ChatGPT and AI in Library Research

Teaching with AI

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become an indispensable tool in many areas, including education. For faculty members, the introduction of AI into the academic sphere offers both exciting opportunities and unique challenges. How can you make the most of AI while ensuring academic integrity and meaningful student engagement? Let's explore some key points.

Important Points:

• Modifying Assignments: With AI tools like ChatGPT, students might be tempted to bypass the learning process by generating essays or research summaries automatically. Consider modifying assignments to be more specific, require critical analysis, or involve personal reflection, making it less feasible for AI to complete them satisfactorily.

• False Positives with AI Detectors: While AI-based plagiarism detectors are useful, they are not infallible and can sometimes produce false positives. Always use human judgment to corroborate any claims of academic dishonesty flagged by automated systems.

• Interactive Assignments: To turn the tables, why not make AI the subject of an assignment? Encourage students to engage with AI platforms like ChatGPT to generate creative writing, simulate interviews, or explore topics in a new way. This not only familiarizes them with the technology but also allows for critical discussion on its strengths and limitations.

• AI in Course Materials: AI-generated content can serve as a supplemental resource for course materials. From auto-generated summaries to Q&A sessions, incorporating AI can make for a more dynamic and interactive learning environment.

• Transparency and Discussion: Being transparent about the use of AI in teaching and setting aside time for classroom discussions can help address ethical or reliability concerns. This can foster a more nuanced understanding of AI among students.

• Ethical Considerations: Always make students aware of ethical guidelines related to AI, such as data privacy and the potential for bias in machine-generated content.

• Hands-On Experience: For technical courses, providing students with hands-on experience in training or evaluating simple AI models can be an invaluable learning opportunity.

• Continuous Learning: Just like AI models themselves, the field is continuously evolving. Keeping up-to-date with the latest advancements will allow you to integrate new tools and methods into your teaching more effectively.