March 2024: Helping students navigate a changing classroom.
In the past, artificial intelligence (AI) lived solely in the realm of science fiction, appearing in novels and films as comedic space androids, talking muscle cars, and even killer machines sent from the future. For a long while, AI was simply another character or plot device for our entertainment.
Today, AI has become something real, escaping the boundaries of wild imagination to quickly become a present part of modern life. The human-managed algorithms of the past have given way to new generative programs that are capable of drawing from vast collections of data to offer responses to complex questions, write text, create visual images, and even mimic voices with increasing and surprising accuracy. Additionally, AI is learning and becoming more sophisticated with each new update. And the more AI is folded into the operations of various institutions, companies, and organizations, the more heavily it will impact everyone’s future.
The Potential Challenges with AI
As with any technology, AI has the potential to be used for nefarious purposes. As AI tools are generally unaware of the intentions of those accessing their systems, they indifferently provide information that may help individuals manipulate others, find loopholes and vulnerabilities to exploit, and even cheat their way into opportunities or outcomes they don’t qualify for. Cheating is a particularly troublesome aspect of AI for higher education communities across the country, and while steps are being taken to assist with preventing the use of AI as a replacement for learned knowledge, advancements with AI tools have already outmaneuvered some of the safeguards that were developed in the past year.
Your campus may have policies in place related to AI use by students, especially during any mid-term testing and final examinations. You should review those policies and speak with campus IT professionals to determine if there are other steps you should take to ensure that your students are legitimately demonstrating their understanding of class concepts.
Prepare Yourself for the Future
While some professors have implemented their own rules for having or using technology in the classroom, you might need to reexamine your own technology policies. Additionally, you may consider or be asked to consider alternative testing processes. While oral and written exams may work for some situations, they might not be the best solutions for remote learners or online-only classes. You may be required to get creative with how you expect your students to demonstrate what they’ve learned.
The more you learn about AI and its use and potential use in your classroom the better prepared you’ll be for changes that impact how your students learn. Students who rely heavily on AI for information may not actually learn the concepts presented or recall the information AI queries have provided. Students may simply copy-paste information from a website directly into a class assignment, skipping any part of the learning process. Alternatively, students may find using AI a valuable support tool when a peer is unavailable to help correct writing assignments, when they need to come up with ideas for presentations, or when they want to more deeply explore learning concepts presented in class.
To help you learn more about AI and monitor new developments that may impact higher education, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology offers a special webpage devoted to artificial intelligence news. You can visit and bookmark that webpage by clicking this link.
