ADVANCEMENT OF THE PRACTICE
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH ACROSS THE GLOBE
work and endeavor. The world of academia has become, however, increasingly concerned with the development and sophistication of AI sys- tems that are able to produce work on demand. The new AI systems facilitate easy access to information and its ease of use is likely to result in widespread adoption. It is this ubiquity of use that has prompted our CoP to consider AI from a professional and academic perspective. Ever since universities came into being, there have been students who have cheated or presented others’ work as their own (known as plagiarism). Such activities have adapted to changes in technology. Text matching soft- ware was developed to identify students’ work that was copied directly from the internet or other sources; however, we reached a stage this year where AI is readily able to write coherent and appropriate answers to assign- ments. AI detection software is only partly successful in its detection capacity. We have entered an arms race with plagiarism and detection software seeking to catch up with the latest developments and being unable to currently overtake them. It might seem odd to bring a discussion around plagiarism to the field of environmen- Kirstin E. Ross, PhD Flinders University Adam Choonara, MSc, CEnvH, MCIEH Middlesex University David T. Dyjack, DrPH, CIH National Environmental Health Association Gayle Davis, MPH, MIOA, SFHEA Henry Dawson, MSc, PhD University of Cardiff Toni Hannelly, DPH, FEHA, FHEA Curtin University Zena Lynch, MA, FCIEH, CMCIEH, SFHEA Birmingham University Inga Ploomipuu, MSc Tartu Health Care College Graeme Mitchell, MA, MCIEH, CEnvH Liverpool John Moores University Matilde A Rodrigues, PhD Lindsay Shaw, MSc, MCIEH, CEnvH, MIOA University of Ulster
Artificial Intelligence and Environmental Health Teaching: Impacts for the Wider Profession
Editor’s Note: We are familiar with the phrase, “Environmental health is extremely local.” While environmental health aects most of us on the local level, we also understand that environmental health is universal and does not know borders. The location, geography, people, and conditions can dier but the science and principles of environmental health do not. In this new column, the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) will present environmental health issues and topics from a global perspective. Understanding environmental health on a global scale can help us recognize how that influences our local spheres and provides learning opportunities to broaden our perspectives. The conclusions of this column are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views or ocial position of NEHA. The Environmental Health Community of Practice is a group of professionals from around the world with expertise in the teaching and practice of environmental health. The community was established in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic and its goal was to share ideas to respond to the challenges posed by the pandemic and to oer each other support. The community continues to meet and focuses on writing manuscripts for publication and sharing teaching ideas and practice insights.
C hatGPT, a new, easily accessible, and user-friendly artificial intelligence (AI) platform (https://chat.openai. com/chat), as well as other emerging AI plat- forms, allow for the creation of well-crafted essays complete with citations, and quickly and mostly correct answers to multiple- choice questions. These types of platforms pose significant concerns for academic pro- grams, including environmental health, as much of our students’ learning is guided by written assignments. Academic integrity is an educational and professional attribute and breaches of ethical conduct risk the reputa- tions of organizations and by association, those who work in them.
To address this threat, the Environmental Health Community of Practice (CoP)—a group of academic professionals in environmental health from across the globe—has developed potential approaches to address AI within the academic and professional realms of envi- ronmental health. These approaches include positive engagement such as appealing to stu- dent morality, their desire to learn, and their developing sense of professionalism. Threats of punishments and incorporating AI-resistant assessment approaches are also considered. We believe most environmental health stu- dents (and indeed most university students) are overwhelmingly honest, and the assign- ments they submit are a result of their own
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Volume 85 • Number 9
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