Integrating ChatGPT into Australian Schools: Preparing Students for Ethical AI Use in Education

When artificial intelligence platform ChatGPT gained attention last summer, schools and education providers faced concerns about how to deal with its emergence. While some Australian states and territories temporarily banned the technology due to plagiarism fears, the International Baccalaureate (IB) opted for a different approach. In March, the IB released a statement confirming that it would not ban the use of ChatGPT in its curriculum, emphasizing the need to adapt educational programs and assessment practices to enable students to use AI tools ethically and effectively .

Education ministers in Australia recently approved a blueprint for the responsible use of artificial intelligence in schools, which will be implemented from the first quarter of 2024. This means that the current public student cohort will be the last to have to take their high school final exams without the help of AI technology.

Trinity Meachem, a Year 12 IB student, was allowed to use ChatGPT at school and found it a valuable resource for generating ideas and brainstorming tasks. She emphasizes that ChatGPT is not used to cheat, but rather as a tool to think outside the box and develop conceptual elements for reports.

The IB approach to integrating technology into education aims to promote student ownership, digital innovation and a broad assessment system. While the IB embraces AI, it also follows strict plagiarism rules and uses tools like Turnitin to monitor coursework. Any AI-generated content or citations in assignments must be properly cited and referenced. During exams, students are not allowed to have notes, cell phones or other IT devices with them to minimize the risk of cheating.

Stuart Jones, head of IB World Schools, emphasizes the importance of teaching students the rules of academic integrity and the difference between collaboration and collusion. He draws parallels to the initial response to Wikipedia and how this ultimately pushed schools to focus on developing information literacy. Jones believes a similar approach can be taken with ChatGPT and sees it as a tool to improve research skills.

The integration of AI tools like ChatGPT into education reflects the reality that artificial intelligence will become a part of everyday life. Rather than ignoring or banning such technologies, the approach of the IB and education authorities in Australia is to adapt and transform educational programs to prepare students to use AI ethically and effectively.