A threat to education or a useful tool? Virginia Tech prepares for Artificial Intelligence use in classrooms

BLACKSBURG, Va. (WDBJ) -Virginia Tech is preparing for the future of Artificial Intelligence.

Teachers and students at Tech are iffy about having AI as part of the learning process, but the university is encouraging the use with a cautiously optimistic point of view.

“We understand what its limitations are, and what the risks are. But, we’re optimistic that it will ultimately be a positive force within our educational environment,” said Dale Pike, the Associate Vice Provost for Technology and Enhanced Learning at Virginia Tech.

He says the university is giving teachers the opportunity to experiment with AI tools and think through the effects it may have on teaching, learning and research.

“The potential of AI is very strong to create personalization of learning, to have tutors, to have all kinds of potential positive uses of the technology. The negative uses of the technology are a concern, but they’re not our primary focus,” explained Pike.

Virginia Tech is experimenting with AI tools like Chat GPT to figure out ways it can be useful.

This will give the university an idea of which AI tools will be appropriate to license and purchase.

Pike believes it will be beneficial for students and that it’s critical for them to understand how to use it properly.

“If I’m using AI, to generate content that I submit as my own work, then it’s clearly an inappropriate use of the technology,”explained Pike.

However, he says he is getting mixed feelings from teachers and students when it comes to implementing it as a tool in the classroom.

“There are some who have perceived the technology as a cheating tool, and have stepped back from it and haven’t been very interested in experimenting with it, because they’re concerned about the implications. I think there are other students who are actively interested but concerned about inappropriate use. One of the reasons we want to have faculty talking to their students, is so that we can start to describe those areas where it’s appropriate to use the technology, so that they can begin to creatively use it,” said Pike.

Artificial Intelligence will not be a requirement for teachers and students at Tech, but an option for them to opt in, once they figure out how to use it effectively in the classroom.

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