Since ChatGPT burst onto the scene in 2022, the debate about how it should be used in education is ongoing.
Some people believe that it harms students’ ability to learn core critical thinking and reasoning skills, while others believe it is a powerful educational asset that can boost learning.
I left university over five years ago, and in this time, the digital tools available to students have changed drastically.
For those of us who have already graduated, it’s easy to say how we’re glad ChatGPT didn’t exist, as we benefited from not being able to take shortcuts in our studies.
While I believe that ChatGPT would have harmed my studies, I think there is one crucial area where it would have helped.
ChatGPT isn’t good at writing essays
It’s not going to get you a perfect grade
As a History major, I spent most of my university years writing essays. Every week, I would be planning or writing a new essay, and that takes time.
Due to the American education system, my General Education classes meant I also had to write essays and study for a variety of classes that had zero relevance to my major.
I was consistently frustrated with how much time was taken up by irrelevant studies. All I cared about was passing the class, not retaining information.
Theoretically, this sounds like the perfect use case for ChatGPT. Get ChatGPT to write up a few paragraphs on cellular biology, rewrite it myself, then submit it and use the saved time to study for my “important” classes.
The temptation would have been irresistible, but I’m glad ChatGPT wasn’t around.
For classes related to my major, I wrote every essay and paper as a building block for the future. I took the time to study, correct my mistakes, and build up my knowledge so that my final thesis was as strong as possible.
Using ChatGPT to draft my essays could have seriously damaged my education.
So why didn’t I use it for these irrelevant classes, where all I cared about was a pass? In short, ChatGPT isn’t good at writing essays. It wasn’t good on launch, and it isn’t perfect now.
Here are a few reasons why:
- It freely plagiarizes existing work.
- It makes up credible-sounding sources to back up arguments.
- It references irrelevant sources.
- It hallucinates content.
Each of these hallmarks of generative AI is easy to spot. The best-case scenario is that I would have lost marks. The worst-case scenario is being accused of plagiarism.
I was already barely scraping by with these classes. Why would I want to sabotage it more?
Solving problems myself became the reason I studied
Generative AI removes the satisfaction of success
There are few better feelings than solving a problem you’ve been stuck on for hours, days, or even weeks. It’s a feeling I came to live for in university.
I’ve never cared for being top of the class or having a perfect GPA. I cared about making myself smarter.
I saved every essay I wrote over my university years so I could go back and laugh at how terrible my writing was, then feel proud of how much I had improved.
Looking back gave me immense satisfaction in my work and was the primary motivator to push forward.
ChatGPT would have hollowed out that feeling. Even if I had only used it to assist with my research or review my writing, I would have felt less proud of my achievements knowing how much was thanks to generative AI.
This would have reduced my motivation to push through tough problems and subjects, and therefore increased my reliance on ChatGPT.
Knowing how close I came to failing in my harder classes, it’s easy to see how I could have failed if my drive to succeed was gone.
ChatGPT doesn’t have the human touch
It can’t reason
A common argument for using AI in an education setting is to answer questions. To many people, this is no different from plugging your query into Google. You’re not asking ChatGPT to write something for you, just to tell you an answer.
The common rebuttal to this is that, as AI hallucinates information, the answer you get may not be reliable. However, it’s easy to double-check the answer ChatGPT gives you.
The bigger problem for me is that ChatGPT isn’t human.
ChatGPT does an excellent job of pretending to be a person, so you can engage in realistic conversations and debates.
While all the information it provides is accessible via a quick Google search, it’s much easier to discuss your question and nail down the specifics with the chatbot in a conversational setting.
However, it has nothing on a real person.
I loved chatting with my professors about problems I had with my classwork. Whether I had a specific question or wanted feedback on an essay, my professors would always be willing to help me.
However, the main reason I went to them was not to get my question answered; it was to talk to them.
Teachers and professors have decades of experience in their topic, and can do things ChatGPT cannot. Plenty of my discussions with professors generated new ideas or theories that could only have come about in the context of our discussion.
ChatGPT is not human and cannot create new ideas. Although it may pretend to have generated a new theory, this is all thanks to established patterns in the information it can access.
Had I used ChatGPT in university to answer my questions, I would have missed out on the spontaneous generation of new ideas that made my university experience valuable.
Knowing how to research is the foundation of my career
ChatGPT stops you from practicing a vital skill
Source: Pexels
The most valuable skill I learned from studying History at university was how to research. I had to uncover relevant sources, identify relevant information, spot misleading or unsubstantiated conclusions, and build all of this information into a cohesive thesis.
Thanks to these skills, I can enjoy the career I have now.
ChatGPT skips over the critical skills I needed to learn to research effectively. Every shortcut taken with ChatGPT would have reduced my effectiveness as a researcher and sabotaged my career.
Why I wish I had ChatGPT in university
It can create short tests in seconds
The biggest problem I faced in university was my inherent aversion to studying. I had no problem sitting down and writing essays for hours at a time, but drawing up flashcards and highlighting textbooks was the bane of my university life.
The best way I found to study was to find a partner, but this was challenging to organize consistently.
One of the most useful implementations of AI is the ability to analyze and summarize information.
Tools like NotebookLM can answer questions from your notes, and ChatGPT’s Study Mode can test you with quizzes and open-ended questions. You can upload a document with all your class notes, then ask ChatGPT to create a quiz from your notes.
While there is still a risk of ChatGPT hallucinating answers, it’s still a fantastic study aid.
Here, ChatGPT is prompting me to do my research and study, the reverse of asking ChatGPT for answers. This method encourages taking detailed notes and is easy to double-check.
Having ChatGPT create a quick study quiz after each class would have helped with my studies immensely, as I could have tested my knowledge within minutes of opening the app.
ChatGPT can be a powerful educational asset
While I respect ChatGPT’s Study Mode, the harms of generative AI outweigh the positives. However, ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and other generative AI tools are not going away.
I am glad that ChatGPT did not exist during my time at university, but if I were entering university now, I would explore ways to use it to support my studies. Used responsibly, it is a powerful tool.
