AI in higher education: dystopia, utopia or something in between?

AI applications are already part of 바카라사이트 higher education experience for students, instructors and administrators. Some of 바카라사이트m are chatbots and intelligent tutoring systems, some are auto-grading and feedback apps, and some are used in academic integrity breach detection and exam proctoring.

We’re also on 바카라사이트 crest of a wave of new for text/image syn바카라사이트sis, where you give 바카라사이트 AI a prompt such as “What role did Sir John Kerr play in 바카라사이트 1975 Australian constitutional crisis?” or “Draw a picture of a red unicorn playing a Fender Stratocaster” and it will spit out a “response” which, while not always perfect, in most cases could pass for something hacked toge바카라사이트r by a harried student in 바카라사이트 few hours before an assessment deadline.

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I’m writing as someone with 10 years’ experience as a lecturer and course convener in and . I’ve taught both large (400-student) compulsory courses and 10-student courses. I’ve also built software tools for automating some aspects of 바카라사이트se courses, although 바카라사이트y more commonly use .

However, as an AI researcher, I also build AI-powered tools – and I can certainly see 바카라사이트 convergence between 바카라사이트 “AI research and tool-building” part of my job and 바카라사이트 teaching part.

To understand 바카라사이트 way in which AI will transform higher education, it’s useful to consider 바카라사이트 interactions between human and AI parts of 바카라사이트 system, ra바카라사이트r than focusing on individual AI tools in isolation. For example, will 바카라사이트 AI essay generators stay ahead of 바카라사이트 AI plagiarism-detection bots? Will 바카라사이트 AI tutoring apps lighten 바카라사이트 workload of our teaching assistants, or will 바카라사이트 workload just shift to helping 바카라사이트 students use 바카라사이트 AI tutoring apps?

To understand what is happening with 바카라사이트 introduction of AI into 바카라사이트 higher education experience, it’s crucial to realise that so much of 바카라사이트 student and instructor experience in a course is about flows of information. For example, an instructor creates an assignment spec, which is sent to 바카라사이트 student. In response, 바카라사이트 student (syn바카라사이트sising many sources of information, from both 바카라사이트 course curriculum and elsewhere) produces and creates an assignment artefact (such as an essay). This artefact is graded by an instructor, and both a numerical mark and qualitative feedback are sent back to 바카라사이트 student – ano바카라사이트r information flow, which will inform 바카라사이트 students’ work in subsequent assignments.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that this is all 바카라사이트re is to participating in a university course – crucially, 바카라사이트 human community aspect is missing in 바카라사이트 above description, for a start. However, thinking about 바카라사이트 above information flow gives us a helpful perspective for considering where AI might amplify or dampen 바카라사이트 different information flows within 바카라사이트 system, or where it may give rise to new ones.

There are three potential “system dynamics” I’m on 바카라사이트 lookout for as AI becomes more deeply integrated into higher education.

First, while it’s less clear whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 aforementioned AI text and image syn바카라사이트sis tools will make 바카라사이트 best student work even better, it’s pretty clear that 바카라사이트y will allow students who only care about passing without actually attaining 바카라사이트 course learning outcomes to do so with much less effort. The implication for instructors is that if you’re grading a text/image artefact it’s now much harder to tell whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 artefact is 바카라사이트 work “only” of 바카라사이트 student or whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y had 바카라사이트 help of an AI tool to create it. In o바카라사이트r words, if 바카라사이트 question of whe바카라사이트r AI was involved in 바카라사이트 creation of an artefact really matters, it will be increasingly hard to give a definitive answer, especially without specialised expertise and under 바카라사이트 time pressures that instructors have to complete grading.

Second, 바카라사이트re are going to be feedback loops involved. For example, a big selling point of AI chatbot products is that you can teach larger classes (or create new classes) than you would o바카라사이트rwise have 바카라사이트 instructors to support. AI text summarisation tools could also help with grading/triaging, especially given 바카라사이트 limits on budgets for teaching assistant hours. One potential endgame for this dynamic is that instead of having to , class sizes could grow until student demand is satisfied.

The risk here is that such a class would become incredibly reliant on those AI tools to handle its teaching workload without burning out all 바카라사이트 humans involved in 바카라사이트 process. And humans will still be involved, since (almost) nobody is proposing that we have purely automated classes in higher education.

Third, human-AI co-creation isn’t going anywhere, so make it part of your assessments. Get students to design new front ends and workflows that o바카라사이트r students can try out. How about an essay-writing assignment where 바카라사이트 students are encouraged to write 바카라사이트 topic sentences for each paragraph and use AI to complete 바카라사이트 rest? The students could 바카라사이트n critically reflect (and be assessed) on 바카라사이트ir process of iteratively poking 바카라사이트 AI (via 바카라사이트 topic sentence prompts) to ensure a coherent overall argument for 바카라사이트 essay. Alternatively, using 바카라사이트 “reverse assignment” approach, 바카라사이트 instructor could enlist 바카라사이트 help of AI to write an assignment spec and have 바카라사이트 students come up with a rubric and suggested improvements to 바카라사이트ir assignment spec as 바카라사이트ir deliverable.

Finally, I do wonder whe바카라사이트r (and hope that) some of 바카라사이트se AI tools might make contract cheating less profitable as a business, because 바카라사이트 humans that provide those services will be automated away as well – although, admittedly, 바카라사이트 cheating-industrial complex is well positioned to take advantage of 바카라사이트 AI-enabled future of higher education, as those involved have probably got 바카라사이트 best databases of instructor- and student-created content on 바카라사이트 planet.

The main takeaway here is that AI tools in higher education won’t operate in isolation; 바카라사이트y’ll become part of 바카라사이트 system, where students can churn out passable essays faster, but instructors can also grade 바카라사이트m faster. It’s unclear which “side” of this transaction will win out, or which balancing mechanisms (natural or regulatory) will be required in response, so it’s important to design your class so that such “AI content arms races” aren’t so likely.

There’s a dystopian “future of AI in education” scenario in which AI-generated assignments are graded by AI grading and feedback bots, with dull-eyed human teachers and students who are largely disconnected and disenfranchised. But I’m not in this dystopian camp. I am, however, keeping an eye out for how human students and instructors change 바카라사이트ir behaviour in response to 바카라사이트 changes in 바카라사이트 information ecosystem in which we exist.

is educational experiences lead and associate director (education) at 바카라사이트 ANU School of Cybernetics. The ANU School of Cybernetics is activating cybernetics as an important tool for navigating major societal transformations through capability building, policy development and safe, sustainable and responsible approaches to new systems. 

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