AI in language teaching – keeping a ‘human-in-the-loop’

Why the human touch still needs to be part of the equation in the AI classroom?

71% of language teachers already use AI tools in their teaching, according to a survey from Cambridge University Press & Assessment and the University of Bedfordshire. Furthermore, 8 out of 10 educators believe Generative AI (GenAI) can usefully complement teaching and be integrated with the teacher’s role.??

With this positive approach to AI, and its already rapid adoption, it is more important than ever to consider the bigger, more fundamental questions around the use of AI in the classroom: When should it be used? When is it not appropriate? How can GenAI best augment teachers’ and students’ human intelligence??

The themes of ethics, transparency and the need for clear guidance frameworks are discussed in a new research paper from Cambridge, co-authored by Evelina Galaczi , Director of Research-English at Cambridge, and Rose Luckin , Professor Emeritus at University College London.??

Their paper, Generative AI and Language Education: Opportunities, Challenges and the Need for Critical Perspectives, offers insightful background as well as practical tips and guidelines for developing policies for classrooms around the world.??

Evelina said: ‘While GenAI creates fantastic opportunities for educators, it is essential to keep teaching the core language skills that matter. What’s important for language learning and assessment is that we don’t let AI take over completely but keep “a human in the loop”at all times. That way you get the best of both worlds – the speed of AI mixed with human skills such as sophisticated reasoning, creativity and abstract thought.’

Evelina continued: ‘The choices we make now about GenAI in language education will significantly impact the future of language learning, teaching, and assessment.’?

When should GenAI be used in the English classroom???

The rise of AI tools like ChatGPT has been swift – 54% of the teachers surveyed by Cambridge reported already using ChatGPT in their lessons? to develop classroom activities that give immediate feedback, provide varied texts and boost interactive speaking practices.?

Considering the ethics of using AI?

The take-up of GenAI tools has outpaced the development of policies and frameworks which gives educators clear guidance on its use in the classroom. The Cambridge research asked nearly 400 teachers from 70 countries about what policies exist in their institution and the largest proportion of responses (36%) answered ‘I don’t know’.??

The desire for greater knowledge is clear:? A webinar, which Cambridge ran earlier this year? on the topic of using GenAI in language education, and a panel discussion on the same topic a few months later, attracted? over 14,000 registrations – testimony to the integral role teachers believe this technology will play and their appetite for increasing their knowledge and expertise in this area.?

Digital hallucinations – not everything is as it seems?

GenAI can create inaccurate content and present it as if it is reliable, even to well-educated audiences. Digital ‘hallucinations’ is now a widely used term to refer to such inaccurate AI-generated content. Many students implicitly trust the accuracy of GenAI, and there’s a danger of developing an over-reliance on GenAI in education. Teachers, therefore, need?to explicitly focus on developing learner awareness around the trustworthiness of?GenAI content.?

Other challenges to overcome?

As well as the accuracy of results, there are several other issues which educators and learners need to consider:??

1. The risk of amplifying prejudice and biases - GenAI content is heavily dependent on the data used to train its models, and the output of those models may perpetuate problematic societal biases.?
2. Cheating – In many cases it is difficult to detect if the output has been generated by AI or by humans, with the risk that cheating becomes undetectable. Teachers should be clear with students about how and when AI can be used – much in the same way a Maths teacher would be about the use of a calculator.??
3. Copyright – GenAI relies on massive datasets which often contain works owned by others. Teachers should raise awareness amongst students about intellectual property (IP) and copyright issues inherent in GenAI.??
4. The environmental impact – exceptionally high computing power is needed to run GenAI systems, which translates into energy requirements, and resulting carbon emissions.?

Staying ahead of GenAI?

GenAI currently only contributes to academic intelligence and has little to offer in other areas – it is robotic in the sense that it does not have knowledge, only data and information.

For this reason, it cannot achieve human-level social interaction. The authors recommend teachers build an understanding of the strengths and limitations of GenAI tools, and have developed a checklist of five things teachers need to consider:??

1. Always take a human-centred approach to using GenAI in the classroom.?
2. Have a clear purpose for using GenAI for positive learning outcomes.?
3. Make sure that alongside language learning, teachers also focus on the social and emotional aspects of learning.?
4. Enhance AI literary skills – that may mean further professional development.?
5. Keep a human in the loop at all times!??

Read the full research paper here.?

To learn more about how AI is enhancing, not replacing, language teaching, a survey by Cambridge University Press & Assessment and the University of Bedfordshire reveals that 73% of language teachers view AI as a valuable collaborator. This is outlined in the second paper of the Cambridge Papers for English Language Education , providing guidance to teachers through reporting of research insights gathered from a global group of English language teachers on their practices and concerns around using GenAI.??

Find out more about the study and download the research paper here.

Cambridge University Press & Assessment ?

Cambridge is the global expert on English language teaching, learning and assessment. Over 25,000 higher education institutions, employers and governments worldwide accept Cambridge’s qualifications and tests. It offers the world’s most trusted?exams and tests?for higher education admissions, progression and graduation – as well as world-leading professional development for staff in commercial organisations.?

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