Bower, M., Torrington, J., Lai, J.W.M. et al.
Educ Inf Technol (2024).
Abstract
There has been widespread media commentary about the potential impact of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) such as ChatGPT on the Education field, but little examination at scale of how educators believe teaching and assessment should change as a result of generative AI. This mixed methods study examines the views of educators (n = 318) from a diverse range of teaching levels, experience levels, discipline areas, and regions about the impact of AI on teaching and assessment, the ways that they believe teaching and assessment should change, and the key motivations for changing their practices. The majority of teachers felt that generative AI would have a major or profound impact on teaching and assessment, though a sizeable minority felt it would have a little or no impact. Teaching level, experience, discipline area, region, and gender all significantly influenced perceived impact of generative AI on teaching and assessment. Higher levels of awareness of generative AI predicted higher perceived impact, pointing to the possibility of an ‘ignorance effect’. Thematic analysis revealed the specific curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment changes that teachers feel are needed as a result of generative AI, which centre around learning with AI, higher-order thinking, ethical values, a focus on learning processes and face-to-face relational learning. Teachers were most motivated to change their teaching and assessment practices to increase the performance expectancy of their students and themselves. We conclude by discussing the implications of these findings in a world with increasingly prevalent AI.
Here is a quick summary:
A recent study surveyed teachers about the impact of generative AI, like ChatGPT, on education. The majority of teachers believed AI would significantly change how they teach and assess students. Interestingly, teachers with more awareness of AI predicted a greater impact, suggesting a potential "ignorance effect."
The study also explored how teachers think education should adapt. The focus shifted towards teaching students how to learn with AI, emphasizing critical thinking, ethics, and the learning process itself. This would involve less emphasis on rote memorization and regurgitation of information that AI can readily generate. Teachers also highlighted the importance of maintaining strong face-to-face relationships with students in this evolving educational landscape.
