AI tools and Open Learning

In topic two we dove into thinking about the benefits and challenges of openness in education and learning. Our group focused on multiple questions related to open learning: What are the advantages and disadvantages of AI integration in learning and is co-existing with AI possible for Educators or Subject Matter Experts, what are different support structures needed for Open Learning (such as technical support, peer/educator support, student support, institutional support), how does one keep their competitive advantage if everything is going to be available via open learning and how to get students to share their work with other learners. In this post I will reflect on moslty on the advantages and disadvantages of AI integration in learning and teaching which I find very interesting topic.

One of the latest hot topics of AI and learning & teaching is of course the infamous ChatGPT. The extraordinary abilities of ChatGPT to perform complex tasks within the field of education has caused mixed feelings among educators as this advancement in AI seems to revolutionize existing educational praxis (Baidoo-Anu & Owusu, 2023). Tools like ChatGPT poses both challenges and opportunities for teaching and learning. These tools can promote the personalized and interactive learning and formative assessment practices. It can also function as a study companion for students, which in my opinion should not been seen only as a negative element. According to Kasneci and colleagues (2023) ChatGPT may help students to develop research skills as it can provide them with information and resources on a particular topic, suggesting undiscovered aspects, and introducing them to new research topics, enabling them to gain a better
understanding and evaluation of the topic.
Furhtermore, AI tools, such as ChatGPT, may also help teachers in some tasks – for example, in creating syllabus for a particular course, with thematic sub-sections and even assignments. Yet, there are multiple relevant concerns related to the use of AI in education such as plagiation, wrong information generated, unsufficient learning, biases in data training just to mention a few.

I feel that ChatGPT and other generative AI have come to stay and will continue revolutionizing the current educational system. It is high time we began to accept the rapidly changing landscape in educational practices and incorporate these changes in our current educational praxis. David White mentioned in his online webinar during our topic 1, that many famous UK learning institutions have banned ChatGPT, whereas other have welcomed it as part of their education system (see more e.g. https://inews.co.uk/news/oxford-cambridge-ban-chatgpt-plagiarism-universities-2178391).According to Halaweh (2023) AI will pose students to demonstrate more critical thinking in their evaluation of information, as well as in developing and presenting new ideas. The area that has garnered more attention and become topical is students assessment. It is too soon to conclude but very soon educators may need to rethink how students are assessed (Baidoo-Anu, D., & Owusu Ansah, L. 2023). Presentation and defending ones work will become standard assessments in the educational environment, in order to verify the learning specially when assessment are done in collaboration with ChatGPT (Halaweh 2023).

Open learning defined as “encompassing resources, tools and practices that employ a framework of open sharing to improve educational access and effectiveness worldwide…  open allows not just access, but the ability to modify and use materials, information and networks so education can be personalized to individual users or woven together in new ways for large and diverse audiences” (Open Education Consortium), goes well hand in hand with open AI tools developed lately. These tools do indeed allow access but also ability to modify and use materials, information and networks so education can be personalized to individual users or woven together in new ways for large and diverse audiences. Thus, I would conclude that despite the concerns related to e.g., to generative AI like ChatGPT, the tool could be concluded indeed to support the oppeness of learning. It remains to be seen how we further apply these tools in different learning and teaching settings.

REFERENCES

Baidoo-Anu, D., & Owusu Ansah, L. (2023). Education in the Era of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI): Understanding the Potential Benefits of ChatGPT in Promoting Teaching and Learning. Available at SSRN 4337484.

Halaweh, M. (2023). ChatGPT in education: Strategies for responsible implementation. Contemporary Educational Technology, 15(2).

Kasneci, E., Seßler, K., Küchemann, S., Bannert, M., Dementieva, D., Fischer, F., … & Kasneci, G. (2023). ChatGPT for good? On opportunities and challenges of large language models for education. Learning and Individual Differences, 103, 102274.