As Artificial Intelligence grows to be more powerful and prevalent in our lives, an important task is figuring out how to manage AI in classroom settings. While an overreliance on AI can have negative effects on students’ education, AI shouldn’t be removed from classrooms. Rather, AI should be modified to prevent academic misuse and regulated by teachers to maximize learning and academic improvement.
AI programs such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Google Gemini can complete homework assignments and write essays; it’s no wonder that school districts across the country are restricting their usage.
The Santa Barbara Unified School District states: AI usage must align with the teacher’s guidelines, AI must be cited in each assignment, and AI is not to be used to fact-check information. At Dos Pueblos High School, different classes allow AI use to differing extents, with English classes being among the most restrictive.
The two Santa Barbara City College English classes offered at DPHS, English 110 and English 111, prohibit any use of AI. The reasoning provided in their academic integrity policy is that AI masks the student’s voice and hinders their growth as a writer.
In English classes, AI could be used to analyze essays and provide tips on improving them. AI can explain problems until students understand them, without the pressure that comes from repeated mistakes when learning from teachers. It can also act as a personal tutor, helping students grasp difficult concepts when students don’t have access to human assistance.
According to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign College of Education, AI can provide students with immediate feedback and accelerate learning. This is especially relevant at DPHS, where the student-to-teacher ratio is about 30-to-1 per class period. Implementing AI in classrooms is a feasible way to increase student feedback, even with the high ratio.
Personally, AI has supported me during my studies for Advanced Placement exams by explaining difficult concepts and problems. While studying for AP Physics 2, I encountered many difficult problems with inadequate solutions or without them entirely. Websites such as ChatGPT helped explain the problem as many times as needed for full understanding. AI has also proven to be helpful in planning, being able to design roadmaps and schedules.
From my experiences in AP English Language and Composition, essays are reviewed by teachers using screen monitoring, AI checkers, and keystroke monitors. While these measures are important, they focus too heavily on restriction, rather than tailoring AI to fit the needs of students. I propose developing school-safe versions of popular AI programs, such as ChatGPT, that give students access to all of the benefits of AI without creating a dependence on AI to complete assignments. Teachers would be able to monitor their students’ usage of the program for further reassurance.
Overall, AI has the potential to save time for students as well as help them grow across academic areas in a safe, judgment-free environment. With thoughtful regulation, AI can enhance—not hinder- education in high schools.
