  This study explores student responses to allegations of cheating using
ChatGPT, a popular software platform that can be used to generate grammatical
and broadly correct text on virtually any topic. Forty-nine posts and the
ensuing discussions were collected from Reddit, an online discussion forum, in
which students shared their experiences of being accused (the majority falsely)
and discussed how to navigate their situations. A thematic analysis was
conducted with this material, and five themes were discerned: a legalistic
stance, involving argument strategy and evidence gathering; the societal role
of higher education as a high-stakes gatekeeper; the vicissitudes of trust in
students vs. technology; questions of what constitutes cheating; and the need
to rethink assessment. The findings from this study will help instructors and
institutions to create more meaningful assessments in the age of AI and develop
guidelines for student use of ChatGPT and other AI tools.
