ChatGPT: Announcing a New Blog Series Exploring Artificial Intelligence in Education

By Dr. Alex Rockey

I’m not going to lie. I was hesitant to log in to ChatGPT, but I can’t very well write an article about the tool without ever using it. So I logged in and typed “Write an article about ChatGPT.” 

In a matter of seconds, ChatGPT typed out a seven-paragraph essay on the benefits of ChatGPT. I won’t bore you with the whole essay, but here is the paragraph it (?) said about education: 

“One of the most exciting aspects of ChatGPT is its potential for use in education. The system can be used to create interactive learning experiences that are tailored to the needs of individual students. This means that students can receive personalized instruction that is based on their unique learning styles and abilities.”

This paragraph makes me pause. As an educator, there is a lot to unpack here. I’m sure many of you have seen the headlines about ChatGPT over the past few months or so. In case you haven’t, here’s a quick recap: 

• Don’t Ban ChatGPT in Schools. Teach with It, New York Times, January 12th, 2023
• ChatGPT Is a Plague Upon Education. Inside Higher Ed, February 9th, 2023
• How ChatGPT Can Improve Education, Not Threaten It. Scientific American, February 10th, 2023 

Anytime I hear passionate claims that a certain technology is ruining the world, I think of Plato’s Socrates and his concerns that writing would destroy society (Ong, 2002). I also think back to how research in education has reacted and commented to emerging technologies. For a time, there was a huge focus on how Microsoft Word would change how we write. Then there was a focus on the internet and how it would change education. Social media came next and then mobile devices. And now it appears that we are at artificial intelligence (AI). 

A common trope about education is that schools move slow. We often hear that the education system is slow to adapt to new technologies. I would like to offer a counter perspective. In my experience, I have seen educators move incredibly fast and use emerging technologies in innovative ways to support student learning. As a system, we may not move as fast as companies, because our goal is not the bottom line. Our goal is to support the humans who are in our courses to achieve their dreams. Because our focus is humans, our innovations are tempered with the weight of responsibility we carry for the learners in our classes. Even so, I have seen educators mindfully leverage Zoom to support students during COVID. I have seen educators incorporate the use of Discord to create community outside of the classroom. And there are educators who are already using AI and ChatGPT to support student learning. 

As we explore ways in which we might thoughtfully respond to rapidly emerging AI, I wanted to feature a series of blog articles from faculty and (fingers-crossed) students. This series will help us to explore student and faculty perspectives on ChatGPT so we can make informed decisions about how we might respond and/or use this technology in our classrooms. 

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