Tiou Clarke | AI and its influence in education in Jamaica

Artificial intelligence (AI) and its associated technologies have increasingly become integral to various industries. In Jamaica, many institutions are still grappling with the profound impact AI is having, and will continue to have, on the future of business operations. Education is undergoing transformation particularly with the advent of technologies like ChatGPT, Bard.ai, and other forms of generative AI.

IMPACT ON EDUCATION

ChatGPT exemplifies AI’s growing role in education. This publicly accessible tool retrieves information from the Internet to answer user queries. ChatGPT is particularly adept at delivering responses, especially when users pose specific questions. Following its latest updates, ChatGPT can compose articles, essays, write computer code, and assist in generating social media content. It has become a ubiquitous presence in many classrooms, particularly at the tertiary level.

However, this comes with a caveat: students are increasingly bypassing traditional research methods, relying instead on ChatGPT for quick answers. Students would be asked a question in class, and they would enter the question into ChatGPT and then read the answer as if it was their own work. Many teachers, aware of the capabilities of such technology, would be impressed with these students during the semesters. Fast forward to final exams, and students are scoring “CashPot” grades. The disparity between coursework scores and final exam results reveals that students are not really learning.

FLAW IN CHATGPT USAGE

A significant issue with ChatGPT usage is the lack of training among users on how to use it effectively and responsibly. Many users, unaware of the need for critical evaluation, accept the generated information at face value without fact-checking. This is particularly concerning as ChatGPT may source information from less credible websites, presenting it in a well-constructed manner that could easily mislead the untrained eye. This trend is prevalent among students under time constraints or those seeking shortcuts in their academic work, potentially leading to conflicts with educational standards and expectations. Many teachers are aware of the flaw with ChatGPT and urge students to be honest about their work, yet students continue to utilize the technology.

AI AND CRITICAL THINKING

In my article published on November 3, ‘Boosting Jamaica’s customer service for the future’, I wrote about how the reliance on AI for information retrieval can adversely affect critical-thinking skills. Students who depend heavily on AI for answers might struggle with on-the-spot thinking, dissecting information for deeper understanding, writing skills, and decision-making. This over-reliance could lead to a population less equipped to discern poor governance and less inclined to challenge it.

There are many videos on TikTok that promote the use of AI to answer questions, but not enough promoting the development of key skills to separate facts from fiction. This leaves the question, where are those people who still believe in learning the right skills and using technology as an extension of that skill? As Dr. Ruth Gardner noted in her book on Academic Integrity in the Caribbean, cheating is nothing new to academia, but it’s a new way of doing the same cheating.

AI IN HIGHER EDUCATION

University students are at an advantage when it comes to learning. They have access to AI, YouTube, TikTok, and a host of other technologies that can explain every concept to them. Getting the highest honours at these times is at its easiest. But still, students are not using technology the right way. Students are using AI to generate their whole assignments, using tools like Quillbot to flip the information so that AI detection software cannot detect it, but not realising that at different levels of education, your teachers are aware of your writing skills.

In a class I taught some semesters ago, I assigned each student to write a letter of complaint about a broken chair, and the responses I got were amazing. Students wrote papers that were perfect, with words that I had to run for my dictionary to understand. Beautiful pieces of work. The problem is that they were students who recently graduated from high school that struggled to express their thoughts. At the time, AI was a new phenomenon for the institutions, so they had no policies to deal with this. I had to reassign the work and have them do it in class while onscreen. Saying this to say, students, especially at the tertiary level in Jamaica, are becoming over-reliant on AI and its associated technologies to perform basic writing tasks.

AI AND FUTURE OF EDUCATION

AI and its associated technologies are here to stay and will continue to evolve, possibly to the point of self-awareness. This raise concerns reminiscent of the scenario depicted in the film The Terminator. In the realm of education, AI tools like Jenni.ai, PDF.ai, Scholarcy, and Listening.io are being utilised at advanced academic levels. These tools are reshaping the traditional roles of research supervisors, offering automated assistance in proofreading and other aspects of thesis development. However, the human element in guidance and methodology development remains crucial.

ADDRESSING CHALLENGES

To harness the benefits of AI while mitigating its challenges, particularly in the educational sector, several steps can be considered:

• Education on AI: Teachers, administrators, and government officials must become knowledgeable about AI and emerging technologies. Training in these areas will enable them to integrate AI into educational methodologies effectively.

• Authentic assessments: Educators should develop assessments that encourage hands-on work and original thought, fostering critical thinking and collaborative skills.

• Government initiatives: The government’s AI task force should prioritise examining AI’s role in education, preparing students for a tech-savvy workforce.

• International collaboration: Partnering with global entities to understand AI applications in different contexts can provide insights beneficial to the Jamaican educational landscape.

While AI presents significant opportunities for enhancing education, it also poses challenges that require careful management to ensure students develop the necessary skills for the future.

Tiou Clarke, PhD, is a lecturer in the School of Business Administration at the University of Technology, Jamaica. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com