Integrating technology with pedagogy

THE emergence of ChatGPT has caused a stir in higher education. Many educators are now standing at the crossroads, grappling over whether to champion it as an inevitable leap forward in pedagogy or prohibit its use.

While some remain indifferent, it is crucial to note the tangible impact of ChatGPT. It has been a game-changer, with instances of it being a co-author in scientific journals. In rare cases, it has led professors to failing an entire class due to misunderstanding on how to use it.

But perhaps the question is not if we should accept ChatGPT in education, but how best to integrate it to enrich our teaching and learning experiences.

In Malaysia, when it comes to higher education, one particular concern among educators is the originality of their students’ written work at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. In assessment terms, it is about the validity of the grade/s assigned to students.

However, this validity issue has been around for a long time. It began with the ghost-writing phenomenon where students paid others to complete their academic tasks. Now, artificial intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT are substituting as ghost writers, and no educator would want to assign grades to students who did not complete their work themselves!

We believe that educators cannot run away from technology like AI tools and that the traditional way of writing academic papers is indeed coming to an end.

The recent release of guidelines from the Higher Education Ministry is not merely a response to these changes. It is a beacon towards better understanding and integration of technological advancements into our pedagogical practices.

Let’s think about some possible scenarios where ChatGPT and other AI tools can help increase productivity and optimise learning among students. For instance, undergraduate and postgraduate students can use AI tools to help revise spelling, phrases and sentences. This may not be considered wrong as it guides students on the right way of writing.

As most postgraduate students work alone, they often feel concerned about the how their ideas would be accepted. They might also harbour fear of their ideas being hijacked or judged negatively by their peers should they seek advice or suggestions.

This is where using AI tools can help. Unlike humans, AI tools do not possess personal biases or preconceived notions, thus ensuring an impartial and non-judgemental environment. This allows writers to explore their thoughts freely and develop their ideas without inhibition or self-doubt.

AI tools are not an end but a means in the collective toolbox that, with proper monitoring, can help us navigate the complexities of the 21st century. To reject them would be to ignore the remarkable possibilities that await us, so let’s not see AI as a competitor to human intellect but rather as the catalyst for its potential.

DR ALLA BAKSH MOHAMED AYUB KHAN

School of Languages, Literacies & Translation

Universiti Sains Malaysia

and CHUAH KEE MAN

Faculty of Language and Communication

Universiti Malaysia Sarawak