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The AI zombification of universities

thenewcritic.com

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Re: The AI zombification of universities

#21

Post by achenet »

cmrdporcupine wrote: post #15
0xkvyb wrote: post #5

I think that universities just have to adapt to deal with slop, or think of new ways to challenge people to learn the essence of their studies. I wouldn’t want to be a uni teacher in these times though.

More in class, in discussion, and less "assignments" Unfortunately that's way more expensive to do.

for STEM topics, I feel like some amount of "personal study time" is kind of needed to really grok stuff, at least for a percentage of students.

I studied maths, and spending time alone trying to solve problems and redoing the proofs from memory was important for my learning.

I don't think I'd have learned as much had those moments been replaced with more in class discussion.

Re: The AI zombification of universities

#22

Post by Animats »

josemanuel wrote: post #8
dorianmariecom wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

this comment is ai generated

AI generated or not, I concur. I rally want to know what Universities will look like in 10 years time. What will be taught there that cannot be taught by an AI (whatever form or interface it has). Will Universities still be centers of knowledge and exploration? or will that be more disseminated through society, and so Universities not so important? What courses will exist? Are those vastly different from today's cour…

> AI generated or not, I concur. I rally want to know what Universities will look like in 10 years time. What will be taught there that cannot be taught by an AI (whatever form or interface it has).

Computer-assisted instruction been amazing unsuccessful. Why is that?

Re: The AI zombification of universities

#23

Post by PunchyHamster »

0xkvyb wrote: post #5

I think that universities just have to adapt to deal with slop, or think of new ways to challenge people to learn the essence of their studies. I wouldn’t want to be a uni teacher in these times though.

Slop made by students is one thing, but slop generated by facilities and fed at extreme premium to students just asks a question "why someone would pay for this instead of buying some LLM tokens, taking curriculum and teaching themselves".

If we want to teach students to use AI, it should just be a separate course, not shoving it in every possible nook and cranny to the point it is teacher AI talking with student AI with light supervision from both AI handlers

Re: The AI zombification of universities

#24

Post by cyberax »

0xkvyb wrote: post #14
jsoaoxhd wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The solution is obvious. Teaching must be no-tech—just go back to 1950s. The other problem of course is attention span due to social-media erosion. The big tech has really done a number on society already and they’re just getting started.

but how would you do that? what about homework and coursework? students will just transcribe claude slop on paper and submit that.

In-person tests and workshops, including oral exams.

Like we'd been doing for literally hundreds of years.

Re: The AI zombification of universities

#25

Post by whyenot »

0xkvyb wrote: post #14
jsoaoxhd wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The solution is obvious. Teaching must be no-tech—just go back to 1950s. The other problem of course is attention span due to social-media erosion. The big tech has really done a number on society already and they’re just getting started.

but how would you do that? what about homework and coursework? students will just transcribe claude slop on paper and submit that.

You give exams in person, in class, on blue books, no phones. This part isn't hard. Instructors have been doing it for generations. It's only in the post COVID era that some have moved to having exams take home and on Canvas or similar platforms. This is great for instructors -- less work! but I am not convinced it actually helps students.

The part that is more difficult is take-home work, and I think the solution is that instead of being something that you turn in for credit, it needs to move to being more of a chance to practice for in-person exams.

What about essays? I've taught classes where students had to write essays in class, in person. On paper, with a pen (this may no longer be allowed on many campuses because of access and perceived fairness reasons, which IMO is a shame, but it is what it is). I think the traditional assignment of "write a 15 page paper on XYZ" is probably done. Instead students will have to prepare to write an essay in class by reading the source material (books, papers, etc) and converse with AIs that are hopefully not hallucinating, to get an understanding of the material and then come to class and be prepared to write about it.

It's a new world, but one we can adapt to.

Re: The AI zombification of universities

#26

Post by raincole »

A_D_E_P_T wrote: post #4
ls612 wrote: post #2

This whole piece is AI generated.

The prose is a bit too purple and tortured for that, IMO. Stock Opus 4.7 or 5.5 Pro is a more disciplined writer. And, anyway, the point the article is trying to make is obvious. What's absolutely not obvious, and what it sheds very little light on, is what the University is going to look like in 10 years. Not what it should look like, but what it is most likely to look like.

> what the University is going to look like in 10 years

Mostly like they look like now, probably. With slightly more strictly enforced rules around exam.

I fail to see why it won't be like that.

Re: The AI zombification of universities

#27

Post by cmrdporcupine »

achenet wrote: post #21
cmrdporcupine wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

More in class, in discussion, and less "assignments" Unfortunately that's way more expensive to do.

for STEM topics, I feel like some amount of "personal study time" is kind of needed to really grok stuff, at least for a percentage of students. I studied maths, and spending time alone trying to solve problems and redoing the proofs from memory was important for my learning. I don't think I'd have learned as much had those moments been replaced with more in class discussion.

I personally feel like the software engineering profession may have to start moving more towards an apprenticeship model than a theoretical CS-gradate-then-work model.

Internship / coop programs at places like Waterloo already look a bit like this.

Re: The AI zombification of universities

#29

Post by ls612 »

nimonian wrote: post #17
ls612 wrote: post #2

This whole piece is AI generated.

I read a lot of AI prose three days and this bears none of the hallmarks. If this is AI, if really live to see the prompt. I'm confident this is human.

It is easy to change the system prompt to make the AI talk with a different voice. It is remarkably hard (at least for Claude, I haven't experimented as much with GPT) to get it to not use so many em-dashes like this essay does.

Re: The AI zombification of universities

#30

Post by pjc50 »

djeastm wrote: post #16
chasd00 wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

that's a proctoring problem though, no phones during a test is typical to say the least.

And yet a Top 10 school like University of Chicago has apparently not been able to fix that problem. That's telling in and of itself.

AI camera watching the students?
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