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Postplagiarism: A Keynote from Dr. Sarah Eaton


On February 27, 2025 I had the pleasure of attending the Teaching & Learning with Generative AI Virtual Symposium, featuring Dr. Sarah Eaton as the keynote speaker on her topic Postplagiarism. 


According to Dr. Eaton, “Postplagiarism refers to an era in human society in which advanced technologies are a normal part of life, including how we teach, learn, and interact daily. Postplagiarism heralds a new era of intellectual engagement in the age of advanced technology.” I interpret this to mean that instead of fighting against new technologies that are becoming more and more ubiquitous, it is important that we learn how to make new technology work for us. 


The reality is that when our students graduate, they will most likely have to work with generative AI tools in their places of work. If one of the mandates of higher education is to prepare students for the “real world,” we would be doing them a disservice by not teaching them about the right way to incorporate AI into their work. The good news is that we do not have to be the experts in tool usages ourselves - we can demonstrate our own learning processes, direct students to resources, and even encourage students to teach each other (and us!) 


It is perfectly natural for educators to be concerned about students taking “shortcuts” in their learning by misusing AI tools. At the same time, in listening to Dr. Eaton’s keynote, one of her most striking messages was that as educators, we should be looking for evidence of learning, not cheating. So how do we do that? Here are some suggestions: 


  • Emphasize learning objectives. By aligning activities and assignments to key competencies and skills, we can make sure that students are focused in their learning. It also means that every activity students complete should aid them in meeting the most important competencies.  

  • Low stakes assessments. Create multiple opportunities for students to demonstrate their understanding so that they aren’t spending more time thinking about grades than they are about learning. Create ungraded (or low-point) activities so that learners can receive redirecting feedback from their instructor and peers without the fear of a bad grade looming over them. 

  • Flipped classrooms. Pre-record your lecture and have students watch it and prepare questions before your synchronous class meeting. During class, have students apply what they've learned to a project, case study, or simulation. Consider incorporating AI use into those activities. 



 

References

Eaton, S. (2025, February 27). Postplagiarism: Ethics and integrity in the age of artificial intelligence [Slide deck in PDF]. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1V6-T9P5N6JhkkWZSHqykWykFIEmWz_a2/view

 
 
 

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