tal health practice, but there is the potential for significant impacts on the profession as a result of AI. The roles of environmental health practitioners are many and varied, with giv- ing advice, technical support, and education all key aspects of these roles. Yet at its heart, environmental health remains an enforcement profession and environmental health practi- tioners must act with integrity and be seen as honest brokers and trustworthy by businesses, the public, and their colleagues. Anything that would seek to undermine this integrity and trust is worthy of the profession’s attention. Universities are at the forefront of creating the next generation of environmental health practitioners. Having students who engage in cheating will have repercussions for the pro- fession. There is a danger that through pla- giarizing, students will fail to understand the taught material, which will have implications for their ability to practice in the future. In addition, universities provide more than the accumulation of knowledge, they are the first step on the road to developing professional- ism in students. Plagiarism could foster a set of behaviors and beliefs that are not in line with professional expectations, such as estab- lished codes of ethics. Therefore, there is a challenge for both uni- versities and the profession to deal with this issue. For universities, the answer lies in not simply investing in more e ective detection software or returning to face-to-face exams. Below we outline a few approaches. First is an appeal to the students themselves not to engage with AI systems, both in their own learning and their own developing profes- sional identity. In terms of learning, it should be made clear to students that environmental health programs are cohesive in nature. While there are individual components of environ- mental health that students study, these com- ponents build together and support the cre- ation of environmental health professionals. To weaken any of these blocks by engaging in plagiarism is to weaken the whole structure. In terms of their professional development, as previously noted, universities are where students take their first steps on the pathway to becoming professionals. An appeal to a student’s sense of fairness, honesty, and integ- rity should be made. This approach could be more formalized, with perhaps the profes- sion adopting a “fitness to practice” element that students sign up to. Such an approach
has been taken, for example, with nursing in the UK. This fitness to practice element would set out the standards and expectations that a student would need to ensure they met and maintained, with consequences if they do not. For our readers who hold a creden- tial such as the Registered Environmental Health Specialist/Registered Sanitarian, you are familiar with the code of ethics that artic- ulates that credential holders do nothing to undermine, detract from, or otherwise cause to develop any damaging associations with respect to their professional status. Second, we might consider the manner in which students are assessed. The issue of pla- giarism relates almost exclusively to course- work assignments. One approach might be to limit the amount of coursework and sub- stitute written assessment with in-person or oral examinations. There is significant oppo- sition, however, to increasing the exam load. Universities have favored moving away from the traditional exam. This process was accel- erated by the COVID-19 pandemic, when social distancing meant such exams were not possible and the return of exams has been patchy or nonexistent. The practical components of environmen- tal health do mean that more practical and individual assignments can be used to assess student learning. Indeed, students seem to favor practical assignments as they can see a clear link between the assignment require- ments and professional practice. Such assign- ments will, however, result in an increase in demand on sta time and resources to under- take them e ectively and fairly. For example, having a student undertake a viva—where they talk through their assignment with their lecturer to show they have understood what they have written—is an option currently used in several universities but requires sig- nificant stang resources. With this in mind, there might be a role for the wider profession and employers to help support and develop practice-based assignments. A wholly practi- cal approach to assignments will not, how- ever, solve all issues, as this type of assign- ment cannot examine the more theoretical elements of environmental health teaching. The current AI systems work well with assignments that are low on Bloom’s taxonomy where students have been asked to remember facts and content. AI systems currently do less well on the higher order functions such as
analysis and critical evaluation. Undoubtedly, AI will become more sophisticated and will perform better in these higher-level functions. A third approach is the manner in which cases of plagiarism or cheating are adjudi- cated. Across all universities, mechanisms exist to discipline students who have been found guilty of breaches of academic integrity. The penalties students can incur operate on a sliding scale that takes into account the sever- ity and frequency of the o ense, and ranges from students being required to resubmit the suspect work to the possiblility of expulsion. As AI systems become more sophisticated and therefore their use becomes harder to detect, we need to ensure the penalties associated with cheating remain relevant as a deterrent. The authors recognize students tend to plagiarize when they are desperate, especially when they are short on time. Since these AI systems are ecient in producing assign- ments, they will be appealing to students if they have left the assignment to the last minute. This situation means that universi- ties should carefully consider the structure, nature, and timing of assignments to remove some of this pressure and the subsequent temptation to cheat. On a positive note, there are many ways that AI can be embraced to support and enhance our teaching and to prepare students to enter the world of work. AI will increasingly become a feature of workplace activities. In addition, the advantages of utilizing AI in universities are numerous, ranging from being an assistive technology in teaching to supporting indi- viduals with disabilities. In fact, AI might be an appropriate teaching vehicle to raise the issues of ethics, morals, and professionalism. For example, the Council on Education for Public Health in the U.S. identifies leadership as one the eight foundational competencies for master of public health-level education. Pro- fessional ethics, including the appropriate use of AI, could be addressed in the curriculum. AI can help professionals with environmen- tal health literacy—with communication to the public, business owners, elected ocials, and others. The tools within AI could better convey what needs done and why and how to encourage change. Additionally, its use in grant writing might be significant. AI could be advantageous in many areas of environmental health, especially for those working in pub- lic health and health promotion, in creating
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