ChatGPT in schools: What the bot itself has to say

The technology provides written answers to prompts and experts say children are capitalising on this by asking it to do their assignments.

But how can the technology actually influence school life? Education correspondent David Hannant asked ChatGPT itself...  

David Hannant: What role could ChatGPT hypothetically have in schools?

ChatGPT: ChatGPT could hypothetically have several roles in schools, such as:

Personalised Learning: ChatGPT could be used to provide personalised learning experiences to students. By interacting with ChatGPT, students could receive customised feedback, guidance, and support tailored to their individual needs and learning styles.

Homework Help: ChatGPT could be used as a resource to help students with their homework. Students could ask ChatGPT questions about specific topics or concepts, and ChatGPT could provide them with relevant information and resources.

Assessment and Grading: ChatGPT could be used to grade assignments and provide feedback to students. Teachers could input grading criteria and rubrics into ChatGPT, and ChatGPT could automatically assess and provide feedback to students.

Language Learning: ChatGPT could be used to help students learn languages. By conversing with ChatGPT in a foreign language, students could practice their language skills and receive feedback on their pronunciation and grammar.

Research Assistance: ChatGPT could be used as a research assistant for students. By asking ChatGPT questions about a topic, students could receive relevant information and resources to help them with their research.

Overall, ChatGPT could play a valuable role in schools by providing personalised learning experiences, homework help, assessment and grading, language learning, and research assistance to students. However, it's important to note that ChatGPT should be used as a supplement to, not a replacement for, traditional teaching methods and human interaction.

DH: Could children hypothetically use ChatGPT to cheat in coursework or exams?

ChatGPT: Yes, it's possible for children to use ChatGPT to cheat in coursework or exams if they're able to access the platform during these activities. ChatGPT is a powerful tool that can provide students with accurate and comprehensive answers to a wide range of questions.

However, it's important to note that cheating is unethical and can have serious consequences. Many educational institutions have strict policies regarding cheating, and students who are caught cheating can face disciplinary action, including failing the course, suspension, or expulsion.

Additionally, there are measures that schools can take to prevent cheating with ChatGPT, such as monitoring students' internet activity during exams, limiting access to the platform during coursework, and educating students about the ethical implications of cheating.

Overall, while ChatGPT can be a valuable resource for students, it's important for schools and educators to take steps to ensure that it is being used appropriately and ethically.

DH: What could teachers do to spot when a pupil has done this?

ChatGPT: If a student is using ChatGPT to cheat on coursework or exams, there are several signs that teachers can look for to spot this behaviour.

Here are some of the ways teachers can detect if a student is cheating with ChatGPT:

Unusual language or vocabulary: If a student uses language or vocabulary that is beyond their level of proficiency, it may be a sign that they are using ChatGPT to generate their responses.

Inconsistencies in writing style: If a student's writing style suddenly changes or appears more sophisticated than usual, it may indicate that they are not the author of the work.

Rapid completion of assignments: If a student completes an assignment much faster than their usual pace or with a high degree of accuracy, it may be a sign that they are using ChatGPT to generate their responses.

Repeated phrases or sentences: If a student's work contains phrases or sentences that are repeated verbatim in multiple assignments, it may be a sign that they are copying and pasting answers generated by ChatGPT.

Suspicious patterns in work: If a student's work consistently follows a particular pattern, it may be a sign that they are using ChatGPT to generate their responses.

Unusual internet activity: If a teacher observes that a student is frequently accessing the ChatGPT platform during class or during an exam, it may indicate that they are using the platform to cheat.

In addition to these signs, teachers can also use plagiarism detection software to check for similarities between a student's work and content available on the internet. By monitoring for these signs and taking appropriate action, teachers can help ensure that students are engaging in honest academic work.

DH: How could schools combat this?

ChatGPT: To combat cheating with ChatGPT, schools can take several steps to prevent and detect cheating behaviour. Here are some strategies that schools could implement:

Educate students: Schools can educate students about the ethical implications of cheating and the importance of academic integrity. This could include providing students with clear guidelines on what constitutes cheating and the consequences of violating school policies.

Monitor internet activity: During exams or other assessments, schools can monitor students' internet activity to ensure that they are not accessing ChatGPT or other unauthorised resources. This could include using software to detect cheating behaviour or physically monitoring students in the classroom.

Use anti-plagiarism software: Schools can use anti-plagiarism software to detect similarities between students' work and content available on the internet. This could help identify instances where students are using ChatGPT to generate their responses.

Vary assessment formats: By varying assessment formats, such as using open-ended questions or requiring students to show their work, schools can make it more difficult for students to use ChatGPT to cheat.

Use multiple assessments: By using multiple assessments over time, schools can track students' progress and identify unusual patterns or inconsistencies in their work.

Adapt and update policies: Schools can continually adapt and update their policies and procedures to address emerging technologies and prevent new forms of cheating.

By implementing these strategies and working closely with students, teachers, and parents, schools can help ensure that students are engaging in honest academic work and upholding the principles of academic integrity.

DH: How would you succinctly describe what ChatGPT actually is?

ChatGPT: ChatGPT is a language model developed by OpenAI that uses deep learning to generate natural language responses to a wide range of questions and prompts. It has been trained on a large corpus of text data and can generate human-like responses to a variety of tasks, including answering questions, summarising text, and generating creative writing.