Student ambassador perspectives: The impacts of genAI
Generative artificial intelligence (genAI) and the impacts this technology is having on higher education learning and teaching environments, is rapidly dominating debates and discussions by academics and administrators around the world.
However, whilst the genAI debate continues, there is one important voice that must be recognised and heard. That voice is that of our students.
The video addresses the topic of the impacts of genAI and its influence on their education and future careers. It highlights the diversity of opinions which does exist across the UOW student body. However, these opinions do not necessarily represent UOW’s institutional view on genAI.
“I’m not too sure where it’s headed, but excited to see where it goes…”
- UOW Student Ambassador
Text transcript
Student 1: People started talking about it, and I'm like, oh my God, what is this? It's like, good to use as a tool.
Student 2: ChatGPT is sort of an AI tool for us to generate things or just have a chat with it.
Student 3: I honestly think artificial intelligence is a great way to learn just because you can ask it any question that you have about say like, oh, I'm revising this concept and I don't understand this particular part of it.
Student 2: If something that you are not clear and your lecturers is not aware of that you can just ask this kind of AI tools so that you will get answers for that.
Student 1: I think it's a really good thing to use for learning, because if you can't understand something that your tutor is saying, you can ask it and get it told to you in a different way. So there's definitely pros and cons to it.
Student 2: I studied like mechanical components. Say I don't understand a specific part that I'm learning about or that I have to design. I could ask it, oh, like, I need help with this. Or if we are doing a coding thing, maybe help with that. Not like letting it write it for you, but just, oh, I'm having trouble with this particular thing.
Student 1: There's also that plagiarism aspect of it that I guess people are concerned about.
Student 4: The idea of having something, write my, write my assignments for me, or write articles for me, I, I just, I, I, I don't, I don't trust it (laughs).
Student 3: I feel like, although we need to keep in mind that it can be used for cheating and things like that, it just, it can have a lot more of an impact on learning as well.
Student 2: I just use it to generate a speech text I will be going to use tomorrow. I don't know if that's good, but I'll just see if that works.
Student 3: I've only used it once or twice, just for help with my resume and things like that.
Student 2: The impact of this kind of AI things on my future career, I would say I can use that to develop my employability, employability skills, for example. I can use that for my, to review my resume, to review my interview reactions. I think it's a good tool for me to get practice.
Student 3: I feel like there's a lot more that we can do with applications like ChatGPT. I think there should be more of an emphasis on saying to students, oh, if you, if you need help with an aspect, and I am not available, like you can go to AI. I'm not too sure where it's headed, but excited to see where it goes.
