AI Tools In RC Classroom: Evolution or Challenge?
In the last few years, AI, also known as Artificial Intelligence, has become a major part of our school and work lives, being integrated into all kinds of schoolwork, including writing formal essays, solving math problems, and analyzing significant data. The increasing popularity of AI worldwide also impacted Robert College, where for many students, AI has become a substantial part of their school life.
With AI already embedded in many academic tasks, students now turn to tools like ChatGPT and Grammarly for helping to help find essay ideas, format essays, and generate fake images. However, this wide-range increase in the use of AI also raised some concerns regarding plagiarism.
These concerns also raise important debates regarding the use of AI in schoolwork, particularly because, rather than increasing creativity and engagement in their school lives, it may instead serve as a tool that makes them always take the easy way out. In this context, this article focuses on the different perspectives on the use of AI and Robert College's approach towards this topic.
While some students acknowledge that relying too heavily on AI could simply weaken their confidence in their own abilities, many continue to hesitate when completing their schoolwork independently because AI often makes the process significantly easier. Since Robert College teachers have high expectations for students, this leads students to believe that AI would always "do better work" than themselves and rely on AI for their school assignments.
Similarly, teachers are equally conflicted. While some English teachers in RC allow minimal use of AI in assignments because they see AI as an opportunity to deepen students' engagement with course content, encouraging them to analyze AI-generated writing, examine how AI functions, or explore the role of upcoming technologies, others are more cautious, worrying that relying on AI could hamper the development of essential skills like original thinking, problem-solving, or authentic writing.
In addition, teachers are also concerned that as AI becomes more integrated into schoolwork, they may either be witnessing genuine classroom learning or simply seeing the introduction of yet another tool that allows students who already struggle with various subjects to avoid doing their tasks independently. Therefore, many teachers are currently adjusting their assignments to address this issue. For example, by asking students to compare their own ideas with AI-generated ones or to reflect on how AI has shaped their thought process.
However, despite these disagreements related to the use of Artificial Intelligence, one thing seems to be clear: AI is evolving and becoming more involved in our everyday lives. So, the key solution for schools like RC is not to completely prohibit or prevent the use of AI, but to encourage students to approach AI more meaningfully and ethically. This generally means that students should be able to use AI not to increase their accuracy or creativity in their assignments, but to use AI as another study tool that increases their academic productivity.
Some teachers are already designing assignments that require students to use AI critically, asking them to analyze its responses and not become the pawns of AI, but rather use the AI for their benefit. In this way, AI becomes not just a shortcut but a subject of study. Learning with AI, rather than through it, may represent the real educational evolution.
As the RC community proceeds in discovering all fields of AI, converting it to an area for learning interactively and using it effectively, AI continues to get more advanced by having a wide range of user groups. For now, one question remains: Is AI a revolution in education or a tool that risks limiting students' creative development?
