OpenAI Releases Educators' Guide for Teaching With AI

  • By Kate Lucariello
  • 09/13/23

OpenAI, maker of ChatGPT, has released a guide for educators on how to teach with AI in the classroom. The guide includes prompt ideas, how ChatGPT works and its limitations, ChatGPT effectiveness, and issues of bias. The company also offers an educator FAQ with additional resources.

The guide draws on stories from teachers using ChatGPT in their classrooms to accomplish tasks such as:

  • Using it as a tutor or a persona to take on specific roles;
  • Generating quizzes, exams, and lesson plans;
  • Helping non-English speakers with translation, conversation, and writing;
  • Teaching critical thinking, especially in evaluating the credibility of the AI's answer;
  • Generating prompts for writing; and more.

For example, Helen Crompton, instructional technology professor at Old Dominion University, has her education graduate students use ChatGPT as a debate partner to challenge their arguments, or act as a job recruiter and interview them, or act as an employer giving feedback.

"She says exploring information in a conversational setting helps students understand their material with added nuance and new perspective," OpenAI noted.

The guide can be found on this blog page.

Some of the considerations noted in the FAQ include:

  • Whether the ChatGPT AI is biased and truthful, how this can negatively affect student thinking and understanding, and how to deal with it;
  • How teachers can respond to students using AI-generated content as their own;
  • How ChatGPT can be used for assessment and feedback;
  • The safety of ChatGPT for various ages;
  • How educators can learn more about AI and ChatGPT (free training, etc.).

"Like the internet, ChatGPT is a powerful tool that can help educators and students if used thoughtfully," the company said in the introduction to its FAQ. "There are many ways to get there, and the education community is where the best answers will come from."

About the Author

Kate Lucariello is a former newspaper editor, EAST Lab high school teacher and college English teacher.

Featured

  • Training the Next Generation of Space Cybersecurity Experts

    CT asked Scott Shackelford, Indiana University professor of law and director of the Ostrom Workshop Program on Cybersecurity and Internet Governance, about the possible emergence of space cybersecurity as a separate field that would support changing practices and foster future space cybersecurity leaders.

  • modern college building with circuit and brain motifs

    Anthropic Launches Claude for Education

    Anthropic has announced a version of its Claude AI assistant tailored for higher education institutions. Claude for Education "gives academic institutions secure, reliable AI access for their entire community," the company said, to enable colleges and universities to develop and implement AI-enabled approaches across teaching, learning, and administration.

  • AI microchip, a cybersecurity shield with a lock, a dollar coin, and a laptop with financial graphs connected by dotted lines

    Survey: Generative AI Surpasses Cybersecurity in 2025 Tech Budgets

    Global IT leaders are placing bigger bets on generative artificial intelligence than cybersecurity in 2025, according to new research by Amazon Web Services (AWS).

  • university building surrounded by icons for AI, checklists, and data governance

    Improving AI Governance for Stronger University Compliance and Innovation

    AI can generate valuable insights for higher education institutions and it can be used to enhance the teaching process itself. The caveat is that this can only be achieved when universities adopt a strategic and proactive set of data and process management policies for their use of AI.