This photo illustration shows the ChatGPT logo at an office in Washington, DC, on March 15, 2023. (PHOTO / AFP)
Some leading representatives of Hong Kong’s higher education sector said they have adopted an open attitude toward the application of artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT in universities, and encourage frontline educators to actively embrace the change and facilitate students in keeping abreast of major technological advances.
They shared their views in a seminar at the city’s Legislative Council on Wednesday, during which lawmakers and experts gathered to discuss how to embrace the opportunities and deal with the challenges brought about by AI.
Lawmaker Wong Kam-fai, an associate dean of the Faculty of Engineering of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said local universities need to actively think about how to use ChatGPT to help with educational tasks. Developed by OpenAI and launched in November 2022, the powerful chatbot came under the global spotlight this year, with detailed and articulate answers across many domains of knowledge.
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Recognizing the chatbot’s great potential for helping students with their assignments, he believes the tool also has a good role to play in teaching. Teachers can use it to design questions and evaluate how well their students respond. This can also help students better understand how the AI works, especially in the process of generating content.
Ray Cheung Chak-chung, chairman of Hong Kong STEM Education Alliance, said he understands that different universities hold different views about the use of ChatGPT, but he hopes they will be able to leverage the latest technologies to promote scientific research and promote Hong Kong’s creative science education
Wong also noted that the content generated by ChatGPT is not satisfactory when the topics are related to specific cultures, highlighting the need for developing generative AI that can better understand Chinese culture.
Lau Chi-pang, an associate vice-president of Lingnan University, encourages schools to use AI as a tool for learning and research, thereby increasing the efficiency and output of their research. Lau added that making good use of AI technology in academia will greatly improve the city’s overall level of research.
Lawmaker Chow Man-kong, who is also director of STEAM Education and Research Centre of Lingnan University, suggested that the educational community should learn and teach the use of such AI tools as soon as possible, as doing so could establish a new teaching model for the future.
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But he also highlighted the risks of improper usage of the tools, such as for acts of plagiarism or other academic misconduct. He noted that as the information absorbed by AI is from miscellaneous sources, this will affect the accuracy of the output. To effectively use these tools, he said, students must be taught to identify and cross-check the authenticity of the information.
Ray Cheung Chak-chung, chairman of Hong Kong STEM Education Alliance, said he understands that different universities hold different views about the use of ChatGPT, but he hopes they will be able to leverage the latest technologies to promote scientific research and promote Hong Kong’s creative science education.
Replying to a lawmaker’s question about ChatGPT’s application in Hong Kong’s academic sector, Secretary for Education Christine Choi Yuk-lin told a Legislative Council meeting on Wednesday that many Hong Kong universities have provided specific guidelines to their academic staff and students on their requirements and stance on AI’s use by students of taught programs for assignments or course assessments.
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Some guidelines state that students may use generative AI if certain conditions are met — such as the explicit highlighting of quotes — or subject to the approval of the teaching staff based on pedagogical needs. Some universities have temporarily banned the use of generative AI for assignments or assessments unless written permission is obtained, pending the development of more comprehensive guidelines.
Universities will monitor noncompliant use of the technology through various means, such as by adopting more advanced plagiarism detection software or by adding an integrity declaration clause.
Choi stressed that all non-compliance cases will be followed up in accordance with the disciplinary mechanisms for safeguarding academic integrity.
Some universities will also consider adjusting their assessment methods and content to enhance the elements of critical thinking and active learning to ensure that the assessment results truly reflect students’ learning outcomes and the originality of their work, Choi added.
lindaxi@chinadailyhk.com