Artificial intelligence (AI) has been making its presence felt across various industries, including IT, journalism, content creation, and now it is posing a potential threat to the teaching profession. Harvard University is leading the way in integrating AI into its coding program by planning to introduce an AI chatbotas an instructor in its renowned Computer Science 50 course.
PROFESSOR AI
Harvard’s proposal involves developing an AI teacher using advanced models like OpenAI’s GPT 3.5 or GPT 4. This highlights the university’s commitment to utilizing cutting-edge AI technology for educational purposes. The University aims to schedule the program in September, and enrolled students will be encouraged to utilize this AI tool.
Media quoting CS50 professor David Malan, said the universityaims to achieve a 1:1 teacher-to-student ratio by leveraging AI. The AI chatbot will provide students with software-based tools that can support their learning around the clock, catering to their individual preferences and pace. These personalized learning features have been challenging to implement on a large scale through existing platforms, making them beneficial for both on-campus and remote students.
Professor AI, as an instructor for its introductory computer science course is based on OpenAI’s GPT-3 language model. It would be capable of answering student questions, providing feedback, and generating code examples. The intention is not to replace human teachers, but rather to complement them and offer personalized learning experiences to students, the University people said.
THE THREAT
AI has the potential to address major challenges in education, such as access, quality, equity, and inclusion. However, no one can ignore the risks and challenges associated with AI, including ethical, social, legal, and pedagogical issues. The argument is for the need for further research, policy development, and regulation to ensure responsible and human-cantered use of AI in education.
CRITICAL THINKING
This is a crucial skill for teachers to navigate the opportunities and challenges presented by AI in education. Critical thinking can assist teachers in integrating AI into their teaching practices and curriculum effectively while safeguarding their profession from potential threats. It proposes a framework for developing critical thinking skills among teachers through various strategies and activities.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF USING AI IN EDUCATION?
- AI tutors use data from previous student interactions to tailor their instruction to each individual student’s needs. This can help students learn more effectively and efficiently.
- They provide immediate feedback on students’ coding work, which can help them identify and correct errors quickly. This can help students improve their coding skills more quickly.
- AI tutors provide a variety of practice problems for students to work on. This can help students get more repetitions and practice, which can lead to improved coding skills.
- They take over some of the more mundane tasks of teaching, such as grading papers and providing feedback. This free up teachers’ time so they can focus on more important tasks, such as developing lesson plans and interacting with students.
- AI tutors reach students in remote areas or students who cannot afford traditional tutoring. This ensures that all students have access to high-quality coding instruction.
- They help create and translate educational content in different languages, making it accessible for students from diverse backgrounds and regions.
- AI helps to customize the learning experience for each student based on his or her needs, preferences, goals, and abilities. They provide feedback, guidance, and support to help students improve their skills and knowledge.
- They help teachers’ grade essays and other written assignments more efficiently and objectively. AI can also provide suggestions for improvement and detect plagiarism.
- AI helps to optimize scheduling of classes, exams, assignments, and other activities for students and teachers.
- AI helps to create and update digital textbooks tailored to the curriculum and the students’ level of understanding. They enrich the textbooks with multimedia elements, interactive exercises, and links to relevant resources
DRAWBACKS OF USING AI IN EDUCATION
- Creating and maintaining AI systems requires a lot of resources, such as complex machines, software, data, and experts. Not all schools and students can afford to access or use AI technologies, which may create or widen the digital divide.
- Some schools and students may face barriers to access AI technologies, such as lack of infrastructure, connectivity, devices, or skills. This may limit their opportunities to benefit from AI in education and create or widen the digital divide.
- Some students and teachers may become too dependent on AI technologies and lose their critical thinking, creativity, or problem-solving skills. They may also lose their motivation or interest in learning or teaching if they rely too much on AI to do the work for them.
- Students and teachers may have less social and emotional interactions with each other if they use AI technologies more often. This may affect their communication, collaboration, or empathy skills. They may also feel isolated or alienated from their peers or mentors.
- AI systems may not be able to understand or respond to the emotions, moods, or contexts of the students or teachers. They may also not be able to provide emotional support, feedback, or guidance that humans can. This may affect the quality and effectiveness of the learning or teaching process.
- AI may not be able to communicate clearly or accurately with the students or teachers. They may also not be able to understand or handle different languages, dialects, accents, or expressions. This may cause misunderstandings, confusion, or frustration among the users.
- AI systems may not be able to stimulate the thinking power of the students or teachers. They may also not be able to challenge them with complex or creative tasks that humans can. This may affect the cognitive development and learning outcomes of the users.
- AI systems may face technical issues, errors, bugs, or malfunctions that may disrupt the learning or teaching process. They may also need regular updates, upgrades, or repairs that may be costly or time-consuming. They may also be vulnerable to cyber-attacks, hacking, or misuse that may compromise the security or privacy of the users.
WHAT OTHER UNIVERSITIES ARE USING AI IN EDUCATION?
Several universities, such as Stanford University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Carnegie Mellon University, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), are actively exploring the use of AI in education. They have initiated projects and courses that leverage AI technologies to enhance learning outcomes, address challenges, and promote a human-cantered approach to education.