ChatGPT: How Bay of Plenty Educators Are Preparing for Greater Use of AI Technology

Artificial intelligence tools that can generate essays, stories, and poems that students can potentially use to cheat have been called “exciting disruptors.”

One Tauranga principal said the school “
Instead of fearing AI, let it live its power.” Meanwhile, academics say learning how to use AI programs such as ChatGPT will prepare students for the future.

of Bay of Plenty Times We spoke to several educators We also address plagiarism concerns about how chatbots can help teachers and students.

ChatGPT, released in November, is a chatbot developed by the American company OpenAI.

NZ Herald Previously reported multiple New Zealand universities are looking to reduce their reliance on essays to assess learning and move to face-to-face assessments such as oral exams and presentations.

Pukenga Head at Toi Omite Kaiako [teacher] Josh Burrell, who drives success and innovation, says they take a “forward” approach to a “really powerful” tool.

Burrell said it would benefit both students and teachers, but would also present “challenges” regarding the academic integrity of the work.

He said tertiary care providers will have to “constantly adapt” as technology improves.

“This is a transformation of the way society moves forward. There aren’t many aspects of humanity that aren’t touched by AI,” he said.

“As educators, we have a responsibility to prepare our students to adapt to these technologies and to make the most of them in a positive way as they transition into our workforce. .”

According to Burrell, a team of Toi Ohomai staff worked with faculty tutors to find out how the program could be used as an “efficient tool.”

For example, ChatGPT can create a series of multiple-choice questions “in a matter of minutes” using a text-heavy PDF or PowerPoint presentation.

He said it usually takes a single teacher “several hours” to acquire a resource and convert it into a set of multiple-choice questions.

Earlier this month, Turnitin released software that verifies that AI-generated writing is being used in academic work.

Staff at Toi Ohmai have also tested the detection tool “extensively,” he said, and it does a great job of identifying AI-generated content.

Burrell said Toi Ohmai had a set of “all-encompassing” policies regarding academic honesty, including expecting submissions of original work.

Students are expected to see AI as a source, and AI will only “become more important” as its use increases, he said.

ChatGPT can help students with their research, create revision questions and flashcards, and translate content into different languages.

Most importantly, he said, students need to “criticize tools” for accuracy and learn how to use them “respectfully” in assessments.

“We cannot allow our students to fall into the trap of just accepting the answers and responses AI gives us.”

Tracy Bowell, vice-chancellor of teaching and learning at the University of Waikato, said AI development is a “fluid and rapidly changing landscape” and described ChatGPT as an “exciting disruptor” for the university. .

Bowell said that integrating AI into education takes time, deliberation and attention. A team of staff has been testing the technology since November, she said.

They were working on guidelines on how instructors could incorporate the use of this tool into their courses, and advice on designing assessments to make it harder for students to cheat.

Bowell believed that the development of AI would rethink the structure of assessment, especially traditional writing exercises.

In an outline for this year’s paper, she said, students were told that it would be considered cheating if they used AI to create work disguised as their own.

Bowell said Bay of Plenty Times Universities were responsible for teaching students how to use AI “ethically” and “critically” and incorporating these skills into the workplace.

“You can’t just turn your back on tools because you can’t meet the responsibility of preparing students for the workplace.”

Digital fairness, risks to academic integrity, and increased bias are among her top concerns about ChatGPT’s use in academia, she said.

Andrew Turner, Principal of Tauranga Boys College, emphasized the importance of having AI tools like ChatGPT in place for teachers to “know their students” and “verify” their work.

Staff reminded that they ‘know their stuff’ [students’] He said he always seeks to encourage referral to sources.

Turner said the program did a “very good job of throwing out the essays,” but didn’t mention the source of the information.

“There are checks and balances that every teacher can place.”

The tool had “huge potential” as to how it could be used in education, but Turner said people should be “careful not to replace real intelligence.”

Russell Gordon Otsumoetai College principal said officials are conducting “additional research” on ChatGPT to help the school “carefully” navigate “new ground.”

He said it’s important for schools to “use the power of AI, not fear it.”

“It will not go away, so it is our duty to explore its possibilities. It will become more and more sophisticated.

“We have to do more to help our children navigate this wonderful new world.”

Gordon said the tool can be used “perpetually” in a school environment, but noted that users must be 18 years of age or older.

It can be used by teachers who can provide and critique AI-generated reports to their students. He said this would help them improve their writing skills.

Like Turner, Gordon said his worries about plagiarism were alleviated by the fact that teachers had a “good understanding” of students’ writing abilities.

He said that if teachers have doubts about a sentence, they can ask the chatbot if it was created by an AI.

The Department of Education’s general manager of strategy and integration, Pauline Cleaver, said the department is working to develop guidance for schools on the use of AI technology.

Cleaver said there are both “opportunities and risks” in using AI in the classroom.

“AI can acquire bias, so students may not be aware that the answers given by AI apps may be wrong or inaccurate.”

AI’s ability to write “poems, stories, lyrics and essays” may also require a shift in learning and assessment focus, she said.

This could include “empowering students to create more technology and think critically about its use rather than just consuming it.”

Cleaver said blocking or banning AI is not “necessarily” the best long-term approach and the ministry needs to “balance” to maximize the benefits AI provides.

In February, the New Zealand Credentials Authority provided a range of advice to teachers and principals regarding the use of ChatGPT and other AI programs.