How Students Can Use ChatGPT for Homework, Essays, and Studying Assistance
Why a ChatGPT School Ban Harms Students
If you took any sort of math class in high school, you may remember those infamous words from a flustered math teacher who was trying to explain the importance of actually knowing how to do math.
You may also remember walking into your first university level math class a year later sans calculator only to hear your professor tell you to use your calculator to help solve the equation on the board.
Did your high school teacher lie to you?
Or did they not understand that calculators are a tool rather than a replacement for knowing how to do the work?
In today’s world, ChatGPT is the new calculator.
When used properly, it can be a guide for students to navigate their way through complex subjects and enable them on their journey to simplifying large amounts of information.
This article shows how ChatGPT can be a welcome addition to a student’s toolkit for success rather than a hindrance.
Using ChatGPT For Essay Writing Isn’t Always Plagiarism
Plagiarism has been a cause for concern long before the introduction of ChatGPT.
Ever since students gained access to the internet, there’s been the possibility of them copying and pasting someone else’s words and passing it off as their own.
Is this a legitimate problem?
Yes.
But does it warrant getting rid of programs that may help students because it may have negative consequences?
No.
Brendan Benson, an English teacher in Newmarket, ON noticed that his students were submitting assignments that sounded eerily similar. It didn’t take him long to realize that his students were using ChatGPT.
Rather than work against the AI software and ban his students from using it, he decided to work with it and encourage his students to use it wisely.
Instead of failing and disciplining students who used it, he encouraged his students to explain how they were using it. From here, he was able to come up with a plan to grade assignments done with ChatGPT’s help.
He did this by asking the students to submit records of their conversations with the chatbot and explain what they learned about the writing process.
This gives students the opportunity to combine their critical thinking skills and abilities with ChatGPT.
Students Can Also Use ChatGPT to Study for Tests
If you’ve ever pulled an all-nighter, you know that trying to cram copious amounts of information into your brain in a short amount of time isn’t always feasible.
If only there were a better way to take loads of information and compress it into easy to understand ways of thinking.
ChatGPT can be the translation you need.
Let’s say, for example, that you have an exam on how humans relied on dogs during WW2.
If you give ChatGPT a prompt like “I have an exam on how humans, specifically the Allied Forces, relied on dogs during WW2. Please provide me with a comprehensive, easy to understand study guide,” this is what you’ll get.
This won’t act as the entire study guide, but it will provide a good starting point. It addresses the key points, adds some details, and provides the information in a clear and concise manner.
It Can Provide “Tricks” for Complex Problems
There’s ROYGBIV for remembering the colors in the rainbow.
Never Eat Shredded Wheat will help you read a compass.
My Very Excited Mother Just Served Us Noodles (sorry, Pluto) tells you the order of the planets.
It seems as though there’s a mnemonic for everything!
What if you have a test you have to study for but you don’t know of any helpful tips or tricks?
ChatGPT to the rescue!
You can ask it to help you come up with easy ways to remember almost anything.
Do you have a test on the taxonomic hierarchy?
No sweat.
Now you’ll never forget organism classification ranks ever again!
But what if you don’t do well with mnemonics? Are you out of luck?
Not quite.
You can ask ChatGPT to help you remember in the way that works best.
Even if it’s a little outside the box.
If radio station jingles aren’t your jam, you can request the information in whatever genre of music you want.
The possibilities are endless when you rely on AI.
But the real question is…
How Are Students Using ChatGPT?
Rather than relying on answers from people we didn’t know or people whose stories we couldn’t verify, our copywriter decided to ask real students how they used ChatGPT.
Here’s what they had to say:
Lauryn, a chemical engineering student, said its coding knowledge has helped her immensely:
Other students across different areas of studies will likely have similar answers.
But not everyone feels positive about it.
According to this Forbes article, 89% of students admit to using it to help with homework. And for Alex Lawrence, a professor at Weber State University, the AI platform’s abilities caused two immediate thoughts:
“One, this is going to change everything, and two, this is the greatest cheating tool I’ve ever seen.”
The two are not mutually exclusive.
It is a way for students to cheat more easily, and it will change the way students complete assignments and how educators grade them.
But is this big enough of a challenge that warrants a ban in schools?
Kevin Roose, a columnist for the New York Times, says no. According to him, not only will it not work, it could be detrimental to students’ success. He describes ChatGPT as a teaching aid, “one that could unlock student creativity, offer personalized tutoring, and better prepare students to work alongside A.I. systems as adults.”
He goes on to explain that just like most things that have been banned, students will still find a way to access it.
At the rate that the technology behind AI softwares is advancing, educators (and everyone else) have to either keep up and accept ChatGPT’s place in schools, businesses, and everyday life, or get left behind.
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