– WE all think about ChatGPT, and wonder if it can be used to cheat on an exam. So says Phillip David Pierce, who is taking a master’s degree in English literature at UiT – Norway’s Arctic University. He himself has used ChatGPT for research on his master’s thesis, but he will not use it to write assignments for himself or to cheat on exams. – Because I like to struggle a bit, and have that battle with myself to overcome such a challenge, says Pierce. Student at UiT, Phillip David Pierce, is excited about how the development of AI in academia will be in the coming years. Photo: Mathias Sommerseth Kjellmo / NRKStudent at UiT, Phillip David Pierce, is excited about how the development of AI in academia will be in the coming years. Photo: Mathias Sommerseth Kjellmo / news It goes down well with associate professor of psychology at the University of Oslo (UiO), Knut Inge Fostervold. – That is precisely what is part of the point of learning. A learning process is to struggle and keep at things. Then you learn things better than if you have simple things that you don’t have to make an effort with, he says. – What you try to do all the time is to engage the students to work with study material, and preferably struggle a bit with it. Because things that you don’t get to do, there are things that occupy you. It’s like you’re not done with it until you’ve solved it. Associate professor in psychology at UiO, Knut Inge Fostervold, sees both positive and negative aspects of KI in academia. Photo: Ole Jørgen Kolstadbråten / news What is ChatGPT? Artificial intelligence assistant, programmed to help answer questions and solve problems Developed by Open Ai, founded by Sam Altman and Elon Musk in 2015 Uses machine learning of language models to produce text Has missing information after 2021 Speaks all languages, including Norwegian Desires discussion on ethical guidelines But there is little doubt that artificial intelligence (AI) has already taken over both academia and society at large. The Norwegian Student Organization (NSO) has clear expectations of what educational institutions must do. – Artificial intelligence is here to stay and is part of the society we live in. It is then important that it is also part of the education we take, because we are going out into society and into work where these are tools that also is used, says head of NSO, Maika Marie Godal Dam. The head of NSO is clear that KI is here to stay, and that academia must make it possible for students to use it to learn better. Photo: William Jobling The head of NSO is clear that AI is here to stay, and that academia must make it possible for students to use it to learn better. Photo: William Jobling At NSO’s national meeting, they adopted a resolution for what they want the educational institutions to do when it comes to AI in academia. This is what NSO’s AI wants: The educational institutions draw up guidelines for the use of artificial intelligence to promote learning. Good cooperation between academic institutions and the technology industry to ensure relevant and responsible use of artificial intelligence in Norway. Ethical guidelines for the use of artificial intelligence in higher education must be drawn up to ensure that this technology is used in a responsible and ethical manner. The educational institutions must actively increase knowledge and awareness of strengths and weaknesses for the use of artificial intelligence. The institutions must explore opportunities to incorporate artificial intelligence into their digital infrastructure in an appropriate way. For example, as a tool to provide students with automated and learning-promoting feedback. Invite the University and College Council to jointly develop complementary and up-to-date policy for artificial intelligence in academia, and society in general. Source: Resolution adopted at NSO’s national meeting 2023 – For us, it is important that we get some common guidelines for how to use AI to promote learning, says Dam. NSO hopes that all universities and colleges will join forces to find good guidelines. which ensures that the students also get a lot of learning from the new tools. – We are keen to get some ethical guidelines in place so that we can use ChatGPT and KI in a responsible way. It is a new and somewhat unknown field. and then we also have to be sure that we stand steady when we are going to use them, says Dam. However, she is aware that there may be a number of pitfalls that one may encounter, but believes that it is difficult to predict now what they may be. – But I think that if there is a discussion about ethical guidelines and their use, where the whole premise is that they should be tools for learning, then we have come a very long way towards avoiding the pitfalls, says Dam. – We have to ask other questions At UiT – Norway’s Arctic University, they are aware that AI is here to stay, and they are already looking at how they can best use it in the future. – In any case, we are very aware that we have to teach our students to use this technology, because they will have to use it in working life when they finish here, says section head for study administration, Kjersti Dahle. Section head for study administration at UiT, Kjersti Dahle, says they are already looking at how they can use AI in the best possible way. Photo: Mathias Sommerseth Kjellmo / news In 2021, several universities experienced a large increase in the number of cheating cases, but according to an overview obtained by Khrono, the numbers are now more similar to what they were before the pandemic. According to the Directorate for Higher Education and Skills, the Joint Complaints Board does not have any ongoing cases where students have cheated with the help of KI. But news has already documented that programs such as ChatGPT can be used to cheat on exams, and whether the Joint Complaints Board will bring such cases to the table during 2023 remains to be seen. At UiT – Norway’s Arctic University, they try to stay ahead of the curve. – We have to work on the way we give exam papers. We have to ask other questions which mean that it will not be so easy to get AI to answer the task for itself, says Dahle. Keeping the door open Students Roxanne Lannoy and Camille Loyer have not used AI to help with their studies. – It’s quite new, and I’m not quite comfortable with it yet. I prefer to write my own essays. It makes no sense if it is not your own work, says Lannoy. The student friend does not hope that AI will prevent the students from doing their own work, but still keeps the door slightly ajar. – If the universities find a way to use it to promote learning, then why not, asks Loyer rhetorically. Roxanne Lannoy and Camille Loyer have not used AI. Photo: Mathias Sommerseth Kjellmo / news news has previously written about students who use ChatGPT to find problems for their master’s thesis. Fostervold at UiO is a bit ambivalent about that. – The best thing in terms of learning is to go and think about it yourself, but then the question is: How long will you spend on it? – A double-edged sword Fostervold believes that KI can be good tools if they are used in a sensible way, and points out that it can be useful for those pupils who are not so strong academically. – If they are used in a sensible way, it can help you and ensure greater progression, says Fostervold. – But they are a bit like a double-edged sword, because they can prevent you from putting in the effort you have to put in to understand things. Learning is difficult, it takes time and it is exhausting – and you have to put in that effort to learn. The head of NSO is happy that some educational institutions have already started to think about how they can create other types of exams. – There is also a possibility that AI can contribute to the fact that we will have to ponder to an even greater extent, because we will have to spar with a completely new tool. So I’m very excited about further developments, says Dam.
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NSO expects ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence to be used to promote learning – news Troms and Finnmark
