MAY 9 ― I don’t know about other universities but at mine, eight out of 10 things said about ChatGPT are predominantly negative.
It’s almost always about how this chatbot promotes cheating, diminishes academic thinking, removes originality, etc.
Perhaps educators and students (but especially educators) need to be reminded that large language models and tools can bring about positive outcomes if we only learn how (and not be so suspicious of it).
Here are three ways ChatGPT can help in schools:
1. Think of the chatbot as an advanced and conversationally capable version of Google. Better yet, we can “train” and tailor the model to answer more and more specific questions that we have about almost anything.
This approach, which is the closest thing to “personalised learning” that we have today, enables students to learn at their own pace, helping them overcome their particular difficulties and reinforcing their understanding.
ChatGPT can also provide instant feedback on assignments and guide students towards improvement. Could this also help boost their confidence? More likely than not.
Unlike many a human teacher, the tool doesn’t get tired or frustrated when students are slow or stubborn or need more ways to be taught a certain thing.
In fact, ChatGPT thrives on more and more questions, variations of questions, “interrogations” and so on.
2. Because ChatGPT has 1.5 billion parameters (see Note 1) its ability to generate ideas and options can powerfully boost creativity and open-mindedness.
If, as per what thinking guru Edward de Bono declared, creativity is simply the generation of alternatives, then a student working with ChatGPT should be on her way to becoming more creative simply because she’s able to expose herself to many different arguments, conclusions, approaches, etc.
One could say that ChatGPT is a one-stop brainstorming machine. Learners can explore a host of different ideas on any one motif or theme or area, concoct multiple solutions to problems and also receive input from what can only be described as an intelligent virtual partner.
The key is appreciating the sheer variation and difference in thought.
If students allow it, the chatbot can be a constant source of rethinking and re-questioning of one’s habits, arguments and narratives.
Virtually the opposite of being stuck in an echo chamber, ChatGPT can keep students on their intellectual toes and stop them falling into some intelligence trap where they think they know everything.
3. Not many people remember this, but they can actually ask ChatGPT to pose them provocative questions. Go ahead, try it. Type something like “Ask me an interesting question about Malaysia” and see what it generates. Or type a particular argument or narrative and ask ChatGPT to critique it.
By applying this to various topics, the model can challenge students' assumptions, encourage logical reasoning, and nurture analytical thinking.
Through these interactions, learners can develop a more nuanced understanding of complex issues, learn to evaluate information critically and maybe even become a better decision-maker.
Again, a student can inform ChatGPT that, say, he trusted a friend with RM300 last month only to find that the person has refused to return the money, so how can he protect his finances better in the future?
Or he can share a technical problem with the tool, say, a recent purchase of a certain laptop which is now giving problems — how could he have made a better decision?
If, as per #2, ChatGPT can foster creative thinking by expanding the scope of a learner’s mental software, the tool can also help fine-tune the existing cognitive tools a student wields.
To conclude, ChatGPT can (if used properly) help students personalise their learning, think more creatively and enhance their critical thinking.
It’s not, or should not, be primarily an issue for concern about academic cheating. Potentially, this chatbot can be like having C3PO be one’s conversational teacher (minus the irritating unsolicited extra info and worrying!)
Note 1: A “parameter” is like a switch or knob inside chatGPT’s “brain” which can be adjusted to control how the model understands and responds to different things.
You know that remark, “Someone who only has a hammer sees every problem as a nail”?
Well, in ChatGPT’s case you could say that it has 1.5 billion different kinds of tools and not just one hammer. Also, ChatGPT 4 — the latest version of ChatGPT which is only accessible via paid subscription — has one trillion parameters!
* This is the personal opinion of the columnist.
