BY BECKY EASTON
Dean of Liberal Arts
I don’t disagree with Mr. de Jesus’s comment in the March 2 issue, titled “New AI technology presents challenges” when he states, “So, this is going to be a problem for instructors for a while.” While I don’t disagree, I hope to point out that it’s a minor problem for professors, who were educated during a time when cheating was harder than it is now with ChatGPT.
It’s a much bigger problem for students who want technology to do their mental work for them.
When faculty were students, they almost certainly did their own research and wrote their own papers. That is why they know so much today. These activities build critical thinking skills along the way.
The only reason that ChatGPT poses a problem for professors is that they care about their students. They want to provide opportunities to think and to learn to today’s students just as their professors did for them.
They know that a real college education requires students to listen, read, think, do something with their ideas and receive feedback to guide them into even deeper learning. If the goal were just to write a paper, then ChatGPT wouldn’t matter much, but the goal is not the paper. It is the education.
The faculty already are educated, so they are going to be fine.
I am afraid I can’t say the same for students who spend time and money to get a good education but use AI technology to cheat themselves out of receiving one.
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