob Brown becomes head of CQU’s Mackay campuses, he moves from leading CQU in WA.

Members of the Commonwealth’s new National Women’s Health Advisory Council include, Deb Loxton (Uni Newcastle), Gita Mishra (Uni Queensland), Robyn Norton (George Institute), Cathy Vaughan (Uni Melbourne), Zoe Wainer (Uni Melbourne)

ANU’s Brian Schmidt is the new Group of Eight chair. Mark Scott (Uni Sydney) is deputy.