How we can use ChatGPT in the classroom

Students need to understand what the new AI tool can and cannot do

Now that ChatGPT has landed with a thud on our desks there is much speculation, a lot of it rather dire, about how it would transform every job that involves some form of writing. For us teachers, writing is at the very core of our profession. So, we need to consider its use in the classroom given its ubiquitous presence.

We have seen waves of new technology since the invention of the steam engine. In the wake of every wave we have adapted, I would argue, rather successfully. Sure, new technologies transform legacy jobs but in the final outcome, they serve as tools to serve humanity.

Of course, new technologies can be used also to degrade and abuse people. But that is a choice we make as a society. In that sense we need to follow our instincts and figure out how generative AI tools like ChatGPT can be used to serve people rather than to enslave us.

I would tell my students in my first post-ChatGPT class that we need to master this new technology and to use it to our advantage. In fact, my counsel to them would be to use it in my class as this is a skill they would need throughout their careers.

Students need to know ChatGPT’s abilities and its limitations. It can produce typofree grammatically correct sentences in English. It can quickly summarize information from reams of published writings. But what it does not do, at least yet, is cite the sources from where each sentence was constructed. It can change the text flow abruptly switching from one argument or fact to another that does not follow from the previous sentence. Lastly, it “hallucinates” or in other words, makes up statements that may be false or fictitious.

So, even as I urge my students to embrace ChatGPT I would require adherence to ethical and transparent standards:

First, state up front that ChatGPT was used in producing the report.

Second, reveal the prompts used in generating the text. This would allow me to see if the student has an adequate understanding of the subject matter that was covered in class.

Third, know the source materials from where these statements were generated and to provide citations to these sources. How do we know what we know?

Lastly, I would ask that they edit the text thoroughly to ensure that the final product reflects their own thinking and conclusions. Moreover, I would remind them that use of this technology does not exempt them from principles of good writing: a proper introduction, development of arguments with evidence and/or logic and some “takeaway” conclusions: what did we learn, what are the policy implications, etc.

No doubt this technology would evolve and become smarter over time. We may have to revise and revisit our rules over time. But, embracing it is a better winning strategy than to deny its presence in the classroom.