US student demands $8,000 tuition refund after catching professor using ChatGPT
Northeastern University student Ella Stapleton demanded a refund of her $8,000 tuition fee after discovering that her professor used AI to create course materials and prepare for classes, even though students are prohibited from using neural networks.
Stapleton, who graduated from the university this year, suspected something was amiss when she noticed clear signs of AI use in her professor's lecture notes, including an accidental reference to ChatGPT in the bibliography, repetitive typos, and images showing figures with additional limbs.
“He told us not to use AI, and then he uses neural networks himself,” — Stapleton explained to the media.
After filing a formal complaint with Northeastern University's D'Amore-McKim School of Business, Stapleton requested a full tuition refund for the professor's course. The complaint stated that the professor secretly used AI without her knowledge, and also expressed concerns about this approach to teaching.
The university rejected the student's demand. Professor Rick Arrowood admitted to using ChatGPT, Perplexity AI, and the Gamma presentation generator and stated the need for transparency in these actions.
“Looking back, I wish I had looked at this more closely,” — the professor explained to the media. He now believes that instructors should carefully consider AI integration and be honest with students about when and how they use neural networks.
“Northeastern University embraces the use of artificial intelligence to enhance all aspects of its teaching, research, and operations. The university provides numerous resources to support the proper use of AI and continues to update and apply relevant policies university-wide,” — said Renata Nyul, Vice President for Communications at Northeastern University.
According to media reports, colleges in the US often restrict the use of AI on campus. Many educational institutions either completely ban or limit AI use. Students were among the first to adopt ChatGPT after its release in late 2022, quickly discovering they could complete essays and assignments in seconds. The widespread use of the technology created mistrust between students and faculty, as instructors struggled to detect and penalize AI use in assignments.
Now the situation has somewhat changed. Students are turning to sites, including Rate My Professors, to complain that their instructors are overusing AI. Students also argue that this undermines the very concept of paid education, as they are paying for instruction from human experts, not for technologies they could use themselves for free.
According to Northeastern University's AI policy, any faculty member or student must “provide appropriate attribution when using an AI system to create content that is included in a scholarly publication or submitted to anyone, a publication, or another organization where content authorship is required.” The university's policy also states that those who use AI technology must: “Regularly check the AI system's output for accuracy and appropriateness for the intended purpose, and revise/update the output as necessary.”
