Northwestern student demands tuition refund over AI-generated lecture notes
A Northwestern University student discovered that her instructor used ChatGPT and other AI tools to create lecture notes while the course syllabus prohibited students from using AI, and demanded an $8,000 tuition refund. The university declined the refund but subsequently issued AI usage guidelines requiring disclosure and accuracy review.
What happened
In February 2025, Northwestern University student Ella Stapleton discovered that adjunct professor Rick Arrow had used ChatGPT to create lecture notes for her organizational behavior course. The lecture notes contained visible ChatGPT prompts such as 'expand across all areas, write it more detailed and specific' embedded in the text.
Stapleton examined Arrow's other course materials and found characteristic AI-generated errors including distorted photographs and nonsensical typos. The course syllabus stated that students were prohibited from using AI or chatbots in assignments or exam answers as academic misconduct.
Reported impact
Stapleton filed an official complaint with the business school demanding a refund of $8,000 representing her portion of tuition for that course. After meeting with business school officials multiple times, she received a refusal on the day after graduation in May, stating that a refund was not possible.
Index analysis
Arrow stated that he had used ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gamma on his existing course materials to create new lecture notes. He claimed the results appeared acceptable at first glance and that he had not realized the AI-generated materials contained errors until the school investigated. The course was discussion-based, he said, and the materials were not used during class time.
Governance controls
Northwestern University issued formal AI usage guidelines in late March 2025 following the incident. The guidelines require that any AI use be disclosed and that results must be reviewed for accuracy and appropriateness.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.