Apart from a perceived disintegration of human connection, ethical concerns about the use of AI in education, such as bias and lack of transparency in learning, have been raised. One in four teachers have reportedly caught students using ChatGPT to cheat in their assignments.
As artificial intelligence continues to advance and proliferate into the metasphere across industry sectors, education is not an exception. The use of generative AI and large language models, in particular, has the potential to transform the way educators approach teaching, opening up avenues for personalized learning and increased efficiency.
As with any new technology, however, there are potential drawbacks and unintended consequences to modernization.
While the impact of AI in education is still being debated, some are concerned that overreliance on such tools could lead to a loss of human connection in the classroom or reinforce biases and inequalities between social groups.
AI in education today
Artificial intelligence involves utilizing computer systems to perform tasks that were previously done by humans. These tasks include generating content, decision-making, language translation, customer service, insurance claims processing, and providing recommendations, among others.
AI encompasses technical systems that can observe and interpret their surroundings, solve problems, and take actions to achieve a specific objective. These systems obtain data, either pre-arranged or collected through their own sensors, analyze it, and generate a response. It can also modify their performance based on previous actions and work independently.
Today, AI is becoming increasingly common in everyday life, powering applications such as digital personal assistants, smart homes, and infrastructure. It is also being used in the automotive industry to improve safety features and navigation, and in cybersecurity to detect and prevent digital threats.
AI in education can be used in a multitude of ways including automation of administrative tasks, personalization of learning experiences, and immediate feedback responses.
The Great Divide: To use AI in the classroom or not?
While AI has the potential to transform education, educators are divided on how it will affect the students.
On one hand, some educators view AI as a promising technology in the field of academics. They are optimistic about its capacity to facilitate customized learning for students and enable them to study at their own pace.
Additionally, AI-driven tools can furnish teachers with valuable insights on students’ progress, enabling them to adapt their pedagogical approach to meet the unique needs of each student.
When the AI-powered platform ChatGPT was launched in November 2022, however, educators expressed concerns about students potentially using the tool for academic dishonesty such as plagiarism and cheating.
ChatGPT is an advanced chatbot that uses online data synthesis to communicate information conversationally.
According to a survey by Impact Research, about three in 10 teachers have used ChatGPT for lesson planning, coming up with creative ideas for classes, and building background knowledge for lessons and classes.
Moreover, a third of students aged 12 to 17 have used ChatGPT for school, and those who have used it think it has had a positive impact.
The report also revealed that both teachers and students believe ChatGPT is a prime example of the need to modernize education. A significant majority of teachers and students surveyed agree: “ChatGPT is just another example of why we can’t continue doing things the same way in modern schools.”
Teachers are now allowing – with some actively encouraging – their students to use ChatGPT, and believe that integrating it into schools will be important for the future.
Others are using ChatGPT as a research assistant to explore the impact of AI on various aspects of student life, including mental health and the value of standardized tests such as the SAT and ACT.
Meanwhile, students are taking advantage of ChatGPT to create study guides.
Learning integrity in the balance
Some educators, however, are skeptical of AI in education, fearing that it could replace human teachers and diminish the value of face-to-face interaction.
Apart from this perceived disintegration of human connection, ethical concerns about the use of AI in education, such as bias and lack of transparency in learning, have also been raised. One in four teachers have reportedly caught students using ChatGPT to cheat in their assignments.
It is also no surprise that one of educators’ primary concerns is the use of ChatGPT for plagiarism, since students could potentially deploy the tool for assignments “in almost all courses” due to its vast knowledge and increasingly convincing outputs, according to Janeen Peretin, director of communication, innovation and advancement for the Baldwin-Whitehall School District in Pittsburgh.
The pushback might also stem from a lack of understanding about the tools.
A survey by Study.com, which polled 203 K-12 teachers, showed over 70 percent of teachers reported not having received any guidance on ChatGPT, while 43 percent believed that the technology would only add complexity to their work.
ChatGPT has a variety of applications, including writing poetry, generating computer code, referencing sources in essays, and solving mathematical equations.
“There is a larger, related concern that students will rely on generative AI tools to such an extent that they do not learn to produce original content,” Peretin told EdTech Magazine.
In an attempt to address this issue, certain schools have implemented a ban on ChatGPT and other generative AI tools on their networks, while others are revising school board policies and student handbooks to redefine cheating. Some are mandating handwritten responses during in-class assessments.
In fact, New York City Public Schools became the first school district in the US to ban ChatGPT. In recent weeks, California, Washington, Maryland, Alabama, and Virginia also implemented restrictions on the technology.
“It is important that the student uses the tool to help understand the concept that they were struggling with and not simply cut and paste the solution,” Peretin said.
Embracing the use of AI in schools
There are also educators who choose to embrace ChatGPT as a tool for teaching, on the premise that their role is to equip students with the right skills and knowledge of AI.
“As educators, we haven’t figured out the best way to use artificial intelligence yet. But it’s coming, whether we want it to or not,” Donnie Piercey, a teacher, told the Associated Press.
Steve Darlow, a technology trainer at Santa Rosa County District Schools in Florida, views the emergence of AI platforms as both revolutionary and disruptive to education and imagines that, in the future, teachers could potentially use ChatGPT to create lesson plans for substitute teachers or even assist with grading papers.
“I know it’s lofty talk, but this is a real game changer. You are going to have an advantage in life and business and education from using it,” Darlow said.
While AI has the potential to transform education by making it more efficient and personalized, it is not without challenges. To overcome them, it is important for educators and policymakers to be cautious and to ensure that the technology is used in a way that is both ethical and inclusive.
More importantly, policies surrounding AI in schools must guarantee that the benefits of usage are shared equally among students and teachers and for their greater good.
