ChatGPT: Peril or Promise for Higher Ed?

ChatGPT is a provocative, new torchbearer of AI’s sheer power. Some have gone as far to anoint it already as the disruptor to Google search, shifting the paradigm we practice today in using search engines for information on a topic or question, distilling the list and results, and synthesizing the sum of that information in our minds into understanding.?

But ChatGPT goes beyond simple search functions - you can ask it to compose poems, explain concepts to you, or even compose original college-level essays.?While there are kinks and accuracy improvements to be made, the work it produces at this early stage is eye-opening. In addition, the conversational chatbot approach parallels our thinking around how we built Julian, the AI Tutor at Adtalem, to engage with students in a two-way conversation that evolves with each interaction.

The Atlantic features a fascinating view in “The College Essay is Dead” by Stephen Marche.?Professors were fascinated with ChatGPTs ability to compose well-structured, logical essays which they acknowledged meet the college level.

ChatGPT is a wake up call for higher educators – here are two perils and two promises:

Perils

1. Marginalization of the Take-Home Essay as a Measurement Tool: It will become increasingly difficult to judge original work and synthesis from student essay assignments. As students utilize tools like ChatGPT combined with other tools to modify or adjust language, traditional plagiarism detection tools will be marginalized
2. ?In-Person and Synchronous Assessments Increase: As a reaction, educators will shift to in-person exams, live student interviews, and virtual synchronous assessments. This will require our space to dramatically improve proctoring tools and use AI to process video in real-time better than before - both for remote test takers and in-person experiences

?Promise

1. ChatGPT Could Teach: An evolution of ChatGPT could be to marry its vast knowledge with structured learning activities, like those we built within Julian, and engage the student to test and build competency in areas where they struggle. Consider activities from our AI Tutor like “choose the fact” or “paraphrase your understanding” coupled with ChatGPT’s vast knowledge repository. Along with AI Tutor, it could scale teaching and learning in places and scenarios where we don’t have enough qualified educators
2. ?ChatGPT for Rapid Research: ChatGPT accelerates the synthesis of public information and can help researchers more quickly compile and sift through what’s out there. In addition, ChatGPT can help researchers more quickly write and correct code for their quantitative research.

Experience it for yourself and give OpenAI’s ChatGPT a whirl. For Higher Ed, technologies like AI Tutor and ChatGPT have incredible promise, but also demand that we get ahead of and address the perils before they upend the academic paradigms of today.