Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | July 22, 2024 | Worcester Business Journal 13 students are not using AI unethically. In order to prevent cheating with AI, professors have begun using AI detection tools such as GPTZero and TraceGPT. However, this soware is far from foolproof, according to a report from MIT Sloan Teaching and Learning Technologies, which found high error rates could lead to instructors falsely accusing students of misconduct. "ere has been this pendulum swing of attempting to use traditional plagia- rism detection tools, but they generally have not worked very well," said John Magee, dean of the college and professor of computer science at Clark University. Instead, Magee said professors are trying to adopt a curriculum to ensure students are still achieving learning out- comes, which may require a differ- ent approach to assignments. "We might be thinking about changing how we're prompting students to write something that ensures they're having to incorporate their internal knowledge in a way that AI systems wouldn't be able to talk about," he said. Prior to AI, it was not easy to generate an essay, but now it can be completed in seconds by inputting a few words into ChatGPT, a popular chatbot launched in November 2022. Clark is looking to use AI tools as a teaching partner, said Magee. Instead of asking ChatGPT for direct answers, students could ask the soware to be an assistant, which will provide a guide to go through the problem-solving process. "We can kind of augment the approach of trying to have students be- come problem solvers by helping them get unstuck with these tools," he said. AI in the classroom AI has not only found its place among colleges and universities, it has found a home in K-12 classrooms as educators are faced with similar challenges. Mary Marotta and Craig Sheil, ad- junct professors at Fitchburg State Uni- versity, are co-teaching a course in the fall for educators seeking professional development about AI and emerging technologies. "e purpose is to make sure educa- tors are becoming AI aware, highlight- ing the pitfalls and how it can support learning," Sheil said. Whether they are educating young or experi- enced teachers, the reaction is a mixed bag, as some are overwhelmed and others are excited to embrace the change, he said. Both educators acknowledged the concerns teachers have but show how they can use the technology. "When teachers see these examples, a light bulb goes off," Marotta said. e adjunct professors have used AI in classes to convert information into different modes, whether it be changing a presentation into a poem or a song. Sheil said every student processes infor- mation differently, so this technology can help them. In addition, Marotta emphasized the importance of teaching students the capabilities of AI, such as when e Beatles used the technology to incorpo- rate John Lennon's voice into their new song, "Now and en." "It is important to talk about current events and what is going on in the world," Marotta said. Leveraging technology Whether using AI in the classroom or workforce, many still hesitate to use the technology, Larkin said. It is important to not be afraid of it and to embrace it. e state understands the downsides of AI and the disruptions to the workforce, but is working to show how AI can leverage the capabil- ities of human activity, not displace it, Larkin said. is cautious approach is not new, as people have always been hesitant when technology is introduced, Rundenstein- er said. As a computer scientist, Runden- steiner looks toward technology to form a higher efficient workforce, but acknowledges that change is scary. With its growing use and potential conse- quences, she said everyone needs to be educated on how to use AI properly. "We need to learn that we cannot blindly trust the information, and we need to have better policies and also better education for everybody to un- derstand when it can be safely used," she said. "ere is a lot of work to be done." For those hesitant, Magee suggests to open ChatGPT and test its capabilities, adding it is as easy as typing something into Google. "Start exploring and see what it can do for you," Magee said. "Try to figure out what its limitations are and that's how we are all going to learn how to use it better." The future of AI When looking at education, Marotta said it is hard to imagine what the future could look like. "We are seeing it emerge as we are moving forward," Marotta said, adding teachers need to make sure students are still learning. Similarly to the widespread use of the internet, AI has become accessible to everyone. Like any other technology, Magee said it is interesting to see what the lasting effects of AI will be, how it will change the demographics of work and how it can benefit society long term. "It is a technology that is going to define the economy for generations to come," Larkin said. H I G H E R E D U C AT I O N F O C U S On September 17, join us at Polar Park where firehouses from around the city will compete to create dishes to be judged by a panel of local business leaders. You'll be able to sample all the dishes—and cast your own vote for the People's Choice prize! PARAGUSIT.COM GE T YOUR TICKE TS TODAY AT FIREHOUSECO OKOFF.COM! This year we are proud to be raising money for Worcester 6K Charity and DetecTogether. Let's beat last year's record of $20,000! WORCESTER'S HOTTEST EVENT OF THE YEAR RETURNS SCAN QR CODE TO LEARN MORE Craig Sheil, adjunct professor at Fitchburg State University AI impact on academics The Colorado-based higher education data organization EduCause surveyed more than 700 members of the U.S. higher education community in November and December to understand how artificial intelligence will impact the industry by 2026. How will AI affect workloads in higher education over the next two years? What will academic dishonesty look like over the next two years? Decrease in workloads 53% Neutral 27% Increase in workloads 20% Increase in academic dishonesty 67% Neutral 30% Decrease in academic dishonesty 7% Source: Educause John Magee, dean of the college at Clark University Mary Marotta, adjunct professor at Fitchburg State University W

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