North Texas universities, school districts are figuring out how to handle ChatGPT popularity
ARLINGTON, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) – North Texas universities and school districts are figuring out the best ways to handle the growing popularity of ChatGPT.
The artificial intelligence platform is powered by massive amounts of data and can write almost anything, from song lyrics to research papers.
"Faculty, a lot of them are worried about issues of plagiarism," said Andrew Clark, a UT Arlington professor and associate director of the university's Center for Research on Teaching and Learning Excellence. "What's going to happen if I give an assignment, how will I know this is the student's work?"
Nearly 100 professors at UT Arlington signed up for a formal discussion on the topic this week. Clark is encouraging them to look at AI as an opportunity to evolve.
"We as faculty need to design assignments that are useful, that are beneficial, that students can understand what the relevance is of that assignment," he said. "So in many ways, I think something like ChatGPT is sort of forcing our hand a little bit. It's helping us to maybe get to a place we should be getting as faculty."
ChatGPT has proven to be capable of passing exams for MBA courses and medical licenses.
However, instead of banning the technology, some professors want to embrace it.
"I think it's going to totally change education," said Peggy Semingson, an associate professor at UT Arlington who is exploring how ChatGPT could be used in the courses she teachers. "I actually had it come up with some discussion questions that I tweaked and ended up using, and they were actually quite good."
Semingson sees it as a "digital muse" – a way to inspire new ideas for both students and professors.
"Maybe it comes up with an outline or maybe it finds references for you, and then you work from those in a human way," she said.
Semingson and Clark believe even the smartest AI can't replace the true value of a higher education.
CBS 11 asked ChatGPT to write a story about how university professors should handle the technology in their classrooms and whether they should be worried students will use it to cheat. This is how it responded:
"In a recent development, many university professors are grappling with the question of how to handle the use of the advanced language model, ChatGPT, in their classrooms. As the technology becomes more widely available and easy to access, some professors are worried that students may use it to cheat on assignments and exams.
However, experts suggest that professors should not be overly concerned about the potential for cheating. They argue that ChatGPT is simply a tool, and it is up to the professor to set clear guidelines and expectations for its use in the classroom.
One strategy that some professors are implementing is to incorporate the use of ChatGPT into their curriculum as a learning tool. For example, students can use the technology to generate research paper outlines or to brainstorm ideas for group projects. By doing so, professors can help students develop the skills they need to effectively use the technology in a responsible and ethical way.
Additionally, professors can also use plagiarism detection software to check for potential cheating.
In conclusion, while the use of ChatGPT in the classroom may raise some concerns about cheating, experts suggest that professors should not be overly worried. Instead, they should focus on finding ways to incorporate the technology into their curriculum in a way that benefits student learning and development."