It’s Not Just Students Who Are Taking Advantage Of AI In The Classroom

There’s been a mixture of optimism and skepticism regarding the increased use of artificial intelligence among students. Some say it’ll make cheating even easier while others see it as a powerful tool to aid in the learning process.

Either way, it seems that AI is here to stay … and now teachers are getting in on the action.

Making the grade

ChatGPT, an early innovator of the user-friendly AI tools that have flooded the market over the past year or so, is now powering a platform called Writable, which is designed to aid in the time-consuming task of grading written assignments.

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, which has produced educational material for generations, purchased the product last year and it is now being implemented by 3rd through 12th grade teachers.

Here’s how it’s designed to be used:

• The teacher inputs student essays into the Writable system.
• ChatGPT reviews the work and makes observations.
• The teacher makes final adjustments before grading.

Writable is designed with anonymity in mind, so students are not identified during the review process.

A warm reception

Teachers always have a lot on their plates, so an opportunity to ease some of that burden is sure to be a welcome addition to the education process. Sure, there are some concerns about accuracy, but Houghton Mifflin Harcourt CEO Jack Lynch noted that the system is designed as a “human in the loop” program.

That simply means that someone (in this case, the teacher) is responsible for confirming that the AI review was appropriate before signing off on it.

“We have a lot of teachers who are using the program and are very excited about it,” he said.

In addition to grading, educators are also starting to use AI in the creation of lesson plans and broader curriculums for their classes.

Chris Agee March 7th, 2024

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