Grad Talk: ChatCPT: Cheating or Uncharted A New Perspective on Artificial Intelligence in the Classroom

Abstract: Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies have been rapidly developing and finding their way into our society. Despite the benefits from other types of technology in science classrooms, AI technologies are often discouraged or banned in the same classrooms. In an investigation of ways to integrate AI technologies into physics classrooms, a novel type of homework assignment was developed and implemented into an algebra-based, introductory physics course. In the assignment, students aim to solve a challenging physics problem with the aid of ChatGPT, a commonly used AI software. A mixed-methods study is being carried out to answer three main research questions: (1) Does this type of assignment improve student’s ability to solve problems in physics? (2) Is this type of assignment helpful for students? (3) What relationship, if any, exists between a student’s confidence in their ability to solve physics problems and how they interact with AI technology? Experimental methods, preliminary results of the research project, and a plan for future data analysis will be presented. In addition to a discussion of the research project, a brief overview on how educational research
can be used in the field of physics will also presented.