Sarah Faruqui

A student accesses ChatGPT in order to complete and understand curriculum.

What is the square root of 25? Write me a 10-page essay on cows. How do I spell “beneficial” correctly? These are just a few of the various questions and requests that students frequently pose to the AI chatbot, ChatGPT.

ChatGPT is an AI chatbot developed by OpenAI and first launched in 2022. The chatbot allows users to engage in human-like conversations and complete a variety of tasks, such as responding to work emails, finding the best recipes, and most commonly, completing school assignments.

As one can easily predict, the potential of ChatGPT and its capabilities are capturing the attention of students and teachers across the country, as they use it as a resource to benefit themselves and save time in the classroom, including those at Urbana.

At school, learners and educators hold diverse opinions on ChatGPT. Some believe it’s a valuable tool in the classroom, while others argue that it enables the unlawful completion of work.

During an interview, math teacher Ms. Alexa Worthington expressed that she believes ChatGPT in a math classroom creates an environment where it is very easy for students to cheat. From this viewpoint, she believes the chatbot is not beneficial to learners unless it is utilized responsibly.

She further explained that when ChatGPT is used merely as an answer key rather than a guiding tool during the learning process, it fails to support her students’ education. She notes that when students engage with the chatbot with the intention of getting correct answers rather than understanding the material, it visibly detracts from their development.

Worthington also mentioned that she herself has used ChatGPT to assist with smaller tasks like responding to emails, explaining that it’s an effective way to save time and a prime example of how to use the chatbot responsibly.

Most teachers have articulated that ChatGPT is substituting a student’s ability to think critically and problem-solve.

CTE teacher Mr. Gregory Brubaker discussed his preference for students to seek his help rather than turning to ChatGPT, as this requires them to engage in discussion and stimulates creative thinking. He finds this method to be more beneficial and a viable alternative.

“I think it can be used in smarter ways, like generating ideas or helping find sources, but even to that extent, I would prefer the student come to me and ask the question rather than using ChatGPT to do that for them,” Brubaker explained.

The implementation of ChatGPT within classrooms is largely influenced by the subject being taught and the teacher’s opinion on it. While many teachers find it controversial, biology teacher Mr. Michael Connolly is quite fond of the chatbot.

Connolly mentioned that he personally uses ChatGPT for lesson planning and referred to himself as a fan. He discussed how ChatGPT enables him to create accurate lesson plans that ensure he stays on topic while minimizing wasted time. He uses ChatGPT to verify that he is covering all necessary content for successful lessons.

However, he still highlights the significance of a student’s ability to learn and complete work independently. As most teachers emphasize, students should use ChatGPT to support their learning, not to do the assignments for them.

While this online resource is incredibly helpful for studying or editing, many students tend to take advantage of it, which adds to teachers’ skepticism about its capabilities.

With the impressive features that ChatGPT offers, students are naturally drawn to it. Many teachers have not encountered problems with students using ChatGPT to “cheat,” but rather to support their classwork when they need extra help.

Junior Jack Knowlton communicated that he uses ChatGPT depending on the class. He shared that for his history class, he often looks up vocabulary using the chatbot.

Knowlton mentioned that utilizing ChatGPT is like “skipping over Google,” as it allows him to obtain direct answers without going through multiple search results. He emphasized that this approach speeds up the process of finding information, allowing him to spend less time on homework and more on activities he enjoys outside of school.

“I believe Chat GPT is helping me because it’s giving me the most important details about information that I need and it’s helping me fill out my assignments quickly but also with quality while helping me understand the information so I have more time I can spend on things I’m interested in, as well as learning at a good, rapid rate” Knowlton explained.

Other students have stated that they turn to ChatGPT primarily when they encounter difficulties in class. For example, when faced with challenges such as writing essays or tackling longer assignments, they find it helpful to use ChatGPT as a brainstorming tool to generate ideas and content. This approach enables them to overcome difficulties and makes the learning process more manageable.

If there are more negative opinions than positive regarding ChatGPT, why don’t we simply block it entirely?

While the exact reasoning behind why ChatGPT isn’t blocked in the school system remains unclear, some students and teachers believe it’s because, despite its many negative aspects, it has predominantly positive attributes and can be more useful in classrooms than not.

ChatGPT responded when asked to write a conclusion for this article, “Integrating ChatGPT in classrooms enhances personalized learning and student engagement. However, it’s essential to balance its benefits with thoughtful guidance for responsible use.” 

ChatGPT is taking over Urbana…