“Write it in your own words”

City of Bristol College Ashley Down Centre
City of Bristol College Ashley Down Centre by James Clay CC BY-NC 2.0

Twenty-five years ago I was a business studies lecture in a college in Bristol. I taught on various programmes including the HNC Business and Management and the Advanced GNVQ Business Studies.

A key part of those courses was assessment through assignments, this was time of continuous assessment, and no final exams.

Setting and marking assignments was always a challenge. You were assessing their understanding of the content, textbooks and lectures. I would write assignments that comprised a series of questions.

I remember colleagues would often talk to students who were struggling, to read the source material, the text books, and then write it in their own words.

In the education world there has been much discussion about ChatGPT and its impact on student assessment.

Paddington Station

I decided I would dig out some old assignment questions and see what ChatGPT made of them. I had to adjust them slightly, as the original questions were on Railtrack, so I changed that to Network Rail

Question 1

You have been provided with information indication some of the issues around the functioning of this company. Using these and other sources which you may be able to obtain, analyse Network Rail in the following areas:

• The nature of the organisation and its aims and objectives

• The organisations stakeholders and their relative importance

  • The responsibilities of the organisation both to its stakeholders and to the wider community.

This was the answer that ChatGPT gave.

Network Rail is a government-owned company in the United Kingdom that is responsible for the maintenance, operation, and development of the country’s rail infrastructure, which includes tracks, signals, tunnels, bridges, and level crossings. The company was established in 2002 as a not-for-profit company to replace Railtrack, which had gone into administration.

The main aim and objective of Network Rail is to provide a safe, reliable, and efficient rail network for the benefit of its customers and the wider community. This includes reducing delays and disruptions, improving journey times, and increasing capacity on the rail network.

Network Rail’s stakeholders include its customers (e.g. passengers and freight operators), employees, shareholders (i.e. the UK government), regulatory bodies (e.g. the Office of Rail and Road), and the wider community (e.g. local residents and businesses affected by rail infrastructure projects).

As a major infrastructure operator, Network Rail has a number of responsibilities, including:

  • Ensuring the safety of its rail network for passengers, employees, and the public
  • Maintaining and upgrading the rail infrastructure to improve reliability and performance
  • Consulting with and communicating effectively with its stakeholders, including addressing any concerns or issues they may have
  • Being a good neighbour and minimising the impact of its operations on the local community
  • Complying with all relevant laws, regulations, and industry standards.

In the original assessment I asked for 1500 words, the ChatGPT answer was 220 words.

I then asked for a 1500 word answer, I got a 501 word answer.

Network Rail is a government-owned company in the United Kingdom that is responsible for the maintenance, operation, and development of the country’s rail infrastructure, which includes tracks, signals, tunnels, bridges, and level crossings. The company was established in 2002 as a not-for-profit company to replace Railtrack, which had gone into administration.

The main aim and objective of Network Rail is to provide a safe, reliable, and efficient rail network for the benefit of its customers and the wider community. This includes reducing delays and disruptions, improving journey times, and increasing capacity on the rail network. In order to achieve these goals, Network Rail invests in infrastructure projects, such as upgrading tracks and signals, and also works closely with train operators to improve the overall performance of the rail network.

Network Rail’s stakeholders include its customers (e.g. passengers and freight operators), employees, shareholders (i.e. the UK government), regulatory bodies (e.g. the Office of Rail and Road), and the wider community (e.g. local residents and businesses affected by rail infrastructure projects). Each of these stakeholders has different interests and concerns, and it is important for Network Rail to consider and address these in its decision-making process.

For example, the needs and expectations of customers are a key consideration for Network Rail. This includes providing a safe and reliable service, as well as ensuring that tickets are reasonably priced and that there are sufficient trains and capacity to meet demand. Network Rail also has a responsibility to its employees, which includes providing a safe and healthy working environment, offering competitive pay and benefits, and supporting their professional development.

Shareholders, in this case the UK government, are also a stakeholder group that Network Rail needs to consider. As a government-owned company, Network Rail is expected to operate in a financially responsible manner and to provide value for money. This includes achieving a satisfactory return on investment and meeting performance targets set by the government.

Regulatory bodies, such as the Office of Rail and Road, play an important role in overseeing the operations of Network Rail and ensuring that it complies with all relevant laws, regulations, and industry standards. This includes ensuring the safety of the rail network and protecting the interests of consumers.

Finally, Network Rail also has a responsibility to the wider community, which includes minimizing the impact of its operations on the environment and local residents. This can involve measures such as reducing noise and air pollution, and engaging with the community on the planning and implementation of infrastructure projects.

In summary, Network Rail has a complex set of responsibilities as a major infrastructure operator, and it needs to consider the interests of a range of stakeholders in order to effectively fulfill its aim of providing a safe, reliable, and efficient rail network. By meeting the needs and expectations of its customers, employees, shareholders, regulatory bodies, and the wider community, Network Rail can contribute to the economic development and well-being of the UK.

It’s being a while since I marked work, and I would have an assessment guide to help me. I don’t think though this answer would pass. However what I do think this answer can provide is a scaffolding or structure for the student for their answer. Something to add to, something to get started with.

I can see it also being used by academics to support their work, to speed things up in writing advice and guidance for students. For example I guess I could have copied something from the web on what is an assessment rubric. In the end I asked ChatGPT for an answer.

An assessment rubric is a tool used by teachers and educators to evaluate and grade student work. It is a detailed breakdown of the criteria and standards that will be used to assess a particular piece of work, such as an essay, project, or presentation. The rubric typically includes a list of criteria, with descriptions of various levels of performance for each criterion. This allows the teacher to assess the student’s work in a systematic and consistent manner, and to provide feedback to the student on areas where they are doing well and areas where they can improve. Rubrics can be used for a variety of assessments, including assignments, exams, and projects, and can be used in any subject area. They can be particularly useful for helping students understand what is expected of them in terms of their work, and for providing clear and detailed feedback on their performance.

ChatGPT is one of many artificial intelligence tools that are available, sometimes it gets things right, other times it gets it totally wrong. However as academics we need to be aware of what it is, what it can do, and what it means for assessment going forward.

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