Checking Version History in Google Apps to Determine How Work Was Created by Students
Google Docs, Slides, and Sheets has long given writing instructors a way to understand the writing process a student went through to craft a paper or story. Now all teachers can benefit from this tool called Version History in Google Apps files to uncover clues of the process the student went through to craft the document.
Remember that AI generated and plagiarized content is generally difficult to detect. Instead of searching for absolute facts and hard truths, instead educators should be gathering artifacts and clues that lead them to discussions with students.
Finally, remember that the use of AI alone does not invalidate learning. In fact, the use of AI can be a powerful tool to support learning. This tip on Version History helps teachers to understand how these types of Google files were crafted. Instead of leading to automatic failures and blame, use the Version History to help you understand the process the student underwent in creating the content. Always remember -- if the student learned the content, no matter what tool they used, then the goal was achieved. If the work provided to you feels inauthentic, devise another way the student can demonstrate that they did the hard work of learning the content. This can range from informal conversation to live, in-class presentation, to many other ways of demonstrate authentic learning.