Phew! Syllabus Made in ChatGPT Includes Clause Restricting Use of ChatGPT
January 22, 2023 at 11:07 am
“Ah, these sure are different times,” I sigh to myself, “I can’t compliment women anymore, but at least I have ChatGPT. This handy little gizmo just printed my syllabus faster than any little TA or flirty secretary could have.” Queue five page syllabus ejected from Canon Pixma MG3620. “Encanto! My students will never know their homely, old professor still has it in him. I, too, can take a selfie.”
“And use my trusty new friend, ChatGPT, to make a syllabus for ‘Writing Persuasively,’ the class I teach seniors who have retaken their senior year multiple times, because their failed writing seminar grade is holding them back. These chumps will never know!”
“Let’s take a look!”
“Office Hours: 0000 1010” – Genius!
“Technology Policy: Our generation will have to deal with tens of millions of jobs replaced by automation like self-driving cars and trucks. But we have the potential to do so much more together.”
“Every generation has its defining works. More than 300,000 people worked to put a man on the moon – including that janitor. Millions of volunteers immunized children around the world against polio. Millions of more people built the Hoover dam and other great projects.”
“These projects didn’t just provide purpose for the people doing those jobs, they gave our whole country a sense of pride that we could do great things.”
“Now it’s our turn to do great things. I know, you’re probably thinking: I don’t know how to build a dam, or get a million people involved in anything.”
“But let me tell you a secret: no one does when they begin. Ideas don’t come out fully formed. They only become clear as you work on them. You just have to get started.” Profound, I couldn’t have said it better myself. This reminds me of Mark Zuckerberg’s speech at my graduation from the Harvard Extension School in 2017. I thought to myself, “how can I incorporate young Zuckerberg’s visions into my remedial writing seminar curriculum?” But now, I’ve done it!!
As if the prose above was not compelling enough, this syllabus even includes a clause addressing the use of ChatGPT for assignments! Self-aware technology ain’t so bad after all, eh?
“ChatGPT: #CANCELED (Laughing Face Emoji! Angry Emoji! Pensive Emoji!” Emotive, yet to the point.
These chumps will never know. Thanks ChatGPT!