During the Festival of Learning 2024 at MIT, discussions were held on leveraging generative AI to enhance learning experiences for students both on and off campus. The panelists, comprising MIT faculty, instructors, staff, and students, emphasized that generative AI should be used to enrich, not replace, the educational experience. They highlighted the ongoing experimentation with digital tools and strategies in teaching, emphasizing the critical role of iteration and fostering students’ critical thinking skills while employing technologies such as generative AI.
The commitment of MIT faculty and instructors to exploring generative AI as a teaching and learning tool was highlighted, reflecting their belief that AI is crucial for preparing students for future workforce competitiveness. Examples of teaching innovation using generative AI included the incorporation of AI tools such as ChatGPT in student assignments and critiquing the AI-generated results to foster higher-level strategic skills in learners. Other applications included aiding students in creating presentations, summarizing notes, and retrieving insights from long documents swiftly.
Panelists also touched upon the creative personalization potential of generative AI, its ability to tailor educational content to specified contexts, and its implications for student-centered learning in K-12 education. However, they underscored the importance of students understanding the why and how of generative AI–how it functions, the potential for incorrect or biased results, and the critical need for contextualization.
Critical thinking emerged as a key theme with panelists emphasizing that when introducing tools like calculative or generative AI, it is essential that students develop the necessary skills to discern the accuracy and reliability of information generated by AI. Whether permitting students to use AI tools for homework assistance or introducing these tools later in the semester to foster a critical approach to the responses generated by AI, the end goal is the same: fostering the students’ ability to critically analyze and discern.
The consensus among panelists was that generative AI should serve as a scaffold for learning experiences, supporting students in achieving their learning objectives. They recommended that educators establish clear expectations and guidelines about when and how it’s appropriate to use AI tools while maintaining trust in students’ responsible use of these tools. There was also a broad agreement on the need for generative AI users to own the content they generate, avoid automation bias, and engage critically with the output produced by these AI tools.
The discussion concluded with recognition of the power that students have to shape the behavior of AI tools and a commitment from faculty and instructors to continue refining their lesson plans to promote student learning and critical thinking.
