“Artificial Intelligence (AI) is everywhere, and the danger is that we become desensitized to how much we use it,” said Prof. Gregory Golda, assistant teaching professor of the School of Communications, Media and the Arts (SCMA).
Source: Daniel Passapera, Sacred Heart University
AI has been an evolving technology over the past few years and has had a growing presence in education. Although it is new, how is it affecting both students and professors?
“Being a communications professor, I think it’s really important that we don’t close doors to opportunities with AI,” said Golda.
Golda teaches a democratic technologies class, where his students do several projects to analyze AI tools and try to input and create something of value.
“The results are often lackluster, and when the students analyze it, they say that these things are really overhyped, and there’s not really a lot of good stuff coming out of it,” said Golda.
Sophomore Caitlin Ciccone is a nursing major. She said that AI has helped her when she uses it for studying on her own.
“I am able to use my resources from class and have AI give me practice questions to get me ready for tests,” said Ciccone. “I’d say I use it almost every day when I am studying, as it can give me infinite amounts of practice questions and practice tests that I can make mirror the types of questions I will see on exams.”
“On the technical side, AI is incredibly useful for technical things and medical research. On the humanity side, I feel that it basically breaks our cognitive stream and short circuits the learning process,” said Golda.
Sophomore and criminal justice major Luca Novellino said he uses AI to give him quick information about a question and then uses that information to make his own conclusions.
“I personally do not feel I am sacrificing any knowledge by using AI, but I know some other students use it as a crutch more than others, which can hurt them in the long run,” said Novellino.
Sophomore and accounting major Matthew Gavagan said he uses AI as a tool to help check his work.
“I don’t use it to complete assignments for me, but I will occasionally ask it to proofread my work after I review it once or twice,” said Gavagan. “However, I just ask the AI to point out the errors so I can decide whether or not I actually want to make those changes.”
Prof. Sidney Gottlieb, who teaches film studies and upper-level media courses in SCMA, said that he addresses AI in his syllabi and with his students regarding the work they do.
“Rather than get a ChatGPT summary of the readings assigned for the class, read them yourself carefully. Do that summary, take those notes, raise those questions, learn from it that way,” said Gottlieb.
When it comes to teaching, Gottlieb said he still finds that the “old school” ways are still relevant today.
“I still see a lot of value in the old methods and the old purposes of education and learning,” said Gottlieb.
While AI is likely to remain in education and evolve, opinions vary on whether it is hurtful or helpful to learning. Gottlieb is one that believes that learning should be left to humans without the use of AI.
“I’m worried that AI is doing things for us that we can do on our own, and a large part of our education centers on teaching us how to do those things without having somebody or something else do it for us,” said Gottlieb.
