The UniSA Mount Gambier Campus recently held a public lecture titled ‘How should we think about Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Education?’.
The lecture was hosted by UniSA Dean of Research for Education Futures and Professor of Education Policy Professor Sam Sellar.
Around 95 people including past and current teachers and students were in attendance for the presentation which highlighted how AI could be used beneficially in schools and addressed the concerns surrounding the use of AI in education.
Professor Sellar said the main concerns raised about AI in education were students cheating and teachers being replaced by the technology.
“I talked about some of the issues that have been a matter of public debate since the release of ChatGPT in November 2022 which really brought the question of AI in universities and schools to public attention,” he said.
“I talked about some of those debates, some of the big problems that have been discussed and how we might think a little bit differently about those.
“Students using AI to help them with their assignments or to write essays was one of, if not the most, popular topic of debate after Chat GPT was publicly released.
“Some school systems, indeed many school systems across Australia initially banned the use of Chat GPT and similar AI in schools and many universities moved quickly to create new policies for when students could and could not use AI in their work.
“The other big topic of debate that I addressed was the question of whether AI and particulary chat bots like Chat GPT might ultimately replace teachers and whether it creates the risk there will be less work for teachers in the future if AI can do some of the things that teachers currently do.
“I think the research suggests that it is not a big risk because there are many things that teachers do that are critical to their work that cannot easily be replaced with AI.”
Professor Sellar said he believes AI should not be banned in schools but instead students should be taught by parents and teachers to identify trustworthy information.
“We need to see AI as an opportunity and it is not totally clear what that opportunity is yet because it is early days but it does create the opportunity for us to do much more in terms of teaching and learning then is possible at the moment,” he said.
“We should see it as something that will enhance teaching and learning once we learn how to use it appropriately in classrooms and universities, not as a risk to education.
“There are some risks that it poses and we need to be working with students to help them understand those risks and understand how to engage with AI.
“There is a particular reason why understanding data science and Artificial Intelligence is particularly relevant in Mount Gambier given that it is used in forestry and other similar industries.”
UniSA Mount Gambier Campus regional manager Ian McKay said the public lecture was one of their best attended free monthly public lectures.
“Professor Sellar’s presentation was very well received by the 95 attendees, with some excellent questions and discussion,” he said.
“Artificial Intelligence is something that fascinates many people as it impacts on us now and will increasingly in the future.”
