On 5 June 2023, a roundtable panel discussion was facilitated by FEIT’s Discipline of Geotechnical and Transport Engineering in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering in partnership with Digital Central (a collaborative initiative between UTS and University of Sydney). The topic was ‘Transforming Higher Education in STEM: Exploring the Potential and Pitalls of Chat GPT in Learning and Teaching’. The panel discussion brought together perspectives from students, industry professionals, academic educators and learning designers to discuss the role and impact of Generative AI in education.
As a university priority, the importance of student success, engagement, and partnerships was emphasised. University acknowledges the role of AI as a tool that can support learning while also recognising the need for guidance and resilience in its use. The university encourages the creation of authentic learning experiences, informed by industry practices, and the redesign of assessments to reflect current and future practices rather than past ones.
The inevitability of continual disruptions to traditional education models, such as the advent of AI tools, was acknowledged. The importance of community support in navigating these changes was also stressed. There was a call for ongoing conversations about AI use in industry to ensure the university continues to provide relevant and authentic learning experiences.
1. The students’ perspective
From the students’ perspective Generative AI was acknowledged as a useful tool for simplifying complex concepts, assisting in writing and generating ideas. However, concerns were raised about the accuracy and effectiveness of AI, privacy issues and potential ethical misuse. Students suggested a shift towards practical learning and emphasised the need for critical engagement with AI.
2. The industry professionals’ perspective
Industry professionals viewed GenAI as a tool that augments human capabilities and highlighted the significant productivity gains offered by AI. They stressed the importance of good data hygiene and the challenges around data confidentiality. The risk of AI propagating misinformation and biases was also discussed. They emphasised the importance of technical skills, soft skills and business acumen for working with AI, and the need to understand the legal and ethical requirements around AI.
3. The academic educators’ perspective
Academic educators emphasised that GenAI does not truly understand things and cannot replace the deep understanding that comes from learning core concepts. They shared experiences of using AI as a tool to encourage students to critically evaluate the outputs produced by AI and discussed the importance of learning how to pose questions to AI effectively. They highlighted the value of AI in generating content and enhancing learning and engagement, and the importance of maintaining core competencies.
4. The learning designers’ perspective
Learning designers appreciated the disruption that AI brings to the field of learning and emphasised the need to rethink assessment strategies in the context of AI. They raised concerns about the potential risks of AI systems in education and the importance of students having access to their teachers/professors. The role of emotion in learning and concerns about equity and inclusion were also discussed. They raised questions about the ethics of AI and the need for critical engagement with AI.
The discussion provided valuable insights into the benefits and challenges of integrating AI into education and highlighted the need for critical engagement with AI, maintaining core competencies, and rethinking assessment strategies. The insights will be crucial for informing future decisions and actions in the integration of AI in education.
Read the full report, which includes recommendations for moving forward, here: