As artificial intelligence rapidly becomes available to the public, the debate about its use in the classroom is growing.
Broward County Public Schools recently blocked the use of certain AI technologies, such as ChatGPT, on all district-owned devices.
“While the school district has taken steps to block access to such systems from district-owned devices, we are analyzing the impact of such use and considering possible countermeasures,” the school district said. A spokesperson said in a statement to NBC 6.
On the campus of Broward College in downtown Fort Lauderdale, a committee has been formed to keep track of new technologies. The university’s online interim dean of her campus and e-learning says she wants teachers to be prepared.
Priscilla Suárez said, “…just identifying what AI looks like in papers and other papers can help faculty become more knowledgeable.”
But the real surprise came a few weeks ago when English professor Laura McDermott Materrick put her students’ creative essays through a plagiarism detection program. result? 100% AI generated paper.
“Whether it is created by a BOT or by someone else, it is not an original work, so academic misconduct like this is unacceptable. It’s creative self-creation through critical thinking,” Maserick said.
According to the students, the paper was put through Grammarly, an online grammar checker, to check for spelling and grammatical errors.
Still, it’s a concern among many educators who know that students can ask apps like ChatGPT to write an entire essay in seconds by giving them proper instructions.
Other professors at Broward College are embracing this technology. According to Rick McCawley, like the Internet, it will inevitably become a part of our lives in the future.
NBC10’s Randy Gyllenhaal talks to Dr. Tim Gorichanz, Professor of Drexel, about how AI is now rapidly producing novels, term papers, photographs, and more. Students who haven’t actually learned the material that comes with the rise of AI ChatGPT have privacy concerns and can even create Randy news articles.
“All humans are attacked by aliens. That aliens are artificial intelligence,” said McCauley. “If you make it work that way, it’s a resource.”
McCawley recently instructed a graphic design student to use AI to create illustrations. The results were beautiful and impressive. Still, he says there are many ethical layers that must be worked out.
“If you point it in the right direction, it will reach far beyond our wildest imagination,” McCawley said. “Both the legal implications and the ethical thought process have to be juggled. Education is the starting point.”
NBC6 also reached out to public schools in Miami-Dade County about using AI in the classroom. The district says such technology is not for minors, but believes AI is a useful tool for teachers when it comes to professional development.
