Many students were intrigued when an email appeared in their inbox inviting them to join a service called Flint.
Previously, use of AI was discouraged at Brophy (outside of unique circumstances) and plagiarism detectors tried to sniff out the use of text-based AI models like ChatGPT. Now, however, students are being asked to join an AI platform to use at school. It seemed like a large leap for Brophy to make.
Flint is marketed as an “all-in-one AI tutoring platform for schools,” and Brophy teachers and students are increasingly using it in the classroom and at home.
US History teacher Mr. Joe Klein, who said he has used Flint to help students improve at writing and primary source analysis, said that it has been effective but that “the rubrics are not up to Brophy standards.” Mr. Klein shared that he has had to make the rubrics more challenging after looking at how Flint graded too lightly.
Isaac Peterson ’27, who has used Flint in his AP Seminar class, said that Flint was “not very good at grading” and that it kept giving the same answer when asked the same question.
Peterson, however, also added that the feedback it gave him on his essay was somewhat helpful, and notes that Flint is “definitely better than ChatGPT.” Flint offers students access to Chat-GPT 4 which is significantly more advanced than the older GPT 3.5 model, which is the only model available without purchasing a monthly subscription from OpenAI.
Many people have similarly found Flint to be very useful in many circumstances.
Mr. Klein said that he likes how Flint is teaching students how to use AI “the right way.” He said that the student reactions were mostly positive, and that he asked the students who didn’t like Flint if they wanted their grade now or in a few weeks when he gets a chance to grade all of them.
Tejas Khurana ‘26 used Flint for his physics class and when asked about his experience he said, “I used it for a physics assignment which asked me preset questions which I answered, and then it gave me feedback about what I need to work on to do better.” Khurana echoed Mr. Klein’s appreciation of the “instant feedback” and said Flint helped him understand concepts better.
When asked about why Flint was brought onto Brophy’s campus Assistant Principal for Instruction and Innovation Mr. Mica Mulloy, who oversaw the introduction of Flint, said a large part of their decision was from fear of economic discrepancies producing an equity and inclusion issue after Chat-GPT 4 was launched. He said, “There is such a big difference between GPT 4 and GPT 3.5, we didn’t want people who couldn’t afford a monthly subscription to be at an economic disadvantage.”
Mr. Mulloy mentioned that he wishes he had a tool as powerful as AI when he was in school and urges students to take advantage of the opportunity to use it. He cautioned them to use it to aid them as an assistive tool and not a generative tool to do their homework.
In this same vein, Mr. Mulloy cautions that students should keep up with the evolving AI policy at Brophy to avoid academic dishonesty. He also said that with something as volatile as AI, it is difficult to follow strict policy, and that the Brophy is moving towards following guidelines on AI.
AI has the potential to “subtly or drastically change how teachers teach and change how students learn,” which Mr. Mulloy mentioned as his goal for the Flint program.
