Picture this scenario:
It’s 11:45 p.m. on a Sunday night. Someone’s daunting 1,000-word writing assignment is due in exactly 15 minutes. The only slight problem: They have a blank document staring right back at them with exactly 0 words on the screen.
What’s the solution? They turn to their new late-night study buddy, ChatGPT, who will write the assignment, perhaps even better than they could have imagined.
Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?
Artificial intelligence has completely transformed the educational ecosystem and is here to stay.
Whether we would like to admit it or not, AI is becoming a part of everyone’s lives in one way or another, including college students. Whether it’s to write an essay, modify a resume or explain concepts “in a way that a 5-year-old would understand,” many now rely on virtual bots, changing what the college experience looks like today.
AI helps encourage students to be more curious about the things they learn.
Many courses at the University of Houston use platforms such as Packback, which uses AI and compels students to come up with their own open-ended questions. It gives feedback on the spot and provides suggestions on how to modify the questions.
According to an article by Harvard, the use of this platform has led to more student engagement and better academic outcomes in many universities across the country.
AI is making education more accessible for those with disabilities
This isn’t true just for students. It also includes educators!
With advanced tools like speech-to-text software, navigation help and screen readers, AI is making education a more inclusive space. Many of these tools are found in commonly used platforms such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams, serving users with the right assistance for their specialized needs.
AI isn’t just about academic help and support. It goes beyond that.
Research shows that people find it easier to be more open and candid with virtual bots when sharing certain information, like finances, health or immigration status. This is also true in the university setting.
Besides assistance with academic tasks, AI helps college students with more administrative responsibilities such as financial aid and scholarship information.
FAFSA’s official virtual assistant, Aidan, enables students to ask questions about financial aid, which can be more efficient for many people when seeking quick answers.
Implications and the Future of AI
Many universities and professors condemn the use of AI in classrooms because of how it violates academic integrity and honesty. However, the benefits of modern technology should be available to students, especially if it makes learning easier.
Universities can adopt methods to teach with AI to make learning more dynamic, interactive and specialized. Professors can be trained on how to navigate and enhance teaching and learning with AI, while keeping certain restrictions and policies in place so that students do not misuse it.
Notably, there are always two sides to the same coin. While AI has made the lives of college students easier, it’s scary to acknowledge how overly reliant students are becoming on it.
Some students now neglect using their own thinking and logic to solve problems or complete a writing assignment. Their immediate response instead is always, “Let me ask ChatGPT.” This hinders personal creativity and critical thinking, both of which are essential to academic success.
Nevertheless, change is always around the corner, and it’s highly likely that AI will be responsible for many of the changes to come in education. While we can hope it will be for the better, we must also actively prepare to ensure that it will be.
If we continue to avoid it, how will we learn to adapt to it when it becomes unavoidable?
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