Texas A&M University-Commerce Addresses Concerns About ChatGPT in Ag Classroom

Several recent news articles have addressed allegations that seniors in an agriculture class at Texas A&M University-Commerce received a failing grade and were temporarily denied their diplomas due to questions about AI-generated assignments.

A&M-Commerce confirms that no students failed the class or were barred from graduating because of this issue. Dr. Jared Mumm, the class professor, is working individually with students regarding their last written assignments. Some students received a temporary grade of “X”—which indicates “incomplete”—to allow the professor and students time to determine whether AI was used to write their assignments and, if so, at what level.

Currently, several students have been exonerated and their grades have been issued, while one student has come forward admitting his use of ChatGPT in the course. Several other students have opted to complete a new writing assignment made available to them by Dr. Mumm.

University officials are investigating the incident and developing policies to address the use or misuse of AI technology in the classroom. They are also working to adopt AI detection tools and other resources to manage the intersection of AI technology and higher education. The use of AI in coursework is a rapidly changing issue that confronts all learning institutions.

Texas A&M University-Commerce is one of eleven independent schools that make up The Texas A&M University System. It is not a branch or satellite of Texas A&M University in College Station or any other school in the Texas A&M System.