AI in class

Powerful tool: AI has gone mainstream now with ChatGPT, and it is both scary and exciting for students and educators alike. – AZHAR MAHFOF/The Star

SINCE its launch in late November last year, ChatGPT (Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer) has been hailed by some as the best invention since the computer was introduced to the world.

Media and industry observers predicted the powerful technology behind ChatGPT would likely dominate artificial intelligence (AI) and language modelling for years to come, while others see it as a threat to their teaching practices and jobs.

Described by Will Heaven in an article in the MIT Technology Review (April 2023) as an “essay-writing tool” or a “test-taking tool”, ChatGPT can write polished, well-crafted essays, answer questions, quote Shakespeare and take tests for humans.

What is ChatGPT?

Created by San Francisco-based company OpenAI, ChatGPT represents the latest development in the group of systems known as chatbots.

Chatbots are intelligent systems that are developed using either rule-based or self-learning AI methods and they can produce human-like text responses in real time.

Trained on conversational texts, the ChatGPT model produces more human-like responses than earlier language models.

Will it take away jobs?

At this point in time, no.

In the hysteria and hype, there have been claims that this invention would cause some, for example teachers, to lose their jobs. This claim is as misleading as when for example, online learning first emerged, and it was predicted that teachers would be replaced by robots and AI.

The central role of a teacher in the teaching and learning (PdP) process is not only to impart knowledge, but also to nurture students and cultivate values and thinking skills – all of which AI cannot do.

But what the education sector and teachers should not do is to ignore or ban ChatGPT as this would prevent them from learning about the strengths and weaknesses of this AI chatbot and how it can be incorporated in their teaching and assessment practices.

There is an old English proverb that goes, “Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t”, which aptly describes the conundrum that many educators find themselves in when dealing with ChatGPT.

The United States Department of Education noted in its May 2023 report “AI and the Future of Teaching and Learning” that while AI can support teachers through new forms of interaction and assist to address inconsistency in learning, there are also risks in the form of student and teacher surveillance and the potential replacement of human teachers.

Stanford University in its 2023 AI Index reported that 11 countries (including China and South Korea) had implemented an AI curriculum since 2021.

Our Education and Higher Education Ministries must take note and implement a nation-wide policy on AI and its impact on PdP.

There is a compelling need for the two ministries to engage in sharing knowledge, communicating with educators and communities, and improving technology plans and policies for AI use in education.

Are homework and exams still relevant?

There are concerns about false and wrong information provided by ChatGPT. Some detractors claimed that the easily accessible and well-written information provided by ChatGPT could lead to the end of homework or the death of critical thinking skills of students.

Even more concerning are reports of plagiarism where students do not acknowledge the sources of information and use ChatGPT text as the gospel truth.

As University of Melbourne Assoc Prof Dr Charles Sevigny pointed out, there are many things that ChatGPT still cannot do: it cannot view and interpret graphs, images and data sets; it cannot cite references; it cannot verify its sources; and it cannot read and apply knowledge of an existing text.

The solution for teachers and educators, thus, is to design thoughtful and strategic class activities and tasks which are then developed for exam questions.

Critical thinking can be developed using ChatGPT generated texts by asking students to verify the sources and to apply the verified information to new situations and contexts. This teaches students to cite their sources and to acknowledge the authors’ contributions.

Test and exam questions can be designed to be problem-solving or based on case studies, rather than the traditional definition of terms or essay-writing.

Homework as it is practised will evolve to more critical thinking and problem-solving exercises, designed to promote higher-order thinking among students.

Can it be used for PdP?

What is undeniable is that many students find ChatGPT useful as a learning tool to search for information and practise their skills of writing and reading.

ChatGPT can provide personalised feedback and personalise their learning experiences. Dr Vaughan Connolly from the University of Cambridge believes that it can help students with doing revision, checking homework answers, or refining an essay.

It can also help postgraduates whose English is a second language clarify what they mean in their writing.

Schools and universities need to take the initiative to find out how to use ChatGPT responsibly, safely and effectively in and outside classrooms.

If they fail to respond urgently, they put themselves and their students at a disadvantage.

We are on the cusp of an AI revolution and its impact on society will be far-reaching. How we respond and how fast we respond will decide the future of education for you and me.

Prof Dr Chan Nee Nee is the dean of the UCSI University Faculty of Social Sciences and a specialist in education. She earned her qualifications at Durham University, United Kingdom, and the National University of Singapore. The views expressed here are the writer’s own.