Challenges and Opportunities of Generative AI for Higher Education as Explained by ChatGPT

Abstract

ChatGPT is revolutionizing the field of higher education by leveraging deep learning models to generate human-like content. However, its integration into academic settings raises concerns regarding academic integrity, plagiarism detection, and the potential impact on critical thinking skills. This article presents a study that adopts a thing ethnography approach to understand ChatGPT’s perspective on the challenges and opportunities it represents for higher education. The research explores the potential benefits and limitations of ChatGPT, as well as mitigation strategies for addressing the identified challenges. Findings emphasize the urgent need for clear policies, guidelines, and frameworks to responsibly integrate ChatGPT in higher education. It also highlights the need for empirical research to understand user experiences and perceptions. The findings provide insights that can guide future research efforts in understanding the implications of ChatGPT and similar Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems in higher education. The study concludes by highlighting the importance of thing ethnography as an innovative approach for engaging with intelligent AI systems and calls for further research to explore best practices and strategies in utilizing Generative AI for educational purposes.

Below average ChatGPT performance in medical microbiology exam compared to university students

“…The revolutionary influence of artificial intelligence (AI) is gaining a profound recognition, particularly in the scope of higher education (Grassini, 2023;Kamalov et al, 2023). The advent of AI conversational models (e.g., ChatGPT, Bard, and Bing Chat) offers an opportunity to fundamentally transform the entire educational landscape including various aspects such as teaching methods, curriculum development, educational policies, and practices (Michel-Villarreal et al, 2023;Sallam, 2023;Southworth et al, 2023). On the other hand, AI is dynamic field, characterized by rapid expansion and evolution (Dwivedi et al, 2023).…”

“…One particular aspect where AI-based tools can be helpful is the easy access to customized educational content that matches the specific needs and preferences of students; thereby, offering personalized learning experiences (Huang et al, 2023;Kamalov et al, 2023;Sallam, 2023;Sallam et al, 2023d). Nevertheless, there are valid concerns that arose regarding the perspectives of AI-models in higher education, specifically concerns involving the inaccuracy of the information provided by these models as well as privacy concerns (Kimmerle et al, 2023;Michel-Villarreal et al, 2023;Moldt et al, 2023;Sallam, 2023). In higher education, multiple-choice questions (MCQs) are well-recognized as an objective method to evaluate the students' achievement of required competencies and intended learning outcomes despite its known limitations (Brown and Abdulnabi, 2017;Newton, 2020;Liu et al, 2023).…”

The Performance of OpenAI ChatGPT-4 and Google Gemini in Virology Multiple-Choice Questions: A Comparative Analysis of English and Arabic Responses

“…This limitation of generative AI performance is particularly relevant in healthcare education, where the ability to apply knowledge creatively and critically is essential [43]. The observed limitation raises concerns about the current reliability of AI as an educational tool, which was reported in the context of various AI chatbots [7,18,34,44]. Collectively, these results highlight the critical areas for future development and improvement in AI training approaches.…”

Early Perceptions of Teaching and Learning Using Generative AI in Higher Education

“…There have been a number of articles, both scholarly and nonacademic, that have addressed the potential for plagiarism using ChatGPT (Keegin, 2023; Michel-Villarreal et al, 2023). This study has found that younger age groups tended to believe that Generative AI is conducive to plagiarism.…”