ȺpÎÞÂë

ChatGPT Will Change the Platform of +ation

By: Miracle Huckabee

Introduction:

The newest big thing in the technology industry is ChatGPT, and it's taking the world by storm. ChatGPT is changing the way humans learn, especially inside the classroom at major universities across the world. Right now there is a heated debate about whether students should or shouldn't be allowed to use the tool to complete assignments for school. In the realm of education, ChatGPT emerges as a valuable tool contributing to students' success by providing accessible and personalized learning experiences.

Some educational facilities have banned ChatGPT and the use of artificial intelligence due to educators fearing that students will use the tools to cheat instead of putting forth their own efforts and ideas. Meanwhile, many institutions and educators are incorporating ChatGPT in their curriculum and teaching students how to use it. One professor at Yale University views ChatGPT as a tool that educators must address and incorporate into their curriculum. Aimée Morrison, a professor at the University of Waterloo uses her own personal writing experience to demonstrate how ChatGPT has enhanced her writing skills and shares her findings with her own students and other educators. In order to learn why professors are in favor or against students using ChatGPT to complete writing assignments, I’ve conducted and gathered research from two professors at ȺpÎÞÂë from different departments. The data that I gathered from these two professors are relevant to students at ȺpÎÞÂë and outside of Lewis. Both professors have experience with ChatGPT at other universities they have taught at and have incorporated those experiences into their statements. Due to the lack of research regarding ChatGPT and the negative stereotype that ChatGPT can only be used for cheating, I decided to dig deeper and explore how and why the professor at Yale University incorporates the usage of ChatGPT in his curriculum. I also went further exploring Aimee Morrison’s stance on how ChatGPT has helped her become a better educator and writer when it comes to excelling in the writing process. Specifically, through my data collection, I found that ChatGPT can be used as an additional assistance tool when it comes to enhancing a student’s writing abilities.

Methods:

After weeks of researching ChatGPT and interviewing college professors at Lewis, I’ve had the opportunity to gather a lot of data and information on how the artificial intelligence tool could possibly impact students' abilities as writers. The goal of this research is to learn why professors are in favor or against students using ChatGPT to complete writing assignments and do they see the artificial intelligence tool beneficial or harmful to their students' development as a writer. I’ve collected data and information from English and Psychology professors at Lewis University about their overall thoughts and opinions on ChatGPT. The questions I asked were regarding how the professor is detecting plagiarism, what major benefits and disadvantages does ChatGPT offer students, and lastly how do their opinions on ChatGPT differ from other educators and educational institutions. I chose to explore these two departments because English and Psychology majors do a lot of essay writing, research projects, and case studies. I also included the research and data from the professor at Yale University and the University of Waterloo to represent different viewpoints to help make my results more equitable and accurate. 

Results:

Interview ȺpÎÞÂë -English Professor:

I’ve had the opportunity to interview an English professor at ȺpÎÞÂë who has been a teacher there for five years. This professor has her Master’s degree and PhD in the field of writing. She has also had the opportunity to engage with students not just teaching them in the classroom but from a tutoring perspective. This English professor has attended multiple conferences about ChatGPT and studies plagiarism detection tools. She is highly educated about ChaGPT and is very well aware that students in her classes are using ChatGPT to complete various writing assignments. This professor has expressed that ChatGPT can be beneficial to a student in multiple ways. The first way she described was brainstorming. A lot of students she has worked with feel the hardest thing about writing is getting started. She feels that ChatGPT is helpful when it comes to generating ideas and discovering topics to write about. Another ChatGPT benefit she listed was organization. She feels the tool is very helpful when it comes to organizing and narrowing down a student's thoughts. It is very common for students to get very frustrated and discouraged when it comes to putting their thoughts into words. Using ChatGPT to start the writing process will save students a lot of time and energy when it comes to writing.

I couldn’t agree more with what this professor had to say and researchers studying ChatGPT also listed the same benefits and advantages. For example, the article “Harnessing the power of ChatGPT for brainstorming: Three strategies for inspiring creativity with AI” website is published by Laura Irvine and shares common findings. Laura is the Head of Regulatory Law and Partner at Davidson Chalmers Stewart LLP, Criminal Solicitor Advocate and Accredited by the Law Society of Scotland as a Specialist in Freedom of Information and Data Protection Law. In the article Laura discusses how she has been studying ChatGPT and cyber tools for months. She states in the article that the hardest part when it comes to writing is getting started. Many students get frustrated and discouraged in the beginning of the writing process. Sometimes it can be challenging to translate your thoughts into specific words and formatting those words to make sense to the reader. She explains that ChatGPT can generate a diverse range of ideas on a given topic. By providing a prompt or question, you can receive a variety of suggestions and perspectives, helping to stimulate your own creative thinking. ChatGPT can be used to investigate numerous aspects or viewpoints on a subject. It might assist you in taking into consideration elements that you may not have initially considered by posing follow-up questions or looking for different points of view. Laura heavily emphasizes that ChatGPT doesn't perform real-time internet searches, it can offer general advice or suggest potential avenues for research. This guidance can be helpful in identifying areas to explore further during the brainstorming process. I agree with Laura’s statements and research. I believe that ChatGPT is most beneficial in helping writers overcome creative blocks while challenging them to generate newer and better ideas but writers must know how to use the information presented to them to their own advantage. When using ChatGPT you must evaluate the suggestions and ideas provided by ChatGPT and use them as inspiration rather than absolute solutions. While it's a powerful tool for brainstorming, the generated content should be refined and adapted to fit your specific needs and context.

There are some major disadvantages that the same English professor at Lewis listed when it comes to her students using ChatGPT. She feels the tool is not always accurate, which translates incorrect information to students, which causes students to fail assignments and confuses the learning process. Most importantly she emphasized that a lot of students rely on ChatGPT to be their voice. She voices that it is very important for people in life to be able to articulate an argument for themselves. I acknowledge what this professor is saying but students should always be fact checking information from every source they use, not just with ChatGPT. It’s important that students are educated on ChatGPT and aware of its limitations when it comes to generating accurate information. ChatGPT may struggle to handle complex or nuanced queries, and its responses may oversimplify or miss the intricacies of certain topics. That doesn’t mean writers and students can’t use the tool but must use the tool carefully as stated in the article “The Sound Of The Future: My Experience Piloting ChatGPT Voice In The Classroom” by Vicki Davis. Vicki Davis is a full-time classroom teacher and IT Director in Georgia, USA. Vicki studies plagiarism detection software and develops new ways and strategies for students and teachers to enhance learning using technology. In the article Vicki states in order to enhance the accuracy of the responses generated by ChatGPT, writers must be clear and specific in the questions that they ask the tool. Writers must also cross-check information generated by ChatGPT with reliable sources. It's crucial to use ChatGPT responsibly, recognizing its limitations and critically evaluating the information it produces. Vicki emphasizes that ChatGPT is the future of education and is a technology tool that is becoming more popular each and every day. All educators and teachers should become educated on the artificial intelligence tool and therefore educate their students. Many students aren’t aware of ChatGPT’s limitations and how to avoid inserting wrong information in their assignments. Vicki reiterates multiple times throughout the article that ChatGPT shouldn’t replace a writer's own effort. She points out that the tool should be used to advance the writer’s knowledge. Writers and students who use ChatGPT can engage with ChatGPT by asking open-ended questions and exploring various perspectives on a topic. She goes on to explain that this encourages users to think critically about different angles, possibilities, and implications. Users can present arguments or statements to ChatGPT and ask for analysis or evaluation. This prompts users to think critically about the logical consistency, evidence, and reasoning behind different perspectives. Other than plagiarism, the English professor at Lewis also had concerns about ChatGPT demoting critical thinking. Vicki Davis begs to differ. In the same article published by her as mentioned before she states that critical thinking involves evaluating information from multiple sources, considering evidence, and forming well-reasoned judgments. ChatGPT can serve as a complement to these skills but should not replace independent research and analysis. Additionally, being aware of the model's limitations, biases, and the potential for inaccuracies is essential when using it as a tool for critical thinking development.

Artificial intelligence Statement - Psychology Professor at ȺpÎÞÂë.

A couple of weeks ago I received a written statement from a psychology professor at ȺpÎÞÂë. This professor teaches courses such as Abnormal Psychology, Research Methods, Neurocognitive Disorders, Psychological Testing and Evaluation, Biological Psychology, and Neuropharmacology. She has been teaching at ȺpÎÞÂë for many years and has been attending Artificial Intelligence meetings with her colleagues and also educating herself on the new tool as well. Her goal in the classroom is to try to create an atmosphere where students can discuss their ideas and opinions openly. Her statement regarded students utilizing ChatGPT to complete work for her class. This psychology professor was able to detect students using ChatGPT through the written responses that were submitted by her students. She claimed that many students were inserting information that she didn’t cover in class. She was also able to detect plagiarism by the writing being too perfect and not making sense. The professor concluded her statement by saying that “the goal of all her courses is for students to learn and ChatGPT can do the learning for you.” I agree with her to some extent. According to the same article by Vicki Davis, students shouldn’t heavily rely on ChatGPT to give them answers but look at the tool as a way to learn such as clarifying concepts, definitions, or explanations related to their coursework. Vicki states that ChatGPT can provide additional context and help reinforce understanding for many students. Students can seek advice on study strategies, time management, and organizational tips from ChatGPT to enhance their overall learning experience. I believe that  in order to combat plagiarism and the decline of critical thinking skills when it comes to ChatGPT, it's important for students to complement its use with traditional learning methods, peer collaboration, and guidance from educators. Additionally, users should be aware of the model's limitations and verify information from authoritative sources, especially in academic contexts where accuracy is crucial. I believe that educators can address these challenges by incorporating responsible AI use into their curriculum, fostering discussions on digital literacy, and guiding students on how to leverage technology effectively for learning. Teachers can use ChatGPT as a starting point and to generate lesson plans. Most importantly teachers can use ChatGPT to incorporate project-based learning scenarios into their lesson plans, which force students to think through ideas. Education about the ethical and responsible use of AI tools is crucial to ensuring that students benefit from these tools while mitigating potential risks.

English Professor - Yale University:

ChatGPT is such a new and developing topic many educators aren’t familiar with the tool. It was hard collecting data and information from teachers at ȺpÎÞÂë. I wanted to dig deeper and explore other major universities and get other English professors' opinions on their students using ChatGPT to complete coursework for their classes. I researched and came across an article published by Yale News providing information from an interview that one of the English professors named Alfred Guy at Yale participated in. In reaction to ChatGPT, this professor at Yale has taken the lead in creating faculty guidelines. Guy has spent thirty years overseeing writing programs at prestigious universities, including twenty years at Yale. He addresses the potential risks and benefits of artificial intelligence (AI) as well as how teachers might use it to help students write better. So far, the conversation at Yale around AI writing has focused not on demands that the software be banned or that professors find a foolproof detector but rather on the opportunities for new assignments and new ways to engage their students more deeply in their work. He explained in his interview that COVID-19 has changed the ways that students learn and process information. The pandemic was a huge wake up call for not just professors but for everyone across the world. The pandemic helped professors recognize that many students didn’t have access to WIFI and a quiet workspace when online learning was taking place during the beginning of the pandemic. He noticed how little small accommodations to help these students came a long way to make learning more equitable and accessible. Guy explained that every student learns differently. Some students don’t benefit from peer groups or lecture slides; some learn best by themselves. He explains that ChatGPT has the ability to evaluate students' academic progress and design the course to fulfill their needs. Students can learn at a comfortable pace and fully comprehend difficult subjects with ChatGPT. Guy pointed out that the pandemic has had a huge impact on student’s mental health and a lot of students lost motivation to learn. I agree that learning and life ever since the pandemic just hasn’t been the same. Educators and institutions should adjust their curriculum to help engage students more. A lot of topics covered in schools today don’t relate to important national events or factors that influence society. Students will be better motivated to write topics that they actually care about. I believe that using ChatGPT to explore real-world applications of concepts learned in the classroom can motivate students. Discussions about how knowledge is applied in various contexts can make learning more relevant and interesting. Students can use ChatGPT as a resource for assistance with homework, projects, or assignments. Knowing they have a tool to help them when they encounter challenges may boost their confidence and motivation. It's important to integrate the use of ChatGPT thoughtfully into educators' curriculum and to balance its use with other instructional methods. Additionally, educators should guide students on responsible and effective ways to use AI tools for learning, emphasizing the value of independent thought and critical inquiry. This professor at Yale concluded his interview listing the main disadvantages of ChatGPT. “ChatGPT summarizes what’s already been written about, ChatGPT often reproduces these same problems, releasing error-laden or biased answers.” This professor doesn’t necessarily view this as a limitation but an opportunity for students to engage in critical literacy. Guy asks students in his classes to review ChatGPT’s answers to questions that the students are researching, separating out things that sound likely from things that are actually true. This strategy that this professor uses in his classes has been valuable before ChatGPT. I believe that everyone struggles to decipher which information is true or not true from the internet. ChatGPT offers an amazing opportunity for people to work on their critical analysis skills by fact checking the information that is presented to its users.

English Professor - University of Waterloo:

The article, “Meta-Writing: AI and Writing,” written by Aimée Morrison, professor of English at the University of Waterloo, discusses how using a tool like AI forms relationships with writers fulfilled with infinite ideas and possibilities. Morrison digs deeper into how AI has numerous applications and tools available to assist writers in various aspects of the writing process. Morrison uses her own personal writing experience to explain how her writing journey has changed since coming across a tool like ChatGPT. The researcher found out that AI can be used for writing to help writers with grammar and spell-checking. Which helps writers limit the errors in their writing and helps the reader have a better understanding of the ideas that the writer is trying to express. A text with poor grammar can change the entire meaning of a sentence. Not only did she discover that it helps with grammar but also helps with content creation. ChatGPT can be very beneficial in terms of helping writers with their grammar. Users can input sentences or passages into ChatGPT and ask for grammar corrections. The model can identify and suggest improvements for grammatical errors, such as incorrect verb tense, subject-verb agreement, or punctuation. Users can use ChatGPT as a virtual proofreader to catch spelling and grammar mistakes in their written work. It can help identify common errors and offer corrections to enhance overall writing quality. While ChatGPT can offer valuable assistance with grammar, users should keep in mind that it may not always provide perfect suggestions, and critical judgment is essential. Morrison takes into consideration that a tool like AI can be seen as “magic” or as a tool that does most of the work for the writer. She expresses that writing is magic. If more humans were being taught how to write and spent more time advancing their writing skills, they would discover the power that lies within their own minds. According to the article “Harnessing the power of ChatGPT for Brainstorming” by Laura Irvine, AI develops results from various websites and data storages, generating information and ideas that were already developed. Writing gives humans a chance to generate new ideas and communicate with the reader like never before. But Laura also states that it is okay if the writer needs a little help like Morrison mentioned before. Morrison explains that if a writer uses a tool like AI in a certain way, inputting their own ideas and work, the results are going to be way better than a person who is just looking for AI to do all the work to execute a writing assignment. In my opinion writers can still be creative and work just as hard as writers that don’t use tools like AI and ChatGPT. AI might be able to provide you with incredibly helpful data; it might even be able to suggest actionable steps to improve human performance. But it can’t understand the wider context and nuance which might feed into the bigger picture. This is one of the key reasons critical thinking will be necessary for succeeding in an AI-powered future. Used in collaboration with human skills, AI can pave the way to new successes, but without the human element, there is no competitive advantage.

Conclusion:

While ChatGPT presents exciting opportunities for interactive learning and assistance, some educators may perceive it as a potential disadvantage due to concerns about accuracy, overreliance, and challenges related to academic integrity. The professors I researched at ȺpÎÞÂë believe the bad outweighs the good when it comes to ChatGPT. While the professors at Yale and the University of Waterloo view ChatGPT as a groundbreaking tool that will change the platform of learning. However, recognizing and addressing these concerns can pave the way for constructive integration into educational settings. One primary concern is the accuracy of information generated by ChatGPT, as it may produce responses that are factually incorrect or lack nuance. To address this, educators can emphasize the importance of cross-referencing information from reliable sources, fostering a culture of critical inquiry among students. Over reliance on ChatGPT poses another challenge, potentially hindering the development of independent thinking and problem-solving skills. Educators can mitigate this by encouraging a balanced approach to learning, combining the use of AI tools with traditional study methods and fostering classroom discussions that require active student participation. Academic integrity is a significant worry, with educators fearing that students might misuse ChatGPT for plagiarism or neglect to fully understand concepts. Solutions include incorporating lessons on responsible AI use, emphasizing the consequences of plagiarism, and promoting the use of ChatGPT as a supplementary tool for comprehension rather than a replacement for original thought. In conclusion, while educators may initially see ChatGPT as a potential disadvantage, proactive measures can transform it into a valuable asset for learning. By integrating responsible AI use into the curriculum, promoting critical thinking, and fostering a balanced educational approach, educators can harness the benefits of ChatGPT to enhance the learning experience for students while addressing potential challenges. As the educational landscape evolves, educators can play a pivotal role in guiding students to use AI tools responsibly and effectively.

Sources

Davis, Vicki. Cool Cat Teacher Blog, 17 November 2023.
Accessed 3 December 2023.

Irvine, Launa. Simpleshow, 30 August 2023.
Accessed 3 December 2023.

Keller, Zoe. YaleNews, 3 March 2023. Accessed 20 November 2023

Morrison, Aimée. 06 June 2019.
Forum Accessed 27 November 2023.

Davis, Vicki. Cool Cat Teacher Blog, 17 November 2023.
Accessed 3 December 2023.