What does it mean that students demonstrate mastery (i.e., get good grades in a class)? ChatGPT brought this question to the forefront because the easy, traditional ways in which students can demonstrate that we’ve taught them have been thrown out the door. Consider the following methods of demonstrating mastery:
- Write an essay: ChatGPT can structure and write a compelling essay to many questions related to history, literature, math, art, business, etc.
- Summarize: ChatGPT can take a 50-page prompt and summarize it.
- Construct a presentation: ChatGPT can construct slides for a presentation in response to a prompt.
- Answer any questions of fact: Not surprisingly, it can answer questions of fact on a broad range of topics.
- Draw analogies: ChatGPT can draw analogies between two situations.
- Describe a process: ChatGPT knows just about any standard procedure or process.
- Construct a novel business plan: ChatGPT can construct a business plan in response to a description of a market situation.
- Compare two situations: ChatGPT can come up with a list of points that compare and/or contrast two situations.
I could go on, but you probably get the idea.
Presidents should create a standing committee of leaders across their institution—and possibly across institutions—to consider how they might address this challenge. This is an existential challenge to higher education and its place in society.
If professors can’t be confident that it’s not ChatGPT but students that demonstrate mastery, then what does a grade, or even a degree, mean?
