B.C. educators prepare for ‘problems and promises’ of AI apps like ChatGPT

Vancouver high school students were recently asked to use ChatGPT to do their homework.

The unconventional task of answering essay questions using an artificial intelligence app encourages students to see how slight differences in questions affect the chatbot’s response and to think critically about it. I made it.

This is one way B.C. educators are harnessing the potential of AI in the classroom while also redesigning assignments and tests to keep students from using new apps to cheat.

Jeff Spence, superintendent of the Vancouver Board of Education, said many people have a “apocalyptic” view of AI.

“I don’t feel that way,” he said.

Instead, Spence, who oversees information technology at the school district, sees ChatGPT as an educational tool. Similar to Google in many ways, Google was also subject to uncertainty until it became virtually indispensable.

But more than Google, ChatGPT and similar apps are making a “groundbreaking” change in how people learn, he said. They not only find information that is already available, they synthesize and combine it. “This is exactly what we want from our students.”

Spence said the app will require educators to assess what students should learn in school. You might be able to do more in class, focusing on things you can’t do on a computer, such as working as a team, and checking in along the way.

But Mr. Spence pointed out that even decades after the invention of the electronic calculator, students are still learning multiplication tables. “We still need to teach our children how to use their heads.”

In a VSB podcast, David Thompson Secondary Education Teacher Erin Tarbuck said that while some students’ reaction to ChatGPT was, “‘Great, you don’t have to write that essay,'” some teachers said, ” I am afraid,” he said.

But these negative reactions can be offset by viewing ChatGPT as a tool, she said. Are you going to teach children how to use it? ”

Students are more likely to use AI to complete their assignments, she said, when education focuses solely on the final product. Teachers can ensure students do their work by asking them to review instructions such as summaries and revisions.

Experts say facing AI’s “problems and promises” in the classroom will require teachers and students to do what computers cannot: think critically.

Vered Shwartz, a professor of computer science at the University of BC, said that currently essays written using ChatGPT are simplistic and may contain factual errors or use common key phrases. Therefore, it can be easily detected.

“Very well written, but empty inside,” she says.

Nonetheless, students in large classes where take-home essays and exams are emphasized may be tempted to use ChatGPT to generate answers, modify them slightly, and present them as their own work. I can’t.

Schwartz said AI detection tools aren’t completely accurate and can produce “false negatives.” But even more worrisome are “false positives,” where students are accused of cheating but haven’t actually cheated.

Schwartz said the best approach is for professors to discuss the use of AI with students and clarify ground rules. Subject to proper attribution, we may allow students to use the app as a research or starting point.

ChatGPT can also enhance real-time learning, she said. During a lecture, if a student doesn’t understand a concept, the app generates a short explanation for the question so the student can follow the rest of the lesson. For professors, the app can create test questions and discussion prompts.

“I think it’s still very new, so we’re all exploring the pain points and the potential of this technology,” Schwartz said.

She is not in favor of banning ChatGPT or similar apps.

“Ultimately, I think we will find a solution on how to use it properly to preserve academic integrity and enhance learning.”

Instructors are encouraged to work on using AI at the beginning of each course.

“Although artificial intelligence technology should not be used to complete academic work, there are instances where instructors and students work with artificial intelligence technology as part of student learning. should provide clear guidance on how to allow .

Bates said ChatGPT is changing how professors design assessments, including “scaffolding” tasks to include summaries, drafts and final versions that demonstrate critical thinking and progress.

“Your evaluation helps us know if our students are doing their job,” he said.

While recognizing that technology will likely be “embedded in everything” four to five years after current students graduate, Bates said part of the college agenda is when and how to use AI. He said that it is to help students understand whether it is appropriate to