By Mark Benway
AI, short for artificial intelligence, has been a part of our society for decades. From the introduction of the internet to the creation of chatbots, AI has been changing the online landscape since its very inception. However, no one would have ever predicted the impact that this technology would have on people’s education across the globe.
Educators as well as students have been forced to reckon with the effects of this technology – and the inconsistent approaches institutions have in managing it. Thomas Mennella, a biology professor at Western New England University, is one of the many educators who are learning to adapt to teaching with AI.
Mennella is concerned about the role AI can play in higher education. “It is a mess, to be blunt about it,” he said. “You have some schools banning it completely, you have other schools embracing it, then there are some professors banning it while others are allowing it.”
Debate rages across higher education about how to handle AI, particularly because of the uncertainty about its use. While an informal survey of 89 people at Western New England University indicated that about 79% said they would use AI in their education if permitted, another survey conducted by BestColleges.com in 2023 found that one-third (33%) of college students in the United States have had either their professor or their institution ban the use of AI tools in their studies. For his part, Mennella allows his students to use AI in the classroom, and sometimes even integrates AI use into his assignments.
Mennella has his own professional subscription to AI services. This has allowed him to use it to make his own custom bots. For example, Mennella has a bot that can generate quiz and exam questions for him if he wants to. He also uploaded all his course material to another bot, which allows it to be customized to the course he teaches. This makes it so if a student asks a question in an email that would take a lot of time to write a response, Mennella can give it to the bot, and it will give a quick response based on the course material. Mennella has found a ton of ways to make AI helpful in and out of the classroom, even teaching himself new topics based on asking AI first and then doing further research.
However, Mennella is still cautious about completely trusting AI. “Where I don’t use AI is for actual information,” he said. “I don’t trust anything it says. I treat it like a colleague or helpful neighbor in the sense that I might not trust what you’re saying to me is factual since I don’t know what you’re an expert in, but your opinion matters and I’m interested in getting your feedback and then I’ll evaluate for myself.”
Even though Mennella is open to AI being used in the classroom, there are still some negatives that have to be dealt with. A big challenge is cheating in the classroom, such as having AI write your entire paper or do your entire assignment without fact-checking it. Hanieh Shabanian, an assistant professor of computer science and info tech at Western New England University, believes that there are larger problems facing us with AI than just simple cheating in the classroom. Shabanian said, “There is an issue of inequality among users. While AI can potentially level the playing field, there is a risk that it might widen the gap between privileged and unprivileged students. Those who already have access to abundant resources might benefit from more AI-driven tools, leaving others behind.”
These inequalities are likely to be most acute along ethnic and racial lines. According to research published by Brookings and conducted by The Hechinger Report, an independent nonprofit organization focused on inequality and innovation in education, states that children from ethnic minorities will face greater inequalities if we digitalize education at a fast rate, such as with AI.
The classroom dynamics are changing faster than ever among not just students but professors as well. Shabanian is one of many faculty monitoring the situation. “Let’s not forget the human touch,” she said. “While AI can undoubtedly enhance learning, there’s a danger of it overshadowing the role of human educators.” Many professors, similar to Shabanian and Mennella, fear for their jobs in the coming years, with the ever-changing technology and the advancements being made every single day, which creates an unpredictable future. This affects not only college-level students and professors but also all grade levels in the world of education.
Mennella will continue to teach his courses with an open mind toward AI. Although it has its positives and negatives, AI is the future of education. In a sense, it has the potential to become a useful tool for many. Shabanian looked at AI and its future in the world of education with optimism, saying, “With ongoing collaboration and innovation, we have the opportunity to harness AI’s capabilities to enhance learning outcomes, foster inclusivity, and prepare students for success in an increasingly digital world.” On the other hand, although viewing AI with optimism, Mennella still has some worries about AI. Specifically, Mennella has some concerns about how the lack of regulations with AI will impact students as they go from class to class, as rules vary from professor to professor. This creates confusion for the students, as they could become confused about which professor is all right with AI being used and which professor is not. This creates challenges, especially if the student made an honest mistake thinking AI was accepted in one class when it was actually another class.
Nonetheless, AI will be a part of our world for the foreseeable future. Whether people like it or not, AI will become a powerhouse in education. Professors like Mennella and Shabanian are just two out of many around the world learning to adapt to AI and accepting their new future. AI will either become the most helpful resource or the largest problem in educational history. The choice is theirs.
