ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence chatbot launched in November 2022, can provide text and data in human writing patterns, but education professionals warn it has limitations when it comes to being used for academic purposes. Emiliano Vittoriosi photo/UnsplashThere’s been a lot of talk lately about how artificial intelligence is creeping into many facets of life, including being used by college students to write full essays.
Jon Saklofske, an English professor at Acadia University in Wolfville, N.S., says an essential foundation of any educational mandate should be to ask students to understand the ethical and responsible use of any technology or tool, such as AI writing software. Contributed photo Saklofske doesn’t think students should get AI to help them to write essays at all. “Written communication, along with the ability to understand what you read and hear, is a necessary skill for most professions,” he emphasized.
“Teachers need to rethink existing assignments and design new and more diverse assignments that make effective use of this new tool while also teaching students about the ethical and responsible uses of such tools, and about how to independently stand on their own two feet,” said Saklofske. “For example, if we let students rely too heavily on computer-based spelling and grammar correction tools, then they will become functionally illiterate and unable to check or correct their own work,” he said. “Rather than policing students, then, let’s challenge them to become more responsible and thoughtful users of technology.”