Chat GPT has arrived. Are you ready?

Chat GPT Has Arrived. Are You Ready?

December 14, 2022 / Digital Learning / Tags: Technology, Creative Writing, AI

computer with writing cloud above

Chat GPT is in the news this week and many faculty members in Higher Education are weighing in with their thoughts.

The biggest concern for faculty at this time is that Chat GPT can write a unique college level paper with just a few prompts from the user. In his article for The Chronicle of Higher Education, Will Artificial Intelligence Kill College Writing, Jeff Schatten ponders, “So what is a college professor to do?” One option is to know what the software can and cannot do. At this time, Chat GPT cannot fully cite sources, create podcasts, PowerPoints, or verbal presentations. Chat GPT cannot integrate situational factors like local or university specific challenges into papers. Chat GPT is best at creating papers that utilize common knowledge that has been written about for years.

Looking over the recommendations for how to minimize Chat GPT’s impact on college writing, research-verified strategies for “best practice” still hold true. Transformative assignments are creative (use media/technology to represent your ideas) and relevant (apply the writing topic to specific personal experiences or local situational factors). Encourage students to turn in drafts of an assignment and a reflection on how the feedback was used.

As AI becomes more sophisticated, faculty might use it as a tool to teach critical thinking, evaluation, and creativity by analyzing the AI writing.

Turnitin, FGCU's most popular originality tool, is addressing the use of AI software. Turnitin currently has some features in place that will detect the use of AI and have additional features planned for the future.

Chat GPT is new, and everyone is thinking about both the benefits and drawbacks to the software. If you want to dive deeper into this topic, here are a few resources:

Please contact your Instructional Designer if you have questions about designing or re-designing writing assignments.