The Passion That Started It All
I've spent years as a part-time faculty member teaching college-level Earth science courses, balancing this role with other jobs just to make ends meet. Nobody enters adjunct teaching for the money—it's notorious for dismal pay and zero job security. What keeps us coming back is the sheer enjoyment of working with students. There's something profoundly rewarding about sparking curiosity in young minds about our planet's wonders, from tectonic shifts to climate patterns. It's one of those rare professions where the fulfillment is so genuine and addictive that colleagues half-jokingly warn newcomers about getting hooked.
How Generative AI Changed Everything
That passion has dimmed significantly thanks to the rise of generative AI tools like ChatGPT. In specific teaching environments, what was once a highlight of my week has turned mostly miserable. These AI systems, capable of churning out essays, problem solutions, and even lab reports with eerie competence, have infiltrated every corner of student work. The result? Assignments that used to reveal true understanding now read like polished AI outputs, devoid of the messy, human learning process that made grading worthwhile.
The Unique Struggles of Asynchronous Online Courses
For the past few years, my teaching has been confined to asynchronous online courses—pre-recorded videos and materials students access on their own schedule, no live sessions. These have always been tougher than in-person classes. Face-to-face, you can gauge confusion from a furrowed brow or blank stare and pivot on the spot. Online, without that physical presence or mandatory attendance, students drift away unnoticed. They don't have to log in at a set hour, and no one witnesses their frustration when concepts like plate tectonics or atmospheric circulation don't click. The drop-off rate skyrockets, and AI only accelerates it by offering quick, effortless answers.
AI's Role in Student Disengagement
ChatGPT doesn't just help with homework; it enables wholesale avoidance of learning. Students paste quiz questions or essay prompts directly into the tool, receiving tailored responses in seconds. In asynchronous formats, where interaction is limited to forums or emails that might go unanswered for days, detecting this is nearly impossible. I've seen submissions on topics like volcanic eruptions or ocean currents that are factually spot-on but lack any original insight or errors that signal real grappling with the material. It's as if the AI is ghost-teaching my course, undermining the entire point of my videos and readings.
Key Challenges Amplified by ChatGPT
- Lack of real-time feedback leads to unchecked misunderstandings.
- AI-generated work masks true student progress or lack thereof.
- Grading becomes a futile exercise in spotting synthetic text.
- Student motivation plummets without visible accountability.
- Course completion rates suffer as easy AI crutches replace effort.
- Faculty burnout rises from endless adaptations to AI circumvention.
A Call for Realistic Adaptation
This isn't about banning AI—it's here to stay, and it has legitimate uses like brainstorming or clarifying concepts. But in the current setup of low-paid adjuncts managing high-enrollment online courses, the scales are tipped against meaningful education. Institutions need to rethink asynchronous models, invest in proctoring tools, redesign assessments around process over product, and support faculty beyond platitudes. Until then, teaching in the era of ChatGPT feels like shouting into a void, where the joy that drew me in is increasingly buried under layers of digital deception.
