ChatGPT: dos and don’ts for students

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly developing in various areas of life, including education. The ChatGPT tool is widely used among students to help them inspire, create, test, or modify content in various forms from text to images, audio, and more. So what is ChatGPT, and what is the power of its emergence in today’s student life?

ChatGPT in the academic arena

In the past two decades, AI has seamlessly woven into our daily tools, with ChatGPT emerging as a prominent example. This chatbot offers varied assistance, from information sourcing to student aid, but its academic efficacy has shown mixed results. Dive with us into its journey, capabilities, and performance insights, which we discuss briefly.

Evolution

Today ChatGPT is a hot topic. AI-mediated and has been ongoing for the last 20 years without us even noticing this (Google, Google Scholar, social media channels, Netflix, Amazon, etc.). A significant jump in functionality, growing amounts of data, and the power of technology to do the work involved have contributed to the fact that eight of the top ten organizations in the world are involved in AI.

Capabilities

ChatGPT is a chatbot designed to assist with various tasks using textual information and a model of dialogue between the end user and the device. It can provide detailed information, write blocks of text, and provide quick answers, which saves a lot of time. An AI-powered chatbot can help students write university assignments, prepare for exams, and translate or summarize information. However, this may be considered cheating by academic institutions.

Performance insights

Research shows that results on ChatGPT exams vary by subject. The researchers found that he excelled on microbiology quizzes, but he was at the bottom of the final exams at the University of Minnesota Law School. A study of educational institutions around the world found that accountancy students outperformed a chatbot in accountancy exams, despite it outperforming multiple-choice questions.

Benefits of using ChatGPT

It is a handy tool as over time can produce personalized guidance for students based on their ongoing performance and contribute to the improvement of their academic achievements.

• ChatGPT is available 24/7.
• Helps you learn more effectively by providing access to a wide variety of resources (study materials, articles, practice exams, etc.).
• This improves a person’s study skills, effective time management, and workload.
• Increases motivation and engagement in the learning process by providing appropriate support and personal guidance.

For what purposes should learners use ChatGPT?

• Brainstorm. A chatbot can prompt and provide ideas for writing assignments, but the rest of the work must be done by the student. Disclosure may be required by the University.
• Ask for advice. Offers guidance on essay writing and research presentation. Some universities allow you to use this tool to overcome the hurdle.
• Explain the material. A helpful tool for students to help them understand the material presented on a specific topic or concept, or to clarify questions that have arisen. It provides quick answers and explanations that make learning more engaging. In a sense, it becomes a personal virtual teacher, closing the gap between student and teacher.
• Get feedback. Provides comments and suggestions but treats responses carefully as they may lack a deep understanding of the topic. An AI tool should supplement, but not replace, human feedback on structure.
• Proofreading. Correct grammatical errors by phrasing or paraphrasing text, sentence structure, and maintaining coherence.
• Learn a new language. Offers translations, word definitions, examples, form practice exercises, and chat support.

How ChatGPT impacts student learning and achievement

Machine-driven algorithms are revolutionizing the education sector, but there are questions as to whether the aid received violates ethical standards and relevant guidelines. Let’s explore how artificial intelligence technology is changing the way students learn and achieve.

• Used to write essays and assignments. ChatGPT can help with ideas but should not be used to ask for detailed evaluations – this is considered plagiarism. Teachers may notice robot models and lack of style, emotion, and most importantly, human creativity.
• Restrictions apply. Used beyond the set permitted areas and boundaries. Limitations may apply to specific topics or just parts of them. If there is a lack of instruction or if in doubt, advice is to always check with responsible people.
• Too much faith in technology. This prevents learners from thinking independently, creating ideas and solutions, and critically evaluating situations and information, which can lead to passive learning.
• Blindly trusted. The information may not always be accurate, so it should not be blindly relied upon – this is acknowledged by its developers, OpenAI. This tool is not designed specifically for learning-based content, and information is based on 2021 learning data. Also, it is not good at finding live sources and can present fake sources as real.

Other interesting facts

• The current chatbot is trained on 175 billion parameters. The next ChatGPT model will be trained on one trillion parameters, with the advent of which it is hoped to bridge the gap between technology and human performance. So now is the time to start researching and learning how to effectively use this text content generator for maximum results.
• When creating content using AI tools for ratings, they should be cited as the source of the information and cited accordingly. On the other hand, violation of the institution’s policy may result in negative evaluations or termination of study contracts.
• Currently, different universities have different approaches and policies regarding the use of artificial intelligence, ranging from outright bans to recognition as a valuable resource. Learners should review institutional guidelines and requirements before employing them for specific assignments. As technology advances, the rules in this area are also constantly changing.
• Ethical and conscious application of AI tools, reinforced by critical thinking, assessment of reliability, accuracy, and similar parameters, will provide appropriate support and yield valuable results.
• The age of algorithms we live in will not change or otherwise disappear. An AI-powered future is on our doorstep, offering unlimited potential in the education sector, but also the potential dangers of increasing reliance on such tools and inhibiting their impact on learning. Professional bodies must monitor such changes, act and adapt accordingly.

Conclusion