How could ChatGPT change the world of education?
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How could ChatGPT change the world of education?
Technology is often at the forefront of change in the
education sector, as it can open up exciting new opportunities for teachers and
their pupils. This is especially the case with ChatGPT (Generative Pre-training
Transformer), a language-focused chatbot. Using artificial intelligence, it has
the capability to generate text-based answers from a minimal amount of inputted
information.
From a teaching perspective, it could transform how classes
are delivered, enabling greater personalisation and engagement, while also
allowing pupils to learn at a pace that suits them. Here we explore some of the
potential benefits and question how ChatGPT could revolutionise learning.
What is ChatGPT?
Having launched in late November 2022, ChatGPT relies on
language technology from OpenAI – an American artificial intelligence firm. It
is built on Generative Pre-trained Transformer 3 (GPT-3), and can generate text
answers based on an initial prompt from a user.
Essentially, this means the technology can answer questions in sentence or paragraph form, depending on what information it is given. It therefore has the potential to be a valuable tool for language learning in schools.
One benefit, is that ChatGPT can give those learning a
language the ability to have a conversation on their own at home. The platform
can also be customised to specific parts of the language curriculum, enabling
targeted interventions and the potential for highly tailored approaches to learning.
By logging these conversations, ChatGPT could also allow a
teacher to review how a pupil is learning, as it’s possible to get a glimpse
into their interactions and language use. Ultimately, this can benefit
youngsters as they can get a better understanding of words and phrases to be
used in certain scenario, while also broadening their vocabulary.
For teachers, the tool could be used to generate lesson prompts and storytelling opportunities, from developing English questions and
challenges to creating maths or science problems.
Pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)
can also benefit from the use of ChatGPT, at it provides an opportunity to
explore different learning methods. It may open doors for those who do not take
part in regular classroom lessons, or who struggle to comprehend certain
elements of teaching, for example.
What are the pitfalls?
While learning could be improved with the use of ChatGPT, it
is not without its pitfalls (as is often the case with new technologies).
The AI responses do not always make sense, or may be
littered with grammatical errors, while if the machine learning element does
not understand what is asked, the answer provided can end up being completely
unrelated to the question. This could mean pupils end up confused, or are
misled, meaning teachers will carefully need to explain the possible issues
that may arise.
There are also questions around whether the technology may
enable pupils to circumvent elements of any online assessments. The prospect that
pupils may take advantage of the technology by leaving everything to the
chatbot can also not be ignored. This could have a detrimental impact by
limiting their potential learning. How ChatGPT is utilised in education will
therefore need to be heavily scrutinised and carefully controlled.
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