Just like the Upside Down in Stranger Things, the world of Gen AI in education is expanding rapidly, and unlike Eleven, we can't slow it down with superpowers. As a parent and AI speaker, I've seen a lot of discussion around AI policies.
I've seen the conversation move from Chat GPT to Gen AI to "is this original work?" I hope the conversation will evolve to better education and equipping students for the future but for now, here are 11 questions that came to mind today when I was reading these posts and documents.
- What is General AI? Specifically, how does Gen AI operate within educational frameworks compared to its broader applications?
- Output Differences: How does the output from Gen AI differ from that assisted by earlier AI technologies that have been there for years?
- Ethical Considerations: What does AI ethics entail, and how does it translate specifically to the educational sector? Who decides?
- Technology in Use: Are the editing tools in Microsoft Word or the predictive text or coach in Google Docs now "non original work" because it assisted the student? Everyone uses this capability every day. Language matters.
- Advancement or Intrusion? Current tools like Word and Google Docs already offer predictive text and spell check. New Gen AI capabilities proactively assist in writing documents. Is this truly different, or merely an extension of existing functions? Where do we draw the line?
- Passive Use of AI: If a student opens a PDF in Adobe Acrobat Reader and it automatically summarizes the document using Gen AI, has the student actively "used" Gen AI? If a student is prompted without asking on any application with text, or a box or any new capability, can we expect them to think in the moment "is this old AI or Gen AI?"
- Educator's Dilemma: How can teachers keep up with the Gen AI capabilities embedded in every application used by students? We want them to teach but be informed, what is the balance?
- Detection and Dispute: What happens when a student writes a paper without Gen AI assistance (and the parent can vouch for it), but an AI detector flags it otherwise? If disagreements arise between software vendors' claims and student/parental assertions, who is deemed correct, and how should such situations be managed? Should these detectors be used at all since it's so subjective?
- Unseen Features: If Google or Microsoft introduces a new Gen AI feature in their suite that automatically formats text or formats a slide with Gen AI, and a student unknowingly benefits from this, should they be penalized if detected by school AI monitors? Do we only care about text, or creation in general? What is actually original when we are all using tools that assist us?
- Guideline Governance: Should the establishment of AI policies and guidelines be the responsibility of individual teachers, departments, schools, or districts? Which level provides the most clarity and fairness? Should they hold these policies lightly as we all learn and be flexible or should they be strict?
- Consistency Across Courses: With students juggling multiple classes, how can we manage the consistency of AI guidelines across various assignments and teachers? Should these guidelines be explicitly documented in each assignment to avoid ambiguity?
As I was finishing this article the Copilot feature popped up to offer unsolicited editing advice—ironic LOL. This conversation about Gen AI is a dialogue that requires the active participation of educators, parents, students and technology experts. Often policies are made without student feedback, but I think 11 and her middle school friends saved Hawkins a couple of times. Student input and growth matters.
Like the many seasons of Stranger Things, we don't know what's next, but these questions are a great catalyst to think beyond a Chat GPT generated essay.
I would love to hear your thoughts and feedback. What insights and clarity do you think are needed.
(I'll share my thoughts on these questions in my next article)
Here's a sample AI policy infographic by educational consulting group aiforeducation.io that helps facilitate a conversation on AI policy.
Sales Manager at Otter Public Relations
1 个月Great share, Carol!
Director of Assessment | Ph.D. in Higher Education (no sales pitches or invites, please)
7 个月Carol, as a campus administrator focused on student learning assessment at the program level, I am trying to help upper administration, the Deans, and program chairs understand not only the integration of AI in the classroom, core courses, and teaching use, but how to document and report results. So reporting is an emerging theme for higher education in relationship to continuous improvement (internal driver) and accreditation (external driver). We use co-pilot as we are a Teams-focused MS equipped campus - with app limitations. Thank for you list and keeping it FUN.