Throughout my academic career, I always used to rely on my own skills and knowledge for my coursework. If I ever struggled, I would seek assistance from my teachers to gain proper understanding on the subject matter. AI technology was not nearly as popular and advanced as it is now, so it wasn’t a resource that anyone could rely on yet. However, I realized that I would have to change many of my study habits when I encountered a new and unique obstacle along my learning path: college.
Within the first few weeks of my freshman year in college, it was evident that things were going to be very different from what I used to do in high school. Not only was I adjusting to new amounts of coursework, but I had to manage my time efficiently while taking care of myself away from home. In addition, the coursework seemed to have a new level of rigor that I wasn’t prepared for yet; relying solely on myself was no longer an option that would be most effective towards my success in class. Therefore, I began to study with fellow peers to bounce new ideas back and forth while covering material that I may have misunderstood during class. Office hours became my friend, and I would try to attend them whenever possible. If I got stuck on homework, I would text people or google step-by-step problems that would help me understand the process to solve my questions.
Considering this, where does AI come into play for me? Surprisingly, I haven’t hopped on the bandwagon for utilizing AI to solve my homework, but I don’t believe this is such a negative thing. I’ve been told by my peers that resources like ChatGPT are good for providing solutions, and sometimes processes, to solve homework problems. However, I believe that the methods I’m currently employing are more beneficial towards my own education and learning style. Solving homework problems is like a puzzle; it can be fun or frustrating, but the end reward of seeing the image and understanding the process along the way will be more beneficial. Sometimes you’ll get stuck, and you won’t be able to imagine the image the way that you want (or need) to; researching and seeking assistance from others can help carry you further towards the end goal. While you’re stuck, you may see specific parts of the picture, but you may not understand how they’re supposed to fit into place. In these situations, it may be best to seek help from someone who has already completed and studied the puzzle; such an individual would be a professor.
Even though AI is a prominent and developing technology, it may take away from educational experiences such as the ones mentioned. Education isn’t just learning about the field in which you want to study; it also includes learning how to collaborate and deal with people in the real world. Students such as I need more interpersonal interactions to help them face obstacles and resolve problems they encounter with their work (or with others). AI technology may provide useful learning materials to help students solve parts of their ‘puzzles’, but it detracts from the overall educational experience and ‘puzzle image’ that students don’t realize they need to see. Despite its contributions to education, AI is not the final piece of the knowledge ‘puzzle’ that students will need in their futures and careers.