North Central College in the News
North Central College assistant provost for faculty development featured in Daily Herald
May 31, 2023
Laura Lohman shared her thoughts on the ChatGPT and its overall effectiveness in educational settings
Before the 2022-2023 academic year began, ChatGPT was likely not on the radar for many college professors and students. But less than a year later, many in higher education say they can't imagine life without it. Launched in November 2022 by San Francisco-based startup OpenAI, ChatGPT can craft essays, solve math equations, write or check the accuracy of HTML code and brainstorm ideas for graphic design, as well as complete other tasks. The artificial intelligence tool can generate readable text on demand in a wide range of styles and voices and for a variety of purposes.
Some educators are skeptical, citing ethical concerns and the potential for students to use it to cheat. However, there's also a sense of optimism and willingness among some college educators to engage with ChatGPT's vast capabilities. Many see it having a permanent place in the professional world students will enter into.
Laura Lohman, assistant provost for faculty development and innovation and the director of the Center for the Advancement of Faculty Excellence (CAFÉ) at North Central College, was interviewed by the Daily Herald, where she shared she’s seen mixed reactions from faculty.
"An optimistic view would be that we can get over the crisis response and see this type of AI as a useful tool, and we start working with it," Lohman said, pointing out that similar debates brewed when graphing calculators or the internet first made their appearance in the classroom.
