Artificial intelligence tools are nothing to be feared.
At their best, AI tools like ChatGPT provide an opportunity for instructors to consider the specific constructs they are looking to assess and how working with AI could support students in their learning. This might be a shift from focusing on product to process.
What would it look like if we were to assess students on how they get to an outcome rather than simply the outcome itself? Or if educators focused lessons on providing instruction and tools to support students in integrating this technology into their discipline-specific work? It may put more of a premium on in-class assessments or assessments that don’t solely focus on written outcomes, which may encourage alternate, and potentially more inclusive, assessment types.
Our goal at the university is to encourage thought processes that support learning. The foundational work we do is rooted in critical and creative thinking, intellectual challenges and thoughtful dialogue.
Tools like ChatGPT, however, are not a substitute for that critical thinking or the deep understanding that emerges from our classrooms. They are made for expressing ideas or summarizing information. As such, these tools may have an important role to play in helping students organize and express their thoughts when they otherwise may struggle to do so, but they are not a substitute for thinking and engaging with academic content.
New technology is always developing, and universities and the educators within them continuously adapt to integrate it. ChatGPT and other generative AI tools present unique challenges, but ultimately, they will become a part of the learning environment. Transparency in how these tools are utilized – in teaching, classwork and assignments – is critical to successfully integrating them into our work.
And, again, it may be time to assess the process, instead of the product. Let’s evaluate how students are creating, exploring and critically thinking instead of looking exclusively at their outputs.
