How to combat AI in college classrooms

Blue books are back in college classrooms! Remember those? Professors are embracing the old exam booklets again as a way to combat AI cheating. 

Our guest, Clay Shirky, who studies AI and technology at NYU, argues that we may need to “go medieval” with education and return to the days of oral exams. Other ideas being floated include more use of the Socratic method, calling on students in class and extended office hours to ensure students are absorbing the material.  But are those really feasible for large universities? 

Eighty percent of students use AI to help with their coursework, but they say they aren’t all outsourcing it, they are using chatbots as tutors, to quiz them and to brainstorm. 

This episode, do we need to completely rethink how colleges educate students? How can we inspire students to be thoughtful AI users and not lazy ones? We’ll talk about how artificial intelligence is shaping learning and how universities are grappling with it.

Guest:

Clay Shirky  –  Vice Provost of AI and Technology in Education at New York University