This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Universities are increasingly introducing artificial intelligence (AI) teaching tools into classrooms. The latest case to make headlines is Macquarie University's "Virtual Peer"—an AI chatbot introduced in two psychology units.
In the online delivery of these units, some material previously taught through Zoom tutorials is now delivered by the AI chatbot and other online activities. This comes as hundreds of University of Sydney staff walked off the job last week, calling for greater job security as AI teaching tools become more common. Meanwhile, some students have also raised concerns that replacing teaching interactions with AI could devalue their degrees.
So is AI use in courses a good thing? And when might it become a problem? Universities are using AI for a range of purposes.
From a student's perspective, most uses fall into four familiar functions: tutoring, lecturing, feedback provision and marking. These are all core parts of university teaching traditionally carried out by human teachers. They are not new functions or abilities created by the availability of AI.
Among the most common uses of AI at universities is feedback provision. Educators at the University of Sydney, for example, have used the AI platform Cogniti to allow students to get 24/7 feedback on their assessments before submission. Similarly, this year the University of Wollongong began trialing AI "study buddies" across 15 large first-year subjects.
Their aim is to provide academic support to new students and answer their common questions as they transition into university. Some systems extend tutoring into practice and rehearsal. La Trobe University's "Fletch" plays a disgruntled parent, changing its responses as trainee teachers work through a difficult conversation.
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