Spring semester 2023 began with a twist. In addition to the first day of classes arriving earlier than usual, many news articles, blog entries, and social media posts were focused on an emerging artificial intelligence text generator known as ChatGPT. An active discussion emerged about the potential impact of higher education. Our team received many questions and requests for guidance immediately following the winter break. We discussed the range of topics that surfaced and quickly engaged the campus network of teaching and learning professionals. It became clear that developing a campus resource was the best next step, and we are excited to share that resource with you today: 5 Things to Know About ChatGPT.
Director Dr. Molly Hatcher reflected on the process:
“It felt both exciting and heavy to learn about ChatGPT and consider its potential implications for higher education. For our Center it was clear right away that the first priority was offering care and resources for UT instructors, many of whom were also just learning about this tool and wondering what it meant for their spring courses. It heartened us to observe many of our campus partners who support teaching and learning also prioritize support for UT instructors in the past couple weeks as ChatGPT has rolled out, and it has been so energizing to lean on that community to collaborate on resources like this one. We look forward to continuing to work together to figure out how to navigate course and assignment design at UT with the release of AI tools like ChatGPT.”
Sean White, Instructional Designer in the School of Nursing, has been an active participant in the conversations as a CTL colleague and thought partner. While wrestling with this dynamic situation, he is looking forward to opportunities that can advance teaching and learning practices.
“My hope is that this technological development motivates us all to talk much more seriously about cheating/academic integrity so we can begin making the cultural and institutional changes needed to address the impact on higher education (which are admittedly different in Nursing and other health fields than in some other departments).”
We are grateful to Sean and many others that have contributed ideas and possibilities integrated into this resource in support of the campus community. This is the first step in addressing the challenges and opportunities in front of us and will be followed by additional forums for engagement, including an upcoming panel where students share their questions and perspectives about ChatGPT
We invite you to hear students’ perspectives and questions about the use of this tool at this informal panel discussion.
This event will take place via Zoom from 1:00-2:00pm on Friday, January 27th.