In this episode, Rob talks with Jared Pyles, Dr. Chris Miller, and Dr. Dan Sterkenburg about ChatGPT and OpenAI. The panelists discuss their own experience with ChatGPT, their understanding of its capabilities, and advice for instructors for interacting with the tool in the future. Contact us at [email protected] with any questions. You can also visit our blog at cedarville.edu/focusblog for additional resources. We would love to get your feedback! Please fill out our survey to help improve our podcast and serve you better.

Each of the panelists has had varying experiences—both positive and negative—with ChatGPT over the past several months. Some encountered students using ChatGPT to complete their homework, while others had more personal negative experiences with the tool. Regardless of these, Jared Pyles, Dr. Miller, and Dr. Sterkenburg all can see situations where ChatGPT can be used in the classroom well.

Jared has asked his students to use ChatGPT in the research and writing process, and students have reported that they would be more likely to use it to brainstorm rather than create a final product. Similarly, Dr. Sterkenburg has his students use ChatGPT as a research tool, but he then asks them to interact with the results and submit their evaluation. On the other hand, Dr. Miller has not used ChatGPT because he tends to teach lower-level courses where students are not yet equipped to evaluate its results well.

Based on their experiences, each panelist does recommend instructors interact with ChatGPT to become familiar with it. They also recommend including a policy on ChatGPT in your syllabus as well as discussing the tool early in the semester to set expectations for how it should (or should not) be used.