This article is a translation of a text first published in Eductive’s French edition.
At the end of November 2022, a new artificial intelligence tool, ChatGPT (developed by Open AI), became publicly available. The latter is at the heart of several discussions among pedagogical staff. Opinions are divided.
Artificial intelligence has the ability to change our way of thinking about education. It will lead to a change in our practices.
ChatGPT is a chatbot that can answer simple or complex questions asked by a human via a chat module.
The app creates a response according to the information provided upon its creation. It generates output based, among others, on information from the internet, but is not connected to it to produce up-to-date responses.
The tool is constantly evolving to improve itself. The improvements are based on human feedback. Therefore, the more feedback the platform will get from its users, the more the technical and informational quality will be optimized. For instance, the robot was updated and is now less likely to refuse to answer questions caused by inadequately formulated questions according to the model parameters. It now has the ability to stop generating responses when the answer is inaccurate. You can also consult your past conservation history to continue it later.
Conversation with ChatGPT illustrating a non-response.
Another conversation with ChatGPT illustrating a non-response.
We can observe that, in the 2nd conversation captured above, there is a false statement. ChatGPT mentions the Agence d’évaluation de l’enseignement et des apprentissages. But, in fact, this agency does not exist. When we ask ChatGPT to validate its sources, it apologizes for giving an incorrect answer and provides the name of a new organism in France (while the initial question was about schools in Quebec).
To get the best results, the questions must include details, a specific context. Sometimes, it is necessary to ask many sub-questions and chat with the robot to reach a satisfactory response.
ChatGPT is not the only existing text generator tool. Its predecessor GPT-3 and Brainly are some other examples. In addition, the Photomath gives students solutions to mathematical equations and provides a step-by-step explanation.
How will ChatGPT impact education?
Knowing that we cannot completely ban access to ChatGPT, we need to find ways to integrate it into our teaching practices. There is a lot to be said about this topic, but here is some food for thought. Share your thoughts on it in the comments below!
ChatGPT can be useful to do research.
Since it operates essentially the same way as a search engine, students could use it as a facilitator when searching for information that they cannot find with the usual search engines.
Moreover, with ChatGPT, we do not need to go through many readings to find possible answers, since it replies directly to the questions asked.
It might be tempting for students to use the full text generated by ChatGPT and pretend it is their original work. However, this is considered plagiarism. To avoid this, students have to cite ChatGPT as the author, or use the text as a starting point and rephrase the robot’s words. As a teacher, it might be interesting to take a moment with your students to explain the different ways to use ChatGPT in your course.
Conversation with ChatGPT on the referencing of its own texts.
It is important to note that, in this example, ChatGPT indicates it is required to cite following the steps for the APA and APA7 models, but it does not propose the correct way to integrate the date. Therefore, analysis and judgment must be exercised for all information provided by the tool…. At least, for now!
Despite the fact that ChatGPT can answer our questions, it cannot provide sources when requested. The references provided are fictional. It can state some URL links, but these links are non-functional or will take you to uninteresting pages, whatever it might say.
Conversation with ChatGPT on the search for sources on a topic.
As teachers, more than ever, we have to promote critical thinking skills in students and work towards developing their digital literacy skills. ChatGPT can make content and format errors in its answers: it is not 100% reliable. ChatGPT can be considered as a web search tool, such as Google or Bing. Students must continue to triangulate information to validate the source. The teacher’s role is essential in this process.
ChatGPT could help students as a feedback generator. Students could share their text and ask for help on ways to improve it. Each student can evaluate the proposed changes and rewrite the text if necessary.
Conversation with ChatGPT as a feedback generator on a text.
The tool can also be used as a review virtual assistant before an evaluation. When students study for an exam and have questions, ChatGPT can answer them quickly and in detail. It can also generate summaries on different subjects that can be used as a checklist to review the material. (Obviously, students have to validate that the information provided by the robot matches the information seen in class!)
Conversation with ChatGPT as a review assistant on a concept.
ChatGPT is a great way to innovate your teaching practices.
If we wish to create in-depth learning and improve student retention, we need to move towards creation, evaluation, and analysis skills (Bloom’s taxonomy), as well as co-creativity skills using digital tools [in French].
ChatGPT can be useful to acquire knowledge or develop a basic understanding on a topic, but such activities lead to more surface learning. The core activities carried out by ChatGPT can therefore be a gateway to richer learning experiences such as:
These activities cannot be done by ChatGPT. If you ask the students to complete a reflexive journal following experimentation, ChatGPT cannot do it for them.
Why not use Chat GPT as a learning tool? Competencies could be developed in a controlled environment. Here are 2 examples of the integration of this tool in class:
Conversation with ChatGPT asking for the creation of a problem-solving situation. ChatGPT explains a concrete and problematic situation. The students could use it to find related solutions.
ChatGPT is giving us the opportunity to bring a fresh breeze to our assessments. Just like the teaching approaches, the types of assessment can highlight in-depth learning such as:
Building a reflexive portfolio after completing some hands-on activities is a way to observe more in-depth learning. This way, only the student can reinvest the information seen in class and create links with the practice itself. ChatGPT could obviously help with the writing, but it could not generate the ideas.
The evaluation format can also be adapted. For instance, an oral presentation can replace a written text. Take-home tests and exams could also include more complex and open questions since they are more difficult to be automated by the tool. If the objective of the evaluation is knowledge acquisition, a paper-based exam is still a possibility.
ChatGPT collects data from the interactions to improve system accuracy. This information is indicated when creating an account. It may be relevant to discuss the impact of sensitive data sharing on the webwith the students.
Some people might feel concerned about the possible replacement of teachers by artificial intelligence (AI). Any new technology can instill fear at the very beginning. I do not believe AI will ever be able to replace us. But we might have to rethink our pedagogical practices and the way we perceive our role as teachers. We cannot stop technology, so we must adapt our teaching practices to the “real world.” There is always a solution to integrate digital tools while preserving a pedagogical alignment.
I encourage you to try the platform to discover its positive aspects and its limits. However, patience is needed, since the tool is often inaccessible due to a large number of simultaneous connections, which deactivates it.
Could the advent of this technology simply be a new way to optimize our teaching practices?
