ChatGPT provokes mixed reactions

Faculty and students weigh its implications on education

ChatGPT from Page 1 of the faculty yet about what we think of this,” Usher said. “I think that the general consensus is that, if writing becomes less valued because AI can do it better, maybe we need to think about other ways of students showing that they understand content.”

USD senior Genesis Capellán considered the consequences of ChatGPT diminishing the need for creators to flourish in school and out in the world.

“I feel that ChatGPT is a scary tool. What I don’t like about it is that it is starting to become a thing where it can take away opportunities from creators,” Capellán said. “I feel like when people come up with things from their mind, it is a form of language that no one else can find but the person within.”

Capellán also pointed out that individuals may no longer find the need to apply their skills to in their work.

“It can definitely help with brainstorming, but when you take the tool and use it as something of a product in and of itself, it becomes a true danger,” Capellán said. “I myself have never tried ChatGPT, and a part of me doesn’t want to. I feel like once we become comfortable with a tool like this, we will abandon the tools within us.”

Dr. Charles Pateros of the Engineering Department released a guideline for his students stating that if ChatGPT or other methods are used to assist in producing any documentation, proper citation for the tool is still required, thus encouraging his students to use what works best for them.

However, Pateros facilitates classroom work so that students still have to display their comprehension of the material. “I have made the tool available to my students. But the purpose of this class isn’t for the students to write. I have them use an online resource to learn various topics, and then they need to digest those topics and present them back,” Pateros said. “If someone takes a shortcut to make their documentation easier, it’s not going to improve their grade.”

Altogether, Pateros acknowledged that ChatGPT is now a resource for students and that accommodations may be made to manage, not prohibit, its role in the classroom.

“It’s out there. But what really matters is whether the students understand the material,” Pateros said. “I just ask them to document their interaction with the tool, and I might learn something from that.”

The company announced that it will offer extended services for

$20 a month, under ChatGPT Plus, which includes constant access to the chatbox, precedence with new features and improvements and faster response rates, according to the The New York Times.

While USD has not made any campus-wide decisions about the extent to which ChatGPT can or will be implemented or prohibited, it is evident that AI tools may begin to revolutionize student habits and learning styles. and outside of the classroom.