In response to the introduction of AI tools like ChatGPT in education, educators are revising their methods to incorporate and regulate AI usage in classrooms, aiming to educate students on appropriate AI usage while maintaining academic integrity and student engagement.
In the year since OpenAI introduced ChatGPT, educators have been revising their teaching methods to incorporate and regulate AI use in classrooms. Vicki Davis, a computer science teacher and IT director at Sherwood Christian Academy in Georgia, helped her school develop a policy allowing AI tools for specific projects, provided students discussed their use with teachers and cited the tool. Davis aims to educate students on appropriate AI usage and its potential risks.
Teachers across the US and UK are similarly exploring AI’s benefits and drawbacks. Some have abandoned homework to prevent cheating, opting for supervised in-class assignments instead. Kevin Shindel, a high school government teacher in Maryland, presented his findings on AI to his school board, advocating for a district-wide policy to manage AI use. He expressed concerns over the rapid adoption of AI chatbots and their potential to worsen student disengagement, especially following pandemic-related learning losses.
Meanwhile, Little Falls High School in Minnesota has banned AI tools entirely, while Davis’s policy permits their use with teacher approval. Kimberly Van Orman, a philosophy professor at the University of Georgia, emphasizes transparency by requiring students to submit the AI prompts and responses used in their assignments.
AI educational tools like Khanmigo from Khan Academy are being designed to foster active learning rather than provide direct answers, contrasting with apps like Photomath, which some students used for cheating. Sal Khan, Khan Academy’s founder, argues that effective AI tutors must guide students without doing their work for them.
Educators continue to grapple with the evolving presence of AI in education, seeking to balance its benefits with the need to maintain academic integrity and student engagement.
