AI software like ChatGPT could be used to replace some college textbooks, changing higher education and requiring a greater focus on critical thinking, a college professor told Fox News.
“Certainly, for an introductory undergraduate course, ChatGPT can be used to make excellent course material,” said Terence Day, a professor of geography at Okanagan College in British Columbia. “Essentially, it serves as a textbook replacement. “
WATCH: CHATGPT could replace textbooks, revolutionize higher education: Professor
Watch more FOX News digital original content here
AI chatbots could make classes less rigid and reduce college costs because students don’t have to shell out big bucks for textbooks, Day said. The professor also believes that some schools may soon prioritize training students to analyze AI-generated text — spotting errors in ChatGPT content, for example — rather than essay writing.
“Textbooks are expensive to buy, but they are also expensive to produce,” Day told Fox News. “Instead of paying $100 for a textbook, [students are] Being able to download something from their learning management system. “
Students would also benefit from AI-authored course materials, he said.
“If you’re using ChatGPT for course material, you can afford to change it a little bit, move it around,” Day told Fox News. “I think that, of course … presents an opportunity for innovation in the classroom.”
AI-powered chatbots such as ChatGPT and Google’s Bard will revolutionize the way college students interact with course material, Day said. (HU Sheridan Libraries/Gado/Getty Images)
Everything you need to know about artificial intelligence: what is it good for?
According to Day, the errors in the results generated by ChatGPT also provide professors with a novel teaching tool. He said he used inaccurate ChatGPT responses on a recent midterm, asking students to point out flaws in geography-related text.
“It really promotes the idea of critical thinking in students,” Day said. “The opportunity is to use those critical thinking skills to figure out whether this thing is true.”
“In my case, I found an obvious mistake, and it was a very significant one,” he added. “But the students can also pick up little mistakes that I didn’t notice at all.”
What is CHATGPT?
Day thinks the advent of artificial intelligence means that students will eventually stop writing texts from scratch. (Dogukan Keskinkilic/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
Day, who is also an adjunct professor of geography at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, said he believes artificial intelligence Universities may be forced to prioritize analytics-driven work.
Click here for the Fox News app
“As time goes on, the idea of sitting down and writing something from scratch will become less and less likely to be a task assigned to anyone,” he told Fox News. “I think more and more the task will be to evaluate what you can get.”
“I think this assessment task is something that we really need to train students, educate students for the next few decades,” Day said.
To watch the full interview, click here.
