Last December, Veronica Estrada, Ed.D., professor in the Department of Human Development and Education at Pacific Oaks College, and Sean Nufer, Psy.D., senior director for Teaching and Learning for The Community Solution Education System, facilitated a two-hour workshop addressing the current state of artificial intelligence (AI) and its future applications.
Dr. Estrada and Dr. Nufer have been collaborating for about seven years and have worked together on research covering a range of teaching practices. Their efforts have earned the pair multiple honors, including the Online Learning Consortium’s 2021 Effective Practice Award for their work in reimagining how online discussion forums can connect with students. When ChatGPT entered the market in fall of 2022, Dr. Nufer contacted Dr. Estrada about it immediately. Since then, they have given dozens of presentations to colleges, universities, and other institutions, most recently focusing on the future of AI in learning.
Why Do Teachers Distrust AI?
Dr. Nufer says a lot of the early reaction to the use of AI in schools was panic. “The rhetoric at the time was, ‘Holy cow, the world’s on fire. Students are going to use this to write their papers, and they’re going to cheat.’”
Generally, Dr. Nufer believes these concerns miss the larger point. He and Dr. Estrada believe AI technology is here to stay, and those who don’t master it will fall behind. They’re also concerned with how to best utilize AI to improve student learning outcomes as well as how to humanize classrooms, which are already awash in technology.
Dr. Nufer points out that ChatGPT can generate 300 words in one minute while it might take most humans several minutes just to come up with an idea. But, he says, “the difference is we have critical thinking. We can ask. We can discern. AI is an enhancer if you know how to use it, but we’re not giving away your critical thinking.”
Is AI Bad for Education?
Dr. Estrada also stresses the centrality of personhood amid the uncertainty. “When I work with Dr. Nufer, I call for humanizing artificial intelligence,” she says. “We coined the term ‘AI psychological safety.’”
As an ESL learner in grade school, Dr. Estrada relied upon language programs on a computer to catch up to her classmates. She was also dyslexic and worked with a teacher’s aide. “I was working with a computer program as well to bring me up to speed, so I have a lot of compassion for technology, because it worked for me.”
Both educators see Pacific Oaks as an ideal laboratory for their approach to AI instruction. “Pacific Oaks is a unique institution because they really focus on the human element of education, preparing students to enter their communities,” Dr. Nufer says. He adds that the question now at hand is, “How do we treat AI as a tool and not more than that?”
Dr. Estrada agrees. “We’re not here to fit into AI,” she says, “AI is going to fit into us, because we are the humans. We are the captain of the ship, and AI is the ship.”
