AI In The Education Sector
Over the past couple of weeks, there has been talk around the latest in AI interactions, namely ChatGPT. With this comes the question, how does this impact the education sector?
ChatGPT
ChatGPT, for those who are yet to hear of it, is an AI chatbot auto-generative system. The pre-trained system uses natural language processing from a host of sources to enable it to model its responses on human interaction.
It can provide natural answers to questions in a conversational tone and can generate articles, stories and poems. Moreover, Chat GPT can;
- Write code
- Write articles (including essays and assignments)
- Translate
- Debug
The Use In Education
For many of us, the use of AI in day-to-day life is still an obscure consideration. However, ChatGPT, and similar systems can be utilised within the education sector.
One of the key ways in which this software can be utilised it to help the creation of lesson plans and even lesson materials. While it’s still recommended that everything is double-checked by the human eye, its use can greatly ease the strain on already overworked Teachers and Support Staff.
As technology improves and changes, education also needs to adapt to suit. In many schools, the use of computers, tablets and smartphones has become common practice. The use of IT has increased to accommodate the changing world after education. This means the likes of ChatGPT and similar systems will soon be used/studied within schools.
Critical Issues
As with any new technology, there are always risks as it enters the educational system. Consider the use of smartwatches during exams, these soon had to be removed to reduce the risk of cheating. However, ChatGPT can be used by students to complete homework tasks and even coursework, with just slight tweaking to sound more like the individual. With this work being completed outside of a classroom environment, it becomes more difficult to police.
The introduction of this type of AI can lead to concerns of educational gaps, where the bot does the work, meaning that students/children do not absorb the information.
Here at The Learning College, we are looking into methods of tracking learners who have attempted to use this software on our courses, by using the software ourselves. As all of our courses are marked by dedicated tutors they can spot when assessments are written with the use of AI, rather than individually written.
If you are interested in any of your Teaching Assistants undertaking one of our recognised courses, please contact the team today.