AI Capabilities for Students

Many institutions of higher education are scrambling to both mitigate challenges ChatGPT can bring, like plagiarism, while simultaneously trying to harness its capabilities for student learning. As ChatGPT has become widely available, it is clear that students have begun experimenting with it and similar tools. In a professional development workshop given in the spring of 2023 at SUNY Morrisville, Kira Brady and Laura Pierie delivered a presentation titled “What Does AI Look Like in Your Discipline? The Changing Landscape of Higher Education.” In the presentation, Kira identified markers of essays written by ChatGPT, and she also spoke to how lengthy the process can be to provide evidence that an essay was written by ChatGPT.

An opinion piece from the Chronicle of Higher Education provided this quote from a student, “I’m a student. You have no idea how much we are using ChatGPT. No professor or software could ever pick up on it.” The author concludes that institutions must teach students to use AI, as it is a tool which is helpful and readily available. The author also suggests that faculty incorporate assignments that truly assess and promote skill development, including those which incorporate the use of AI tools (Terry, 2023).

How can professors help students harness the power of ChatGPT and other AI tools? As an example, Laura Pierie (SUNY Morrisville) has encouraged her students to use generative AI for writing resumes and cover letters in a professional writing class. Students completed a cover letter and resume without the help of AI, and then used ChatGPT. The class discussed whether the changes helped their resume and cover letter, and why or why not. During this process, they were able to utilize their voice, employ scientific reasoning, and demonstrate their understanding of  the technology. Uses of AI tools are going to continue to evolve and grow. When considering these uses, it’s important also to remember the limitations of AI and LLMs and the associated risks.