It can be really challenging to keep up with class lectures in graduate courses when English isn’t your first language. Many of the vocabulary words are unfamiliar, many of the concepts are brand new, and the instructor may talk quickly. If you look up words during a lecture or focus on translating as you take notes, you may miss entire chunks of the lecture. Missing parts of the lecture can hinder learning as well as make it doubly hard to take part in class discussions.
For these reasons, some students are using AI (e.g. ChatGPT) to translate and/or transcribe a class lecture. AI tools can translate and transcribe in real time, allowing the student to keep up with the class lecture and stay focused on its content.
However, did you know that doing so without first getting permission from the instructor is considered an academic integrity violation?
Why is this? Because the class lecture is the intellectual property of the instructor. The instructor should be given the opportunity to decide whether their lectures become part of a chatbot’s repository.
Some instructors will give you permission to use AI to translate their lecture. You simply need to get their signed permission before you do so. ELSO developed this letter for you to use to request permission.
