Despite the blazing spotlight on artificial intelligence, Dr. Feng Guo discovered many of his students still had not even interacted with an AI technology. That changed when he incorporated AI into a course in spring, with such success that he plans to incorporate AI as appropriate into other courses he teaches.
Guo is an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He first introduced AI to his classroom in his spring Psychology 2010 course, “Introductory Statistics in Psychology.”
“The activity was well-received, with students expressing satisfaction and a motivation to utilize these novel tools in the future,” he said, “Another point, perhaps somewhat reassuring, is that despite finding the AI tool extremely useful, students still believe that the teacher’s role is irreplaceable and crucial to their learning.”
Guo said some students raised concerns about ethical issues around the use of AI tools.
“Although the potential for cheating presents a significant challenge in the educational use of AI tools, it’s important to recognize their positive aspects,” Guo said. “We must acknowledge the power and benefits these tools offer, as well as the essential need for students to master them to remain competitive in today’s job market.”
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The course focused on descriptive and inferential statistics within the context of psychology and other social sciences toward a comprehensive understanding of statistical methods and their applications. Emphasizing computer analysis of data, the course covered a broad range of topics including traditional and modern descriptive techniques, correlation and regression analysis, probability concepts, inferential techniques and the use of state-of-the-art computer programs for data analysis.
Guo’s students were introduced to Google Colab and ChatGPT and then guided through the process of becoming familiar with these tools. After ensuring that all students had access to the tools and were comfortable with their use, Guo gave each student a copy of an interactive Python notebook.
The notebook contains pre-written Python computer code snippets and accompanying questions. Students paired up to collaboratively tackle a series of problems within the shared notebook. They used ChatGPT to understand the code and answer the assigned problems. The exercise’s four sets of questions corresponded to four distinct code blocks provided.
The primary objective of the AI-integrated assignment is to enhance students’ understanding of statistical concepts through practical, hands-on experience with contemporary AI tools, Guo said. Given the value of the AI innovation to the learning experience and students’ embrace of the approach, Guo said he’s bringing it to the course again this fall.
College of Arts and Sciences Dean Pam Riggs-Gelasco funded Guo’s proposal to incorporate AI into an assignment with $250 for developing materials and enhancing teaching aids.
M.S. Industrial-Organizational Psychology program
M.S. Psychological Science program
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