DM168

SCHOOLS OF AI THOUGHT

Varsities, students hail ‘really useful’ ChatGPT, but many worry about the dodgy stuff it spits out – and plagiarism

Varsities, students hail ‘really useful’ ChatGPT, but many worry about the dodgy stuff it spits out – and plagiarism

As the language-generating model rapidly seeps into our lives, it is worth investigating how the program is disrupting, adding to and challenging those who educate as well as those who learn.

Already, artificial intelligence (AI) permeates many aspects of our lives. But ChatGPT, a language-generating program launched by tech company OpenAI, has stirred up much conversation over its wide-ranging and slightly concerning capabilities.

As of now, ChatGPT is the most sophisticated AI of its kind, able to generate code, write copy, poems, essays, songs and much more. Since its launch in November 2022, it has become the fastest-growing consumer application in history, with more than 100 million active users reported just two months later.

As many industries learn how they can use ChatGPT to their advantage, there is particular attention being paid to the education sector, where the software has many uses.

Widely used in universities

In universities, many students are already making ChatGPT a fixture in their academic life. Laura Hudson, a student at the University of Cape Town (UCT), said the application saves her a lot of time.

“Instead of searching for what I’m looking for and then trying to find a site with the right information, I just ask ChatGPT to let me know which sites will have the answers to what I’m looking for. I also use it for troubleshooting in coding and things like that.

“Also, with studying it’s an incredible tool to use to explain concepts in simple terms. I ask it things like that all the time and it’s very good at rewording information in a way that makes certain concepts much easier to understand. I use it all the time and I think it’s a complete game-changer.”

Chloe Cairo, another UCT student, said she also used ChatGPT frequently. But she warned against relying on it too much. “I think it’s really useful, but it can become dangerous if you’re too reliant on it.”

This AI has raised many concerns in higher education as students were quick to realise it could be used to generate academic essays or solve mathematical equations. A UCT tutor said the program had brought about many challenges to her teaching. “It’s just been very frustrating. It’s kind of like plagiarism when students hand in papers that are evidently not their work.”

Current AI detection technology was still being tested and was known to present false positives, which could have ripple effects should a student’s work be flagged as AI-generated when it is not.

She noted that it was difficult to pick up when a student had used ChatGPT in academic work, especially because many had found routes to trick plagiarism detectors, such as using programs that rewrite ChatGPT’s copy to sound more human-like.
Sukaina Walji, director of UCT’s Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching, said the university was “actively looking at both the opportunities and challenges that AI tools such as ChatGPT pose”.

Walji said the university was raising awareness about the program through workshops and seminars to help academics and students to learn about the gains and challenges of AI. Further, this was an opportunity “to think about reimagining a future teaching and learning environment which includes AI technologies”.
Plagiarism is a major concern for institutions of higher learning. Walji explained that current AI detection technology was still being tested and was known to present false positives, which could have ripple effects should a student’s work be flagged as AI-generated when it is not.

Read more in Daily Maverick: Real danger of ChatGPT lies in its robbing us of our ability to read and research critically
“In terms of plagiarism and assessment integrity, we are reviewing our guidelines to be clear about our expectations of students. Right now, we have advised our lecturers that in the case of assessments, unless specifically designed to utilise these tools, they include a requirement for a declaration that either such AI tools have not been used, or that the use of these tools be cited appropriately.”

ChatGPT and AI. (Photos: Gabby Jones / Bloomberg via Getty Images; Pixabay)

Professor Diane Grayson, the senior director of academic affairs at the University of the Witwatersrand, shared this sentiment.“Wits cannot prohibit students from using ChatGPT – not that we would want to. We do, however, plan to educate students and staff  about both the uses of ChatGPT and its limitations. For example, ChatGPT can be useful in generating suggestions for a paper. But ChatGPT sometimes combines text in a way that the answers it gives are factually incorrect, controversial,  biased or made up.

“We are therefore proposing that in some assignments students could include text generated by ChatGPT and then engage with the text critically. If students choose to use ChatGPT to help with an assignment, they need to reference it and make clear which parts were generated by ChatGPT and which were their own writing,” said Grayson.

Notably, ChatGPT is not always factually correct. It can sometimes spew made-up or incorrect information. For example, one University of Pretoria law student said she stopped using ChatGPT after it made up a law case as an answer to one of her questions.

The program is explicit about the possibility that it “may produce inaccurate information about people, places, or facts”, as it states below the textbox when in use.

What it’s basically pointing to is that digitised content is not an indication of somebody’s comprehension or ability to understand work.

ChatGPT is also forcing institutions to reconsider the ways in which content is taught and examined. Grayson said a move towards “more authentic, context-specific assessments and closer engagement with students” was one way universities could ensure their education models remained relevant and meaningful.

Useful for teachers and pupils

ChatGPT is also affecting pupils who are in high school. Michelle Barnsley, co-head of the English department at St John’s Diocesan School for Girls in Pietermaritzburg, said she used the program in her own teaching to generate questions about a specific poem or short story, for example.

Barnsley finds the program useful not only to set an essay question, but also to produce a sample essay that she can use as a guideline for her students’ answers.

Read more in Daily Maverick: ChatGPT is on everyone’s lips, but the age of AI is still muted for Africa

“Initially, it was interesting to see what answers ChatGPT produced and I used it to fuel my own creativity and spark ideas since it generated more specific answers than a Google search,” said Barnsley.

“I have not really made use of ChatGPT to generate lesson plans, flash cards, etc, but it’s useful having this option.”
Barnsley said that although ChatGPT could produce accurate content, the style of the essays lacked “the exceptional qualities of excellent writing”.

In terms of her students, she said they were using ChatGPT to get information. “They use it to help with or do their homework and to complete tasks. They are also using it as a learning tool.”

Barsley worried that ChatGPT would make people lazy “because they don’t need to do too much research and compare sources”. And she feared that “the quality of individual writing skills will decrease” if pupils used it to write letters and essays.
Nevertheless, ChatGPT “is here to stay and we have to embrace it”.

The future of AI in education

Trend analyst Bronwyn Williams said that where institutions previously encouraged students to integrate technologies to produce content, they could now revert to oral or even handwritten assignments to ensure a student’s knowledge is genuinely tested.

“What it’s basically pointing to is that digitised content is not an indication of somebody’s comprehension or ability to understand work,” she said.

Williams suggests seeing ChatGPT as an input “to see how we can use these tools to learn things better, deeper and smarter so that our own actual outputs are not automatable and replaceable. We make a fundamental mistake when we try to compete with the machine.” DM

This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R29.

Gallery

Comments - Please in order to comment.

  • jcdville stormers says:

    Don’t use it ,don’t need it, I’m original,I use my own brain,it is similar to artificial sweeteners

  • Peter Utting says:

    Don’t be intimidated by so-called artificial intelligence (AI) usurping the learning of students. More than 20 years ago, my 2nd year software engineering students took a critical look at why most had failed the prerequisite computer programming course, and developed an approach that assessed their learning, not their ability to regurgitate. Using this approach the next years, the pass rate went from an abysmal 19% through 35%, 63% to 90%! This approach evolved and was used over the following 12 years until I was retired due to age limitations. PS I have been using various forms of AI since the early 1970s. (Understand Learning – by the student, NOT teaching by the teacher! )

  • Chris Brooker says:

    ChatGPT is a very convincing liar.
    nyt avianca-airline-lawsuit-chatgpt
    It is also not that bright was witnessed by the following transcript

    Here is the conversation I had with ChatGPT
    You 17:03
    can you give me a summary of a document that I send you?
    ChatGPT 17:03
    As an AI language model, I do not have access to specific documents unless they are provided to me. Please provide the document that you want me to summarize.
    You 17:03
    How do I send you the document I need summarised
    ChatGPT 17:03
    As an AI language model, I don’t have an email address or any other means of receiving documents. However, you can copy and paste the text you want me to summarize into the input box on this platform and I will do my best to provide you with a summary based on the content. Alternatively, you can upload the document file to an online file-sharing service such as Google Drive or Dropbox and share the link with me. I can then access the content and provide a summary for you.
    You 17:08
    Here is the dropbox link

    ChatGPT 17:08
    I’m sorry, as an AI language model, I do not have access to open links or files. However, you can copy and paste the above link into your web browser’s address bar to access the mentioned document in Dropbox
    You 17:10
    The document I need you to summarise is available at this link.
    ChatGPT 17:10
    I’m sorry, but as an AI language model, I do not have the ability to access external links. Can you please provide me with the text you want me to summarise?
    You 17:11
    You said I could upload the file to dropbox and share the link with you. Now you are saying that you cannot access the file. How can I send you a big document to summarise
    ChatGPT 17:11
    the issue?

    As an AI language model, I do not have access to Dropbox or any other external storage or communication channels. However, you might try compressing the document into a ZIP file and sending it through email, or using a file-sharing service that allows direct download links, such as Google Drive or SendSpace. Alternatively, you could summarize the main points of the document in a brief email or message, highlighting the most relevant details and providing any necessary background or context.
    You 17:12
    which email address should I use to send you the document?
    ChatGPT 17:13
    As an AI language model, I do not have an email address. Can you please provide more context and information about the recipient of the document, so that I may assist you better?
    You 17:14
    at 17:03 you wrote “Alternatively, you can upload the document file to an online file-sharing service such as Google Drive or Dropbox and share the link with me. I can then access the content and provide a summary for you.” This is what I am tring to do
    ChatGPT 17:14
    Great! Uploading the document to Google Drive or Dropbox and sharing the link with me is a convenient way to share large files. Once you have uploaded the file, you can generate a shareable link and send it to me through this chat conversation. I will be able to access the file and provide a summary for you. Let me know if you need any assistance in uploading the file or generating a shareable link.
    You 17:16
    Here is the link you asked for
    ChatGPT 17:16
    I’m sorry, but as an AI language model, I don’t need that link. However, thank you for providing it!
    You
    17:16 You said you could summarise the document at that link
    ChatGPT
    17:16
    I apologize, but as an AI language model, I do not have access to the context or the specific document linked. Please provide me with the necessary information so I can assist you better.
    You 17:21
    That was not helpfull at all
    ChatGPT 17:21
    I apologize for the confusion. Can you please provide more information about what you need help with so I can assist you better?

Please peer review 3 community comments before your comment can be posted

X

This article is free to read.

Sign up for free or sign in to continue reading.

Unlike our competitors, we don’t force you to pay to read the news but we do need your email address to make your experience better.


Nearly there! Create a password to finish signing up with us:

Please enter your password or get a sign in link if you’ve forgotten

Open Sesame! Thanks for signing up.

home delivery

Say hello to DM168 home delivery

Get your favourite newspaper delivered to your doorstep every weekend.

Delivery is available in Gauteng, the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Eastern Cape.

Get DM168 delivered to your door

Subscribe to DM168 home delivery and get your favourite newspaper delivered every weekend.

Delivery is available in Gauteng, the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Eastern Cape.

Subscribe Now→

We would like our readers to start paying for Daily Maverick...

…but we are not going to force you to. Over 10 million users come to us each month for the news. We have not put it behind a paywall because the truth should not be a luxury.

Instead we ask our readers who can afford to contribute, even a small amount each month, to do so.

If you appreciate it and want to see us keep going then please consider contributing whatever you can.

Support Daily Maverick→
Payment options

Become a Maverick Insider

This could have been a paywall

On another site this would have been a paywall. Maverick Insider keeps our content free for all.

Become an Insider

Every seed of hope will one day sprout.

South African citizens throughout the country are standing up for our human rights. Stay informed, connected and inspired by our weekly FREE Maverick Citizen newsletter.