April 4, 2023

This paid piece is sponsored by Dakota State University.

The rise of the artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT has been a concern for some in higher education. However, Dakota State University’s College of Education recently discussed potential ways it could be used in the classroom and by students.

Dr. Kevin Smith, associate professor and coordinator of the Master of Science in Education Technology program, recently organized a meeting for College of Education faculty to test ways of using ChatGPT.

Over the course of an hour, they fed the software a variety of prompts, learning potential uses for teachers and students, and discovering its potential pitfalls.

Some of what they had ChatGPT generate included lesson plans on specific topics, lesson hooks to draw in students, summaries of books and a grading rubric for an infographic project.

“I think we’ll navigate this just like when Google came on the scene,” said Dr. Tim Fiegen, associate professor in the College of Education. “Of course, this is Google on steroids with a whole new set of rules, ideas, philosophies and opinions about this, but it’s going to be really hard to argue that there’s no value here.”

Another example came from what’s being studied in one of the classes taught by instructor Betsy Schamber.

The class is studying the 5E instructional model, which teaches students through engaging, exploring, explaining, elaborating and evaluating. The group asked ChatGPT to generate three multiple-choice questions about 5E lesson plans. The results showed one of the concerns of using ChatGPT as one of the questions generated held no correct answers.

“If you use this or if students use this, you still have to look at it with a critical eye because it can give you a jump-start on things, but you want to check it over,” Smith said.

Another attendee, Dr. Matthew Ingram, assistant professor in the College of Arts & Sciences and director of the Center for Teaching & Learning, asked the group what kinds of conversations faculty should be having in the classroom with their students regarding ChatGPT.

“I think it’s just making sure the students understand that if they depend on this too much, they’re losing brain power to a certain extent,” said Sandi Steinhoff-Muller, instructor in the College of Education. “I think stressing the importance of that to the students that this is a really useful tool, but it shouldn’t substitute their thoughts.”

“Somebody said we’re moving from the stage of information to knowledge,” added Dr. Gabe Mydland, associate professor in the College of Education. “Yes, we can access information about different things, but we have to come to our own conclusions about how it’s best used and if it’s valuable or not.”

Mydland added, “I think it’s a terrific starting point, but it’s got to be something that students understand is not the end.”

In addressing concerns about students just copying and pasting what is created by ChatGPT, Mydland shared that requiring students to provide examples from their own experiences can help faculty determine if they truly understand the content and can apply that knowledge. He also asks students to offer their opinion about the idea or concept they are studying.

“In doing so, students are demonstrating that they have thought about the idea from several different perspectives and drawn some kind of conclusion as to if the idea or parts of the idea have merit and which ones do not,” Mydland said.

Smith wrapped up the session by noting that it was meant to start discussions and see all ChatGPT can do.

“It’s important for us to keep our finger on the pulse,” Smith said, “to be thinking about what this can do and what considerations we should think about as we ask our students to do things.”

Fiegen added, “We need to shift gears as a university and learn to use it successfully.”

Smith indicated that students in the MSET program are learning about ChatGPT as part of their coursework. If you’re interested in learning more about the MSET degree, visit dsu.edu/mset.