NOTE: This resource is a work in progress and will continue to be updated as new ChatGPT resources, research and ideas are published.
ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence (AI) tool that uses natural language processing techniques to respond to user-generated prompts. The "GPT" initials stand for generative pretrained transformer.
Put simply: You ask ChatGPT a question or provide a prompt, it replies using natural language. The following is a sample ChatGPT prompt and response.
What are you?
How can you tell if a text was written by ChatGPT? The following are two samples. See if you can tell the difference between a human author and ChatGPT.
Write about recess time from the perspective of a fourth grader
Write an essay explaining string theory
Write a 10 paragraph essay about the difference between behaviorism and constructivism with APA in text citations and a reference list.
Design a lesson plan to help students write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
Design a syllabus for a class about educational technology.
Write learning objectives for a course about the ethical use of AI in education.
Provide 10 multiple choice questions about the American Revolution.
Write a podcast script about the connection between prohibition and the civil rights movement.
Design a rubric to grade a video project.
Describe the steps for designing an infographic.
Write an email to a student (Lily) who missed class and needs to make it up in 2 weeks by watching the class recording and completing the class activities.
TIP: Do NOT provide a student's full name and associated class grate to ChatGPT to write emails, this is a potential FERPA violation for sharing a student's educational record (with OpenAI) without their permission.
How to iterate through files in a directory using Python?
NOTE: ChatGPT can generate computer programs in many computer programming languages. The code it generates appears indistinguishable from those that a human might write, meaning, the programs are well-structured, well-formatted, use appropriate variable names, and contain meaningful comments.
Also, pressing the “generate another answer” button ChatGPT provides also works for computer programs it writes. It writes an entirely different computer program to solve the same problem.
*These ideas and more from this Twitter thread by Robert Petitto, this Twitter thread by Matt Miller, and Ditch That Textbook.
(e.g., "describe how the content we covered in class last week shifted your thinking about your role as a current/future teacher").
As ChatGPT is not connected to the internet, it does not learn from current events or any content after 2021.
(e.g., "design an infographic, interactive Google Map, TikTok-style video, meme, multimodal timeline").
Design an infographic about computer ergonomics.
Predict who will win the 2024 superbowl
Summarize content from the New York Times article: "Did a Fourth Grader Write This? Or the New Chatbot?"
Draw a connection between this photograph and the Civil Rights movement
Before you panic and consider banning technology from your classroom in favor of handwritten essays and oral exams (not that there’s anything wrong with those methods, but they might lead to more student anxiety)…consider how this tool might help you rethink teaching and learning.
Instead, you might...
All written work submitted for this course must be completed by you, personally. Use of artificial intelligence (AI) to generate text is strictly prohibited. Submission of text generated by AI will be considered a violation of academic integrity, including AI-generated text that you have summarized or edited.
You are responsible for the content of any work submitted for this course. Use of artifical intelligence (AI) to generate a first draft of text is permitted, but you must review and revise any AI-generated text before submission. AI text generators can be useful tools but they are often prone to factual errors, incorrect or fabricated citations, and misinterpretations of abstract concepts. Utilize them with caution.
NOTE: Before you ask students to use ChatGPT for an assignment, re-read the information about privacy and data. The following suggestions are based on the faculty using ChatGPT to generate responses to share with students.
Describe a professional learning network to a 5 year old.
Describe a professional learning network.
Invent a solution to the global water crisis.
Suggest a model for improving the electrical infrastructure of the United States.
TIP: Before asking your students to use ChatGPT (if you plan to do so), please read over the privacy policy and allow them to opt out if they do not feel comfortable having their data collected and shared as outlined in the policy.
References:
Boud, D., & Molloy, E. (2013). Personal learning networks: Using social media to support professional learning. In S. Merry, & M. Smith (Eds.), Professional learning through communities of practice (pp. 47-59), Springer.
Bryk, A. S., & Schneider, B. (2002). Trust in schools: A core resource for improvement. Educational Leadership, 60(3), 40-45.
Ertmer, P. A., & Ottenbreit-Leftwich, A. T. (2012). Teacher technology change: How knowledge, confidence, beliefs, and culture intersect. Educational Technology Research and Development, 60(6), 623-644.
Veletsianos, G. (2016). Navigating and participating in online professional learning networks. In G. Veletsianos (Ed.), Emerging technologies in distance education (pp. 105-123), Athabasca University Press.
Despite how new AI-generated text is, there are already tools available to detect AI-generated content. These are generally open-source tools that may become unavailable at any time. They are also unproven and best used as a guideline and not as definitive proof that a given passage of text was generated by AI. Of course, the development of AI-detection is going to create an arms race of finding ways to outsmart that detection, as well.
Tools to detect AI-generated text, at time of publication:
There is no definitive answer whether AI-generated text is considered cheating; that will differ course by course. Most faculty assume that any written work that a student submits is written personally by that individual. Students may believe that it is acceptable to use text generated by AI that they proofread and revise as they are making a contribution to the end-product through their editing.
Because this is an area without a clear answer, faculty should set clear guidelines for whether AI-generated text is acceptable in their course. See the section in the ChatGPT and Education guide on What can faculty do? for examples and resources on updating your syllabus and discussing academic integrity with your students.
No, at this time, NIU Academic Integrity policies do not address student submission of AI-generated text. If you want to prohibit students from submitting AI-generated text in your course, consider adding language to your syllabus or assignment parameters addressing it.
go.niu.edu/chatgpt
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Originally developed and shared by Torrey Trust, associate professor of Learning Technology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and modified by the NIU Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning.
Watch the recording of the faculty and staff panel on Artificial Intelligence in Education: