Lecturers need to be 'smarter' ChatGPT

According to scientists, it is impossible to eliminate ChatGPT from the educational process. On the contrary, it is necessary to encourage its use, but it requires teachers to be 'smarter' than ChatGPT.

Mr. Tang Huu Phong - Deputy Head of the Propaganda Department of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee (right) - presented flowers to the conference organizers - Photo: TRAN HUYNH

On the morning of November 22, the national scientific conference "The impact of ChatGPT and similar tools on the quality of teaching and learning political theory subjects" was organized by the University of Finance - Marketing in collaboration with the Propaganda Department of the Party Committee of the University and College of Ho Chi Minh City with the participation of nearly 100 scientists.

ChatGPT poses major challenges for instructors

According to Colonel, Dr. Pham Van Quoc (Nguyen Hue University), the appearance of ChatGPT is a breakthrough in artificial intelligence (AI) technology, having a great impact on all aspects of social life, including education in general and political theory education in particular.

According to research at some political theory training institutions, with the support of ChatGPT, both teachers and students spend less time searching for information than before; preparing a draft outline for a subject only takes about 30 minutes, or even faster.

Besides the advantages, this application also poses great challenges for lecturers and training institutions in changing teaching methods and ways of testing and evaluating learners or changing program standards.

"The difficulties and challenges that political theory education faces in the coming years will be greater as ChatGPT develops more and more strongly.

Currently, the education systems of many countries have expressed concerns that AI applications will make it easier for students to cheat in exams and plagiarize," Mr. Quoc commented.

Associate Professor Dr. Pham Thi Kien (Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics) said: "When using ChatGPT, students can easily search for information and answer questions without the guidance of lecturers, which reduces the opportunity for direct interaction and loses the connection between lecturers and students.

Additionally, ChatGPT can reduce students' ability to focus and pay attention, as they are easily distracted by other notifications and messages while studying.

Additionally, reliance on ChatGPT may reduce students' opportunities to develop face-to-face communication skills with instructors and classmates, affecting students' future communication abilities."

Scientists confirm that ChatGPT cannot replace lecturers in teaching - Photo: TRAN HUYNH

The use of ChatGPT in teaching and learning should be encouraged.

According to Dr. Quoc, although there are still many concerns about negative impacts and potential challenges, if there is a correct approach and appropriate solutions, ChatGPT will become an effective tool in promoting the development of political theory education methods.

"In political theory education, we must not only not eliminate ChatGPT from the educational process, but also actively encourage its use and find ways to turn challenges into conditions to improve the quality of the political theory education process itself at each training institution," Mr. Quoc emphasized.

In addition, he recommended innovating the assessment method by minimizing the reliance on essay writing and maximizing the use of question-and-answer and direct discussion for assessment, and assessment through presentations.

Similarly, Associate Professor Dr. Pham Thi Kien also believes that it is currently impossible to ban students from using ChatGPT. The application of ChatGPT in education brings many benefits, but also poses some challenges if not strictly controlled. One of the main problems is the lack of direct interaction between lecturers and students.

It is necessary to innovate the method of political theory education in the direction of using active teaching methods, combining verbal methods with visual methods and practical methods.

Therefore, lecturers need to become true content creators, need to promote the spirit of initiative, positivity, daring to think, daring to do, daring to innovate, so that ChatGPT can truly become a tool in teaching and research.

Scientists speak at the workshop on the morning of November 22 - Photo: TRAN HUYNH

Promoting academic integrity

Dr. Dang Thi Minh Phuong (Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry) also commented that in the context of the 4.0 revolution, ChatGPT has a positive impact on the teaching process by providing new experiences, but there are also negative aspects that need to be studied and explained to promote the potentials and strengths, and limit the risks and shortcomings of ChatGPT when teaching political theory subjects in universities today.

Lecturers teaching these subjects must not only impart theoretical and practical knowledge but also encourage critical thinking, debate, and analysis of viewpoints, sources, and necessary historical data for students.

For lecturers who "depend" on ChatGPT, using ChatGPT to create lectures or answer questions quickly can reduce creativity and the ability to self-study academic materials, leading to passivity in the teaching process.

"Lecturers absolutely must not depend on ideas, content, methods... on the issues suggested by ChatGPT. On the other hand, they must uphold academic integrity, not copy, and not become a "machine" that follows the content suggested by ChatGPT," Ms. Phuong noted.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/giang-vien-can-phai-thong-minh-hon-chatgpt-20241122104208379.htm