Many Math, Computer Science Teachers Use Chatbots
2023-11-01
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1Some schools in the U.S. are considering whether to ban chatbots, which use artificial intelligence, or AI.
2However, some math and computer science teachers think chatbots, which "learn" about subjects from the internet, are just another tool.
3Jack Price has taught math using Wolfram Alpha.
4It is a website that solves algebraic problems online.
5It has long threatened to make algebra homework a thing of the past.
6Teachers learned to work around and with it, said Price.
7He is an assistant professor of mathematics and computer science at the University of Puget Sound in the western state of Washington.
8Now, students have a new online service that provides homework help using AI-ChatGPT-that teachers must deal with.
9Price does not consider ChatGPT to be a threat, and he is not alone.
10Some math professors believe AI, when used correctly, can help strengthen math learning.
11It is arriving at a time when math scores are at historic lows and educators are questioning if math should be taught differently.
12AI can serve as a tutor, giving a student who is struggling with a problem immediate feedback.
13It can help a teacher plan math lessons or write math problems for different levels of teaching.
14It can show new computer programmers sample code, permitting them to avoid learning how to write basic code.
15"Math has always been evolving as technology evolves," said Price.
16He said that a hundred years ago, people could not solve problems using calculators.
17Price makes sure students have the ability to solve problems on their own.
18Then, he discusses the limitations of the technologies they might want to use when they get home.
19"Computers are really good at doing tedious things," Price said.
20"We don't have to do all the tedious stuff...And then we can interpret the answer and think about what it tells us about the decisions we need to make."
21Min Sun is a University of Washington education professor.
22She thinks students should use chatbots like personal tutors.
23If students do not understand a math operation, they can ask ChatGPT to explain it and give examples.
24She wants teachers to use ChatGPT as their own assistant: to plan math lessons, give students feedback and communicate with parents.
25Teachers can also ask ChatGPT to recommend different levels of math problems for students with different skill levels, she said.
26This is particularly helpful for teachers who are new to the job or have students with different needs, Sun said.
27A year ago, if you asked Daniel Zingaro how he tests his introductory computer science students, he would say: "We ask them to write code."
28But, if you ask him today, Zingaro said his answer would be more complex.
29He teaches at the University of Toronto in Canada.
30Zingaro wrote the book Learn AI-Assisted Python Programming with GitHub Copilot and ChatGPT with Leo Porter, a computer science professor at University of California San Diego.
31They believe AI will permit introductory computer science classes to teach larger ideas.
32A lot of beginner students have problems writing simple code, Porter and Zingaro said.
33They never move on to higher-level questions. Many still cannot write simple code after they complete the class.
34Chatbots do not make those mistakes, and it permits computer science professors to spend more time teaching higher-level abilities.
35The professors now ask their students to take a big problem and break it down to smaller questions the code needs to do.
36They also ask students to test and debug code once it is written.
37Porter said of students: "We want them to write software that is meaningful to them."
38Magdalena Balazinska is director of the University of Washington's Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering. She welcomes AI.
39"With the support of AI, human software engineers get to focus on the most interesting part of computer science: answering big software design questions," Balazinska said.
40Not all professors in the field think AI should be used.
41But Zingaro and Porter said that reading a lot of code created by artificial intelligence does not feel like cheating.
42Rather, it is a way for students to learn.
43"I think a lot of programmers read a lot of code, just like how I believe the best writers read a lot of writing," Zingaro said.
44"I think that is a very powerful way to learn."
45I'm Dan Novak. And I'm Jill Robbins.
1Some schools in the U.S. are considering whether to ban chatbots, which use artificial intelligence, or AI. However, some math and computer science teachers think chatbots, which "learn" about subjects from the internet, are just another tool. 2Jack Price has taught math using Wolfram Alpha. It is a website that solves algebraic problems online. It has long threatened to make algebra homework a thing of the past. 3Teachers learned to work around and with it, said Price. He is an assistant professor of mathematics and computer science at the University of Puget Sound in the western state of Washington. Now, students have a new online service that provides homework help using AI-ChatGPT-that teachers must deal with. 4Price does not consider ChatGPT to be a threat, and he is not alone. Some math professors believe AI, when used correctly, can help strengthen math learning. It is arriving at a time when math scores are at historic lows and educators are questioning if math should be taught differently. 5AI can serve as a tutor, giving a student who is struggling with a problem immediate feedback. It can help a teacher plan math lessons or write math problems for different levels of teaching. It can show new computer programmers sample code, permitting them to avoid learning how to write basic code. 6"Math has always been evolving as technology evolves," said Price. He said that a hundred years ago, people could not solve problems using calculators. 7Price makes sure students have the ability to solve problems on their own. Then, he discusses the limitations of the technologies they might want to use when they get home. 8"Computers are really good at doing tedious things," Price said. "We don't have to do all the tedious stuff...And then we can interpret the answer and think about what it tells us about the decisions we need to make." 9Min Sun is a University of Washington education professor. She thinks students should use chatbots like personal tutors. If students do not understand a math operation, they can ask ChatGPT to explain it and give examples. 10She wants teachers to use ChatGPT as their own assistant: to plan math lessons, give students feedback and communicate with parents. 11Teachers can also ask ChatGPT to recommend different levels of math problems for students with different skill levels, she said. This is particularly helpful for teachers who are new to the job or have students with different needs, Sun said. 12A year ago, if you asked Daniel Zingaro how he tests his introductory computer science students, he would say: "We ask them to write code." 13But, if you ask him today, Zingaro said his answer would be more complex. He teaches at the University of Toronto in Canada. 14Zingaro wrote the book Learn AI-Assisted Python Programming with GitHub Copilot and ChatGPT with Leo Porter, a computer science professor at University of California San Diego. They believe AI will permit introductory computer science classes to teach larger ideas. 15A lot of beginner students have problems writing simple code, Porter and Zingaro said. They never move on to higher-level questions. Many still cannot write simple code after they complete the class. 16Chatbots do not make those mistakes, and it permits computer science professors to spend more time teaching higher-level abilities. 17The professors now ask their students to take a big problem and break it down to smaller questions the code needs to do. They also ask students to test and debug code once it is written. 18Porter said of students: "We want them to write software that is meaningful to them." 19Magdalena Balazinska is director of the University of Washington's Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering. She welcomes AI. 20"With the support of AI, human software engineers get to focus on the most interesting part of computer science: answering big software design questions," Balazinska said. 21Not all professors in the field think AI should be used. But Zingaro and Porter said that reading a lot of code created by artificial intelligence does not feel like cheating. Rather, it is a way for students to learn. 22"I think a lot of programmers read a lot of code, just like how I believe the best writers read a lot of writing," Zingaro said. "I think that is a very powerful way to learn." 23I'm Dan Novak. And I'm Jill Robbins. 24Dan Novak adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting by The Associated Press. 25_____________________________________________________ 26Words in This Story 27tutor - n. a teacher who works with one or very few students 28feedback - n. helpful criticism meant to improve performance 29code -n. instructions for a computing device 30evolve - v. to change over a period of time into something else; to develop 31calculator -n. an electronic device that carries out math operations 32tedious - adj. something that is repetitive and not interesting 33interpret - v. to understand something in a certain way 34debug -v. (computers) to remove mistakes from code 35focus -v. to place attention on a thing or a person