The Impact of AI at ATC
I remember very clearly, being 14 years old and visiting a friend’s house where I saw ‘the internet’ for the first time. We gathered around the bulky TV shaped monitor and typed in questions to which we would wait a few minutes for a page to load with the answers. I was amazed at this new technology, but I also had no idea how this new phenomenon would change and shape our global community.
It wasn’t until my early teaching career that I purchased my first smartphone, and became engaged in the era of personal technology. Smartphones have transformed the way we communicate, work and entertain ourselves; they allow us to connect readily with friends and family, access information on the go and manage our daily lives.
I anticipate that the next big impact in how technology will influence our lives may be here, in the recent emergence of AI technology. One such technology that has been gaining popularity in recent months, is ChatGPT, a new form of Artificial intelligence (AI) that was launched by Open AI on 30 November 2022. It is a free website that, when given a prompt, will create an original and non-plagiarised written response.
It can create recipes with a list of ingredients in your fridge, create a personalised fitness plan to get you to run a marathon and explain quantum physics in easy to understand language.
It can also write a paragraph on why Anne Frank’s father was a hero; I know this because that was the first time my son told me that ChatGPT was good for doing his homework!
No doubt, ChatGPT has many useful and practical applications, but it is important for teachers, parents, caregivers and students to be aware of the potential impact on their child’s learning and development. If students rely on using ChatGPT, it will take away their ability to learn to write, think, critique and respond.
Parents, teachers and students must work together to consider these advancements with caution, consider the potential risks but also explore the benefits to improving student outcomes. In partnership, we all have a role.
Teachers at Ambrose Treacy College will-
- Be explicit with our students in stating that use of ChatGPT to generate assessment is considered plagiarism and will constitute as Academic Misconduct as per our Assessment Policy
- Increase our awareness of the benefits of ChatGPT, to support our role as educators and to support student use as learners
- Explore the benefits of AI to assist students to be lifelong learners
- Continue to explore ChatGPT to build understanding, and enter assessment questions that students are given to see the type of responses it generates
- Use assessment checkpoints as a key aspect of authenticating student authorship
- Explore the ability of it to generate differentiated learning content and scaffolds to support individual student needs
- Consider the need to change assessment, and focus on in-class assessment that measure understanding and critical thinking
- Continue to discuss with our classes, the importance of academic integrity
- Follow the direction of our governing body, the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority
In response to emerging technologies such as ChatGPT and its influence on education, the QCAA has formed an Artificial Intelligence Working Group (AIWG). The purpose will be ‘to explore the opportunities and challenges of emerging AIT technologies and consider their impact on assessment practices, assessment design and academic integrity’ (QCAA, 2023).
Student use of ChatGPT to write their assessment is regarded as plagiarism
To establish authorship of student responses, QCAA has reinforced that teachers may-
- directly compare the responses of students who have worked together in groups
- for text, analyse final student responses using plagiarism-detection software, if available
- interview a sample of students after their responses have been submitted to determine their understanding of and familiarity with their responses
- use internal quality assurance processes such as cross-marking if there is more than one class for a subject cohort.
Parents and caregivers have a role to play, too
We encourage parents to have conversations with their children about the use of AI-based technologies like ChatGPT and to discuss ways in which they can be used responsibly and effectively. Please reinforce with your child-
- that they must avoid the use ChatGPT for summative assessment
- there is potential for inaccurate or biased information that AI Programs may contain. It is important for students to verify the information they receive from ChatGPT by cross-checking it with other sources, such as textbooks, articles, and credible websites.
- Discuss the ethical implications of using ChatGPT
- Discuss how and where it may be appropriate to use Eg using ChatGPT to generate practice questions to prepare for exams
As a school, we recognise the importance of staying up-to-date with the latest technological advancements and using them in ways that benefit our students. As the year progresses, we hope to be more explicit with how students should engage with AI to their benefit and increase their learning. We will endeavour to stay up to date with the latest academic research and educational policies, and share this with our community.
