Hopefully, your initial shock of ChatGPT has subsided. Now how to navigate teaching in this brave new world? While an outright prohibition on this technology could quickly devolve into a game of whack-a-mole, there are some things we can do this semester to circumvent nefarious applications of this technology. In his article Embrace the Bot: Designing Writing Assignments in the Face of AI, Eric Prochaska suggests several ways to adjust our assignments to lessen the impact of ChatGPT. I will extend his suggestions to assignments beyond writing.
- In-class writing or in-class tests. While this seems like a low-cost workaround, it gives me great pause. While some in-class assessment is appropriate to ensure students have a working knowledge of the material, placing the bulk of students’ grades on these assessments is problematic. While some students do well in high-pressure, timed conditions, many do not, as I discussed here and others here.
- Writing or test alternatives: Assign visual organizers or assignments instead of papers or in-class tests. Consider a podcast. Denison has local experts like Doug Swift who can support you. Or look to projects that students may see after Denison – open-ended optimization or “what if” questions. These are harder to grade, but students will find them genuine and worthwhile.
- Topics that avoid AI’s wheelhouse. ChatGPT is a large langaue model. This means it scours the internet to train itself on predicting acceptable responses for specific prompts. It thrives on op-eds, the three-page essay, or article summaries since there are so many examples of these available. As Prochaska suggests, assign highly specific prompts. AI is less likely to address prompts written with granular specificity convincingly.
- Writing or working with the human experience. Assign writing that relies on student perspective, experience, and cultural capital. This could include using data sets from surveys in the class. As Prochaska notes, one underlying premise here is that AI will not produce texts with resonant personal perspectives; but even if AI can replicate this type of writing, a second premise is that a writing assignment that invites students to share the ways in which their lives intersect with academia will motivate students to write their own papers.
Want to learn more? Join “AI Tools for Student Engagement” on January 31 at 2 p.m. ET. In this virtual forum, hosted by The Chronicle and University Innovation Alliance, a panel of experts in education, research, and technology will discuss how higher-ed institutions can benefit from AI.