Updated 08/08/2023
What do I need to know about ChatGPT?
For readers interested in learning some of the basic facts about ChatGPT and other Large Language Models (LLMs), the following pieces provide answers to some of the key questions that such technologies raise as well the basics of how they operate.
- “AI Platforms like ChatGPT Are Easy to Use but Also Potentially Dangerous” by Gary Marcus, Scientific American, December 19, 2022
- “ChatGPT is OpenAI’s latest fix for GPT-3. It’s slick but still spews nonsense” by Will Douglas Heaven, MIT Technology Review, November 30, 2022
- “ChatGPT is multilingual but monocultural, and it’s learning your values” by Jill Walker Rettberg, December 6, 2022
- Emily M. Bender, “On NYT Magazine on AI” (University of Washington linguist responds to a New York Times feature ).
- “Talking about Large Language Models” by Murray Shanahan, Arxiv preprint, December 7, 2022
- “35 Ways Real People Are Using A.I. Right Now” by Francesca Paris and Larry Buchanan. New York Times. 14 April 2023.
What should I know about the possible ways I might choose to change teaching practices to respond to ChatGPT?
For MLA and CCCC member-readers, the following selection of articles offers an overview of the kinds of teaching and learning questions that LLMs raise for the college classroom.
- “Alarmed by A.I. Chatbots, Universities Start Revamping How They Teach” by Kalley Huang, The New York Times, January 16, 2023
- “AI and the Future of Undergraduate Writing” by Beth McMurtrie, The Chronicle of Higher Education, December 13, 2022
- Adapting College Writing for the Age of Large Language Models such as ChatGPT: Some Next Steps for Educators,” by Anna Mills and Lauren Goodlad, Critical AI, January 17, 2023
- “Educator Considerations for ChatGPT” by OpenAI with educator comments in the margins–add yours with Hypothesis.
What should I think about in relation to policies in my classroom for student writers?
Tools like ChatGPT raise a number of issues for teachers, including how to define academic integrity in relation to text generated with ChatGPT and policy language to guide classroom practice around using LLMs. This set of texts offers models for possible ground rules and guidance.
- “A Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights for Education” by Kathryn Conrad, Critical AI preview, July 2023
- “Don’t Blame Students for Using ChatGPT to Cheat” by Jordan Carroll, The Nation, January 20 2023
- “Classroom Policies for AI Generative Tools,” curated by Lance Eaton
- “Artificial Intelligence Policy in Secondary Schools” by Leon Furze
- “Tools such as ChatGPT threaten transparent science; here are our ground rules for their use,” Nature editorial, January 24, 2023
What should I think about if I want my students to learn more about AI writing and ChatGPT as part of a digital and information literacy curriculum?
The articles in this section provide insights into some of the issues within ethics and education as faculty work to make strategic decisions about how to initiate discussions with students about digital literacy.
- “Prior to (or instead of) using ChatGPT with your students” by Autumn Caines, January 18, 2023
- “Teaching AI Ethics” by Leon Furze, January 26, 2023
- “Now the Humanities Can Disrupt ‘AI’” by Lauren Goodlad and Samuel Baker, Public Books, February 20, 2023
- “What’s in the Chatterbox? Large Language Models, Why They Matter, and What We Should Do About Them” by Johanna Okerlund et al, Ford School of Public Policy, April 2022
What do I need to know about the ethics of ChatGPT?
The recommended sources in this section are go-to pieces that explain the ethical, and environmental implications of ChatGPT.
- “Teaching AI Ethics” by Leon Furze, January 26, 2023
- “We read the paper that forced Timnit Gebru out of Google. Here’s what it says.” by Karen Hao, MIT Technology Review, December 4, 2020.
- “On the Dangers of Stochastic Parrots” by Emily M. Bender, Timnit Gebru, et al, FAccT ’21: Proceedings of the 2021 ACM Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency, March 2021. Association for Computing Machinery, doi: 10.1145/3442188.
- “OpenAI Used Kenyan Workers on Less than $2 Per Hour to Make ChatGPT Less Toxic” by Billy Perrigo, Time, January 18, 2023.
What do I need to know if I am considering encouraging student writers to use ChatGPT as part of their process?
These articles address issues that instructors should consider as they are determining how and whether to ask students to use ChatGPT. Topics include some of the ethics/data privacy considerations; pedagogical strategies and tools; planning strategically for the future, and academic integrity.
- “Teaching AI Ethics” by Leon Furze, January 26, 2023
- “Designing Assignments in the ChatGPT Era” by Susan Dagostino, Inside Higher Ed, January 31, 2023
- “ChatGPT Advice Academics Can Use Now” edited by Susan Dagostino, Inside Higher Ed, January 12, 2023
- “The practical guide to using AI to do stuff: A resource for students in my classes (and other interested people)” by Ethan Mollick, January 24, 2023
What should I know about student perspectives on ChatGPT?
To get a sense of how students are engaging with ChatGPT and perspectives raised about the impact on student line, start by reviewing this group of readings.
- “How Do Students Feel About OpenAI’s ChatGPT?” The Wall Street Journal, January 2, 2023
- “How ChatGPT robs students of motivation to write and think for themselves” by Naomi S. Baron, The Conversation, January 19, 2023
- “Using AI to Write Essays Isn’t Cheating, Student Says” by Emily Hayward, Canta., May 2022
- “I Would Have Cheated in College Using ChatGPT” by Michael Feldstein, December 16, 2022
What should I know about detection software?
Increasingly the public discourse around ChatGPT generating text is accompanied by just as robust of a discussion about how to detect AI-generated text. These articles offer multiple perspectives that capture the arguments around using detection software as well as strategies for initiating conversations with students about plagiarism or AI-generated text.
- “Two professors who say they caught students cheating on essays with ChatGPT explain why AI plagiarism can be hard to prove” by Beatrice Nolan, Business Insider, January 14, 2023
- “Why detecting AI-generated text is so difficult (and what to do about it)” by Melissa Heikkilä, MIT Technology Review, February 7, 2023
- “AI Writing Detection: A Losing Battle Worth Fighting” by Susan Dagostino, Inside Higher Ed, January 20, 2023
- “A Toolkit for Addressing AI Plagiarism in the Classroom” by Quill.org in cooperation with CommonLit.org, January 25, 2023
What do I need to know if I’m interested in using ChatGPT to help me prepare course materials?
The use of AI tools for designing courses, lessons, or instruction is still developing. Furze’s article offers a starting point for readers interested in this topic.
- “Using ChatGPT for Instructional Design” by Marc Watkins, July 17, 2023
- “Using AI to make teaching easier & more impactful” by Ethan Mollick, March 17, 2023
- “Practical Strategies for ChatGPT in education” by Leon Furze, January 23, 2023
- “Will ChatGPT make us better, happier teachers?” by Betsy Barre, January 20, 2023
- “ChatGPT for Educators | Prompting 101” by Fabien Maurin
- “A Teacher’s Prompt Guide to ChatGPT” by Andrew Herft
What should I read to learn more about perspectives on writing instruction and ChatGPT?
For writing instructors in particular, a number of perspectives have emerged ranging from “the sky is falling” for assigning students to write essays or other traditional texts to voices arguing that ChatGPT will improve the quality and experience of writing for students and teachers. These opinion columns reflect some of the various perspectives on this issue relevant to members of MLA and CCCC.
- “ChatGPT Just Got Better. What Does That Mean for Our Writing Assignments?” by Anna Mills, The Chronicle of Higher Education, March 23, 2023
- Freaking Out About ChatGPT—Part I | Just Visiting by John Warner on InsideHigher Ed, December 5, 2022.
- Guest Post: AI Will Augment, Not Replace | Just Visiting, Marc Watkins, InsideHigher Ed, December 14, 2022.
- AI bot ChatGPT writes smart essays — should professors worry?, Chris Stokel-Walker, Nature, December 9, 2022.
- GPT in Higher Education by Ray Schroeder, InsideHigherEd, January 18, 2023
- ChatGPT Will End High-School English – The Atlantic, by Daniel Herman, The Atlantic, December 9, 2022.
- A.I. Could Be Great for College Essays by Daniel Lametti, Slate, December 7, 2022.
- ChatGPT and Writing Assessment, an Old Problem Made New.” InsideHigherEd, 21 April 2023.
- Stop Being Polite and Start Getting Real: Don’t let students get away with a writing performance. Have them do the real thing. InsideHigherEd 19 July 2023.
curated and annotated by Anna Mills and Holly Hassel