“The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled.”
When the renowned Greek philosopher, biographer, and historian Plutarch uttered these words to highlight the criticality of quality education as far back as the first century AD, little would he have imagined the radical transformation occurring over centuries in both the concepts and manner of learning, as well as how the human mind processes concomitant developments. These path-breaking changes have been manifested in virtually everything associated with education, including the way classes are being conceptualised and designed, methods of teaching, pedagogical approaches, and classroom dynamics, across generations of learners and teachers. However, the recent advent of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI), operating as a form of machine learning algorithm, has revolutionised education beyond imagination and belief.
Implications of GAI:
It is important to first deconstruct the functioning of GAI in order to assess its impact and larger implications. The outcomes of GAI, especially Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, can generate high-quality insightful content, offer explanations and solve complicated problems, while recognising common patterns and simulating human response behaviour. According to Professor Sangeet Kumar of Denison University, Ohio, who has been engaging in an in-depth analysis of the impact of GAI in academia, GAI models are akin to more sophisticated forms of AutoCorrect in smartphones. While delivering a talk at Ahmedabad University, Professor Kumar suggested that the increased use of AI by students both within and outside the classroom is fuelling a persistent evolution in the role of Professors and how they deliver education. The discussion was organised by the University as a significant part of its effort to deliver liberal, multidisciplinary education and experiential learning to students in the twenty-first century.
In practice, GAI operates like a stochastic parrot, performing strong predictive tasks through pure imitation, or by stringing words together, guided by the statistical sub-structure of the English language. “Paradoxically, however, how does something that is merely imitative, devise its own rules, become sentient and intelligent, and create meaningful content without really understanding human language?”, asks Professor Kumar.
Such questions encapsulate particular challenges for the field of higher education, with GAI leading to significant disruptions in academia, by redefining the traditional roles of teachers and pedagogical values imbibed by students. Educators across nations are already witnessing its unprecedented effects, suddenly making even low-performing or sluggish learners fluent writers by providing them convenient access to wide-ranging, impeccably structured content. This includes written assignments, comprehensive reports, research papers, scientific hypotheses, presentations, illustrations and infographics, mathematical equations, fictional and historical narratives, graphs and charts, and philosophical analyses, among many other outputs.
Combating the Challenges:
How then can the teaching community navigate the huge challenge posed by GAI to conventional teaching practices and yet stay relevant for students and the learning ecosystem? Experts aver that the pedagogy of the future could be characterised by novel ways of evaluating students’ work and skills, and the emergence of new learning goals and practices. It will be imperative to reiterate to students that they need to become responsible stakeholders in their learning by respecting the value of the education they receive and the educators who deliver it.
The Way Forward:
Some potential strategies suggested by academics for safeguarding the importance of in-person education in the realm of AI could include making assignments ChatGPT-proof, devising internal evaluative tools, ensuring that first drafts of the writing are generated in the presence of teachers, organising more events demanding physical attendance, and making primary research mandatory for students across the board. “Since you cannot fight it, why not make GAI an intrinsic part of the teaching process? This will enable us to optimise the limitless opportunities it entails in the field of higher education”, is another recommendation from Professor Kumar.
A word of warning needs to be sounded here. Along with its numerous advantages, GAI also comes with significant drawbacks and flaws, such as the possibility of misinformation, hallucinations, and even cultural insensitivity. Another limitation is the fact that since AI is currently being produced in the English language, it could, at least in the near future, remain Euro-centric, thereby excluding the contributions of vernacular education.
Most significantly, however, AI cannot replace the human element embodied by living teachers, who can function as mentors and emotional guides, offering personalised feedback and support at every stage of the learning process. “One of the integral aspects of higher education is the ability to nurture speaking and thinking skills in students over and above mere writing competencies. This entails the ability to brainstorm, debate, question, and discuss issues in an open and collaborative learning environment. Notwithstanding all its advantages, AI cannot substitute these oral outcomes of learning derived from human expertise”, says Professor Raghavan Rangarajan, Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at Ahmedabad University. It is perhaps only such an approach that can continually kindle the fire of learning in the human mind in the face of any non-human challenge, as also envisaged by Plutarch centuries ago.
Anupma Mehta is Associate Director, Content and Communications, at Ahmedabad University.
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