In the MIT Festival of Learning 2024, faculty, students, staff, and alumni explored the role of generative AI in learning and teaching. Some believe that this technology is an essential tool to prepare students for the future of work.
Generative AI can be used to support learning experiences, where the student can take ownership. For instance, students can use tools such as ChatGPT to help produce writing and then analyze the resulting content. Additionally, students can compare their sentences with those generated by AI. This not only improves linguistic skills but also enhances metacognitive or analytical thinking. Generative AI can also help students create presentations, summarize notes, and quickly retrieve specific ideas from long documents. Students can also adapt course material according to their particular context.
However, it is also important that students understand why generative AI might sometimes produce incorrect or biased results. Therefore, education should also focus on how generative AI works. Critical thinking is crucial when using generative AI and it is the duty of educators to ensure that students develop these skills. For example, a computer science course could allow students to use ChatGPT for homework if the problem set is broad enough to ensure that AI tools wouldn’t capture the full answer.
Generative AI should be used to enhance learning experiences, not replace them. It should provide scaffolding for students while achieving desired learning goals. As important as it is for teachers to set clear goals and guidelines for AI use, it’s equally significant for students to use the tool mindfully, treating it as a starting point rather than an end in itself.
The discussion on generative AI highlighted the need for users of the technology to assume responsibility for the content they produce while not succumbing to automation bias. It also emphasized the need for iterative teaching and learning methods that adapt to the possibilities offered by generative AI technology. The on-going exploration, experimentation, and iteration in leveraging generative AI in teaching and learning at MIT signal the university community’s commitment to innovative practices in improving education.