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The 2022 launch of ChatGPT was met with excitement and fear. Concerns about the generative AI chatbot and virtual assistant included the potential for spreading misinformation, copyright infringement, and bias. Teachers worried the platform could damage students\u2019 critical thinking skills and threaten academic integrity. Pary Fassihi<\/a>, a senior lecturer in the writing program, and her colleagues began seeing traces of AI use in students\u2019 work almost immediately. She decided to take an approach of \u201ccritical embrace.\u201d<\/p>\n Fassihi quickly incorporated generative AI into the writing courses she taught for English language learners. She discovered it could be used to help students think deeply about their writing. \u201cIt became a great tool to teach language and grammar,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n For one exercise, she had students compare their own writing with a hybrid version they\u2019d edited in ChatGPT to be more concise or to adopt a different voice. When asked which version they preferred, \u201cmany students wanted to keep their own,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s best practice for students to see that level of transparency from their professors as well.\u201d<\/p>\n Fassihi is a member of BU\u2019s inaugural AI Task Force<\/a>, which generated a report in spring 2024<\/a> with best practices and recommended policies for using generative AI in classes. Fassihi was also part of a group of professors who piloted AI-intensive writing courses in spring 2024, with support from a grant from BU\u2019s Shipley Center for Digital Learning & Innovation<\/a>. \u201cWhat I wanted my students to take away from this class was being transparent in their AI use,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Fassihi also uses generative AI in her own work. \u201cIt\u2019s a big time saver for certain tasks,\u201d she says. That includes refreshing class activities and coming up with discussion questions. \u201cMaybe it can offer a different perspective,\u201d she says. She always notes if an assignment has been created with the assistance of AI. \u201cThe first time the students saw that, they were shocked,\u201d she says. \u201cThey don\u2019t see that level of transparency from everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n To show their own transparency, students highlighted sections of their papers drawn from ChatGPT and explained how they arrived at that version. \u201cI\u2019m not sure that level of time is spent [writing] one paragraph without generative AI,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n After seeing the care with which her students used this tool, Fassihi is convinced that generative AI has the potential to promote critical thinking. Another set of AI-intensive courses will be offered in spring 2025, taught by a new group of professors. \u201cWhen we went into this project, we didn\u2019t know what to expect,\u201d says Fassihi. \u201cI didn\u2019t know how much of a success it would be and how students would absolutely embrace and learn as well as they did from ethically using generative AI.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"\/cas\/files\/2024\/10\/gptClass152CAS_burke-stevenson_003-636x477.jpg\")
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