A new survey by Intelligent.Com has revealed the increasing prevalence of ChatCPT, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) program, in school curriculum. Teachers are using it to develop their lesson plans, while students are taking full advantage of it for their homework. ChatCPT is also helping make applications for colleges, financial aid, and other areas much easier.
The survey found that of 1,000 teachers surveyed, 97% were frequently or sometimes using ChatGPT to write lesson plans, 93% were using it to grade students and provide feedback, 91% for writing emails, and 89% for writing letters of recommendation. 8 out of 10 teachers also approved of students using ChatGPT for their assignments.
The company, privately funded by unknown entities, is based in downtown Seattle. It is relatively new, having been launched in November. Despite that, it has come under criticism due to an observed left-leaning bias. As an example, when asked to write a story about why drag queen story hour is not a good idea for children, the chatbot refused to write a negative story, instead providing a glowing review of such an event. Other experiments have also uncovered a bias, triggering concern over whether relying too heavily on a chatbot to do homework hurts a student’s learning.
Chatbots are not only useful for straightforward Q&A. Through them, teachers can assign coding tasks and the chatbot will write the code for them. Further, AI can now be used to create realistic-looking photographs, artwork, and more.
Time-saving was the primary reason teachers gave for using ChatGPT, and 42% cited it as a factor. They also found that it gave good suggestions (41%) and helped them understand its capabilities (17%).
The survey found that two-thirds of teachers believed that many students were turning in assignments generated by AI. 6% of teachers thought all of their students used ChatGPT, 30% thought most students used it, 30% thought many students used it, 25% thought only some students used it, and 1% thought none of their students used it. Similarly, a third of surveyed teachers believed either all (6%) or most (28%) of their students used ChatGPT during class, but only 5% thought none of their students used it.
Surprisingly, 71% of teachers stated that their schools lacked any policy surrounding use of ChatGPT.
The eLearningIndustry.com group has outlined multiple benefits to incorporating AI into classrooms, such as the ability for AI algorithms to personalize learning and keep students engaged and motivated. Additionally, students can gain knowledge on this technology to prepare them for the digital age. Despite this, there are several caveats to consider, such as training and integration of the technology among teachers, as well as ethical questions need to be taken into consideration.
This survey by Intelligent.Com has shed light on the growing prevalence of ChatGPT and other AI programs in school curriculum and the pros and cons of AI-based learning methods. It remains to be seen how schools and teachers will incorporate this technology into their classes, but it is encouraging to learn that such innovation is taking place.
