The New College Version of "The Dog Ate My Homework"

"First, students are relying on AI to craft emails to professors. In fact, one of my colleagues just shared with me that a student sent an email to him with the salutation, Dear Professor Last Name. I would have fantasies of writing back to that student, Dear Student First Name. I'm left wondering if and how students are relying on faculty for good faith responses when they are querying with bad faith questions and excuses."

"But the more pressing problem is when students use AI to craft these messages while also incorporating lengthy commentary about mental health, alluding to how, for example, their depression got in the way of their ability to do their work. I get the importance of mental health. I've spent my career researching, writing, and teaching about mental health issues and have also worked as a counselor for years."

Students increasingly use AI to craft emails to professors, sometimes producing generic salutations like 'Dear Professor Last Name.' Many messages pair admissions of poor planning and forgotten assignments with extended appeals to mental health, such as depression, and requests for grade changes, extra points, or late assignments. Faculty experience with genuine student crises and counseling contrasts with these AI-generated appeals. Faculty perceive these messages as manipulative and inappropriate attempts to leverage mental-health language for academic benefit. The practice raises concerns about academic integrity, authenticity of student communication, and the ethical use of mental-health claims in grade negotiations.

Read at Psychology Today