by Preston FoerOctober 19, 2023, 2:17 p.m.
With the growing popularity of generative AI such as ChatGPT and Google Bard, many college students are increasingly using tools to help with their essays, projects, and studies.
According to a survey last spring by BestColleges, nearly half of college students have used an AI tool. But it’s safe to say that number is likely increasing as the fall semester gets into full swing. This is borne out by Wiley’s findings published in September. In this survey, the majority of university faculty (58%) say they or their students use AI in the classroom.
However, many professors remain concerned about the prevalence of cheating with generation tools. Breakout Learning, a new education platform, seeks to allay these concerns by employing AI.
At schools like UCLA Anderson School of Management and New York University Stern School of Business, professors have begun using the platform to facilitate innovative learning discussions that replace homework.
Breakout learning works by immersing students in small-group decision-making scenarios and collaborating in AI-moderated discussions.
The platform takes a real-time recording of the conversation, applies it to a grading rubric, and provides the results to educators. This allows professors to see the level of participation, overview of discussions, and student struggles.
Ramit Varma is the co-founder and CEO of Breakout Learning. He says one of his goals for this platform is to bring interactivity back into the learning environment.
This is something Dan Nathanson saw firsthand when he used the software in his classes as a professor at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management. He said students overwhelmingly loved using the platform and found it a better learning experience.
“That group process is more realistic,” says Nathanson. luck. “If they were in a business setting and had a problem to solve, it would be a group process where they would have to participate with each other.”
Nathanson said that after using the Breakout Learning platform, class participation became “unexpected” and “amazing” because students were able to explore what they learned together in new ways. I think it’s because he just wanted to show off.
“With AI, they can do more fraud,” Nathanson adds. “We’re actually taking that AI gun that all the professors are being controlled by, putting it back together, and using it forever to find out what they’re learning. ”
Ensure responsibility for learning
Some of the problems many classrooms face are that group work can lead to free riders, individualized work creates greater opportunities for cheating, and professors’ grading increases significantly. says Nathanson.
With Breakout Learning, many of these problems appear to have been resolved.
According to Varma, breakout learning ensures accountability to all members through facilitated group discussions. This is because the platform tracks who is participating and notifies the professor. Additionally, encourage less engaged students to speak up or lead the next part of the discussion.
“You can’t have a scenario where five people are sitting around and someone turns off the camera and eats nachos, and the rest of the kids do all the work that he can’t do, because it becomes obvious very quickly. “The engagement is zero,” Varma says.
Embracing AI across industries
Next semester, the company plans to expand the platform’s use to professors at schools such as the MIT Sloan School of Management. Varma hopes that Breakout Learning will help change the world of education, not only in the business world, but also in other fields such as nursing schools and law schools.
Nathanson admits he doesn’t know much about AI, but the platform was still easy for him and his teaching assistants to use. Overall, he says, this is a new and better way for students to get hands-on learning.
“It would be very easy for professors to implement. We didn’t change PowerPoint at all, but we would change it if we didn’t understand some of the material or if we had an interesting question that we could focus on more.” says Nathanson.
The platform is very helpful for students to learn and engage with real-world material because it puts them in the shoes of what they are learning, he added.
Varma believes that education should be more than just being able to explain concepts; it should be about inspiring people to work together to bring about change.
“I think this is a tool that will lead us over time to a more enlightened society,” Varma said.
