What Generative AI Means for Writing and Learning in Higher Education
Before writing this article, I googled “What is Generative Artificial Intelligence?” and before I could see anything else, Google’s “AI Overview” gave me an answer at the top of the page. “It is a type of AI that can create new content like text, images, videos and music. It can learn from and mimic large amounts of data,” it told me. I’m sure this is an experience most internet users are having as generative AI takes over our web browsers. Who better to explain to me what generative AI is than itself? Or, who worse? The fascination with artificial humans, brains, and intelligence is not a contemporary phenomenon; it likely dates back to antiquity as philosophy and myth considered and grappled with what it meant to be human and what objects (animate and inanimate) could have human-like knowledge bestowed upon them.
History of Generative AI
The first use of the term “Artificial Intelligence” as we think of it today, was by John McCarthy, a Dartmouth professor of Mathematics during a workshop held in 1956. In the workshop’s proposal, McCarthy and three other organizers state, “The study is to proceed on the basis of the conjecture that every aspect of learning or any other feature of intelligence can in principle be so precisely described that a machine can be made to simulate it.” Jumping to today, everyone with access to the internet has access to exactly that: Large Language Models (LLMs) are a type of generative artificial intelligence that trains on enormous sets of data so that it has enough examples to be able to recognize, interpret and generate human language and other data.
Impact on Education
If the origins of AI were founded in an interest in the “simulation” of “every aspect of learning” and “feature of intelligence,” then how does an institution like Colorado College, whose mission is based on developing habits of intellect, respond and react to a world where this simulation is actually possible? Is it a threat or is it a tool? Chris Schacht, the director of the Writing Center at Colorado College, explained that LLMs like ChatGPT “are going to make us have to focus more on tracking student learning in new ways.” The writing process gets at the foundation of education and the development of critical thinking.
Traditionally, the reason a lot of writing assignments were assigned was because it was a way for faculty to assess a student’s learning in the course and to assess the way a student is thinking about the material. ChatGPT disrupts these assessment methods. The ability for anyone, with a click of a finger, to generate human-like writing responses to anything they wish is running interference in the dynamic student-professor relationship. There is a loss of innocence and trust.
Challenges and Opportunities
Generative AI poses a threat to the core values of CC: helping students learn how to be critical thinkers. It eliminates the struggle that is essential for learning. The debate continues on how to integrate AI into the learning process effectively without compromising the essence of education. It offers both challenges and opportunities for educators and students alike.
There will be discussions and forums at Colorado College to explore the implications and applications of AI in education. The goal is to align the use of AI with the institution's values and educational mission. It is crucial to navigate this technological advancement thoughtfully and ethically to ensure it enhances the learning experience without detracting from it.
