ChatGPT: How Should Faith-based Schools Respond?
Since its release in November 2022, ChatGPT (Chatbot Generative Pre-trained Transformer) has caused controversy and consternation among educators and educational institutions. The Open AI (a private San Francisco-based company backed by Microsoft Corp.) product is free, easy to use, and can produce writing on virtually any topic, at any length, in any style…oh yeah, and in any language! The program does not simply regurgitate ideas from the Internet; it creates new content that cannot be detected by plagiarism software like Turnitin.com.
Recently, Study.com polled 1,000 students at least 18 years old on their ChatGPT usage.
89% have used it to complete homework
48% have used it to complete an at-home test or quiz
53% have used it to write an essay
22% have used it to construct an essay outline
Schools across the United States are responding to ChatGPT differently.
Some schools are not addressing the program with students in the hopes that they will not “discover” it anytime soon.
Some schools now require students to write a statement on the bottom of every piece of writing similar to “I promise that this work is my own and was not generated by an AI program.”
Some of the largest public school systems in the United States (New York City, Los Angeles, Baltimore, and Seattle) have taken a definitive stance and blocked the website on all school and school-issued devices.
But none of these options is the
best response for schools and educators.
To believe that students are unaware of the program and its capabilities is simply naive. If your students use Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, or TikTok, they are or will soon be familiar with ChatGPT. In fact, on January 28th, Open AI announced that it had surpassed 10 million users…PER DAY…in just 40 days of the program’s inception. The company also estimated over 100 million different people used the program at least once sometime in January. These statistics make ChatGPT the fastest-growing consumer application in history.
To require a written statement on every piece of writing is also an ineffective response because students’ consciences will quickly become numb to the impact and relevance of those words. Also, doesn’t it make sense that if students are willing to cheat, they are willing to lie, as well?
And blocking ChatGPT is also ineffective because of several important realities:
AI is not going away. It is officially here to stay.
AI will continue to progress and become more human-like.
Students can and will find ways to access the website.
Schools and educators have the responsibility to prepare students for what they need to know and be able to do in the future. AI is the future! Who better to help students understand how to properly and ethically operate in an AI world than their teachers?
So, how should we respond?
On Wednesday, February 15th at 5:30pm CT, I will be hosting a webinar that responds to that question. I believe there are 5 key components to creating a response that is proactive and productive. We will explore some instructional practices and mindsets that now need to shift, as well as brainstorm ways that ChatGPT can actually enhance lesson plans, instruction, and student engagement and learning.
