higher education

Unessay—Gateway to Future Higher Education (HE) Assessments in an AI World?

cdtlsd Paper Presentations , , , , , ,

Chitra SABAPATHY
Centre for English Language Communication (CELC)

elccs@nus.edu.sg

 

Sabapathy, C. (2023). Unessay—Gateway to future higher education (HE) assessments in an AI world? [Paper presentation]. In Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC) 2023, 7 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecc2023proceedings/unessay-gateway-to-future-higher-education-he-assessments-in-an-ai-world/

SUB-THEME

AI and Education 

 

KEYWORDS

Unessay, higher education, AI, student autonomy, multimedia, oral communication

 

CATEGORY

Paper Presentation 

 

ABSTRACT

The rapid advancement of generative artificial intelligence (AI) has caused educators to find that their assessments (e.g., Kung et al., 2022) and pedagogies are vulnerable to them. However, it is important to recognise that AI should not solely be viewed from the perspective of facilitating cheating, particularly since tools like ChatGPT have become integrated into students’ lives. Instead of focusing on prohibitions or strictly monitoring for academic dishonesty, it would be beneficial to explore ways to embrace and utilise these technologies in education (Dawson, 2020) and design assessments that could represent “future realities” of respective disciplines. This presentation highlights the potential benefits of adopting “unessay” as an alternative pedagogical approach in higher education. Unessay offers students a degree of freedom, necessitates ownership, fuels passion (Jakopak et al.,2019), creativity, critical thinking, interdisciplinary understanding in which individuals articulate their ideas, beliefs, and identities. Students are afforded the autonomy to select their own topic within a specific subject area and determine their preferred method of presentation, provided that it is both captivating and impactful (O’Donnel, 2012). By granting students autonomy, fostering creativity, and encouraging critical thinking beyond conventional academic norms, unessay not only equips them with the essential skills required to navigate an AI-driven future but also offers them the freedom to explore alternative modes of expression (Nave, 2021). This approach engenders motivation and investment in their academic work. It also compels students to consider the intended audience, choose appropriate rhetorical strategies, and synthesise information effectively. This is evidenced in previous studies, such as how students used unessay in unique ways in history classes (Guiliano, 2022; Irwin, 2022; Neuhaus, 2022), histology of organ cells (Wood and Stringham, 2022), computer programming (Aycock et al., 2019), writing (Jakopak et al.,2019 and Sullivan, 2015), and applied cognitive psychology (Goodman, 2022). In CS2101 “Effective Communication for Computing Professionals”, the assignment task encouraged students to apply Gibb’s Reflective Cycle, involving describing unique experiences, reflecting on feelings, evaluating and analysing those experiences, and concluding with a future plan. This assignment departed from traditional written reflection essays, allowing students to use AI and innovative multimedia formats such as videos, podcasts, and infographics to express their insights and learning. Drawing from the implementation of the “unessay” strategy, its effectiveness as a teaching approach was assessed through an anonymous end-course survey. This survey incorporated both quantitative and qualitative feedback gathered from approximately 50 students who were enrolled in the course as well as tutors who taught on the course. The data provided insights as to how students engaged with the “unessay” strategy and what their perceptions of its effectiveness were, and the tutors’ perceptions of using this strategy in the course. This presentation aims to facilitate discussions and reflections on the unessay concept and how this could be integrated into higher education (HE) assessment, serving as a potential gateway to a more diverse and inclusive assessment framework.

 

REFERENCES

Aycock, J., Wright, H., Hildebrandt, J., Kenny, D., Lefebvre, N., Lin, M., Mamaclay, M., Sayson, S., Stewart, A., & Yuen, A. (2019). Adapting the “Unessay” for use in computer science. Proceedings of the 24th Western Canadian Conference on Computing Education, 1–6.

Dawson, P. (2020). Cognitive offloading and assessment. In M. Bearman, P. Dawson, R. Ajjawi, J. Tai, & D. Boud (Eds.), Re-imagining University Assessment in a Digital World (pp. 37-48). Springer International Publishing.

Goodman, S. G. (2022). Just as long as it’s not an essay: The unessay as a tool for engagement in a cognitive psychology course. Teaching of Psychology, 0(0), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1177/00986283221110542

Guiliano, J. (2022). The unessay as native-centered history and pedagogy. Teaching History: A Journal of Methods, 47(1), 6-12. https://doi.org/10.33043/TH.47.1.6-12

Irwin, R. (2022). The un-essay, and teaching in a time of monsters. Teaching History: A Journal of Methods, 47(1), 13-25. https://doi.org/10.33043/TH.47.1.13-25

Jakopak, R. P., Monteith, K. L., & Merkle, B. G. (2019). Writing science: Improving understanding and communication skills with the “unessay.” Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America, 100(4), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1002/bes2.1610

O’Donnel, D. P. (2012, September 4). The unessay. Daniel Paul O’Donnell. http://people.uleth.ca/~daniel.odonnell/Teaching/the-unessay

Nave, L. (2021). Universal design for learning UDL in online environments: The HOW of learning. Journal of Developmental Education, 44(3), 34-35. http://www.jstor.org/stable/45381118

Neuhaus, J. (2022). Introduction to the Fall 2022 Special Issue: Using the unessay to teach history. Teaching History: A Journal of Methods, 47(1), 2- 5. https://doi.org/10.33043/TH.47.1.2-5

Sullivan, P. (2015). The UnEssay: Making room for creativity in the composition classroom. College Composition and Communication, 67(1), 6-34. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24633867

Wood, J. L., & Stringham, N. (2022). The UnEssay project as an enriching alternative to practical exams in pre-professional and graduate education. Journal of Biological Education. Informa UK Limited, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1080/00219266.2022.2047098

 

Investigating Students’ Perception and Use of ChatGPT as a Learning Tool to Develop English Writing Skills: A Survey Analysis

cdtlsd Paper Presentations , , , , ,

Jonathan PHAN* and Jessie TENG
Centre for English Language Communication (CELC)

*jonathanphan@nus.edu.sg

 

Phan, J., & Teng, J. (2023). Investigating students’ perception and use of ChatGPT as a learning tool to develop english writing skills: A survey analysis [Paper presentation]. In Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC) 2023, 7 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecc2023proceedings/investigating-students-perception-and-use-of-chatgpt-as-a-learning-tool-to-develop-english-writing-skills-a-survey-analysis/

SUB-THEME

AI and Education 

 

KEYWORDS

AI-assisted education, ChatGPT, English language communication, higher education, writing

 

CATEGORY

Paper Presentation 

 

ABSTRACT

ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot and Large Language Model (LLM) developed by OpenAI, has garnered significant attention worldwide since its release for public use in November 2022. In the field of higher education, there is considerable enthusiasm regarding the potential use of ChatGPT for innovating AI-assisted education. Advocators propose utilising this AI tool to enhance students’ learning experiences and reduce teacher workload (Baker et al., 2019; Zhai, 2022). However, some educational institutions view its use as potentially detrimental to the teaching and learning process due to its disruptive nature. Concerns include the possibility of “amplify[ing] laziness and counteracting learners’ interest to conduct their own investigations and come to their own conclusions or solutions” (Kasneci et al., 2023, p. 7), and “increased instances of plagiarism” (Looi & Wong, 2023). Consequently, some higher educational institutions in various countries have banned or restricted the use of AI tools due to students’ use of ChatGPT to plagiarise (Cassidy, 2023; CGTN, 2023; Reuters, 2023; Sankaran, 2023). As a response, some educators propose creating AI-resistant assessments to combat student plagiarism while others suggest providing resources and proper guidance for students to use ChatGPT judiciously and responsibly (Rudolph et al., 2023).

 

As universities work to develop policies to address the use of AI tools, particularly ChatGPT, by both teachers and students within the academic context, they need to consider both the teachers’ and the students’ perspectives on the matter. However, given the novelty of this research topic, studies on the use of ChatGPT are not only scarce, but they have primarily focused on the pedagogical implications of AI tools from the teacher’s perspective. To address the lack of studies on students’ perspective, this study seeks to examine the perceptions and use of ChatGPT as a learning tool by higher education students.

To examine students’ perceptions of using ChatGPT as a learning tool to develop English academic writing skills, a survey questionnaire was administered to students enrolled in an undergraduate English language communication course at a local university. The questionnaire consisted of 34 five-point Likert scale questions and two open-ended questions on participants’ views on ChatGPT and their use of ChatGPT in their learning. One expected finding is that students are aware of how ChatGPT can be used, while an interesting finding is that students are also aware that ChatGPT gives misleading answers. In addition, a number of students disagreed that using ChatGPT was an efficient way of doing their assignments. Nevertheless, many use it for paraphrasing, generating ideas, and improving their general knowledge. As such, some students do feel helped by ChatGPT as a learning tool, although not every participant thinks it should be allowed in higher education.

 

It is hoped that the findings of this study can serve as a point of reference for educators in developing course materials and assessments so as to promote the effective use of ChatGPT in higher education.

 

 

REFERENCES

Baker, T., Smith, L., & Anissa, N. (2019). Educ-AI-tion rebooted? Exploring the future of artificial intelligence in schools and colleges. Nesta Foundation. https://www.nesta.org.uk/report/education-rebooted/

Cassidy, C. (2023, January 10). Australian universities to return to ‘pen and paper’ exams after students caught using AI to write essays. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/jan/10/universities-to-return-to-pen-and-paper-exams-after-students-caught-using-ai-to-write-essays

CGTN. (2023, February 19). University of Hong Kong issues interim ban on ChatGPT, AI-based tools. CGTN. https://news.cgtn.com/news/2023-02-19/University-of-Hong-Kong-issues-interim-ban-on-ChatGPT-AI-based-tools-1hxWzqgcMxy/index.html

Kasneci, E., Sessler, K., Küchemann, S., Bannert, M., Dementieva, D., Fischer, F., …Kasneci, G. (2023). ChatGPT for good? On opportunities and challenges of large language models for education. Learning and Individual Differences, 103, 102274. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2023.102274

Looi, C. K., & Wong, L. H. (2023, February 7). Commentary: ChatGPT can disrupt education, but it need not be all bad. Here’s how NIE is using it to train teachers. TODAY. https://www.todayonline.com/commentary/commentary-chatgpt-can-disrupt-education-it-need-not-be-all-bad-heres-how-nie-using-it-train-teachers-2102386

Reuters. (2023, January 28). Top French university bans use of ChatGPT to prevent plagiarism. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/technology/top-french-university-bans-use-chatgpt-prevent-plagiarism-2023-01-27/

Rudolph, J., Tan., S, & Tan., S. (2023). ChatGPT: Bullshit spewer or the end of traditional assessments in higher education? Journal of Applied Learning and Teaching, 6, 1. https://doi.org/10.37074/jalt.2023.6.1.9

Sankaran, V. (2023, April 10). Japanese universities become latest to restrict use of ChatGPT. The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/tech/japanese-universities-chatgpt-use-restrict-b2317060.html

Zhai, X. (2023). ChatGPT user experience: Implications for education. SSRN. https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4312418

 

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