It seems that there are many educators and academics grappling with the idea of what modern AI tools mean for education, when a student may use AI to solve the problem or complete the assignment, and then everyone complains that the student has ‘cheated’…
We need to move away from this way of thinking…
AI techniques, such as those that have become synonymous like ChatGPT and Gemini, have the ability to help educators just like they are being used in many other disciplines. I use GPTs for coding and rapid prototyping of concepts and ideas that I want to test. At this point, it may then sound like it is merely for these ‘coders’ to dabble with, but with a few straightforward ideas any educators can harness this potential.
Here’s a simple prompt: “Generate the code for a simple interactive webpage for demonstrating the concept of encryption for students.”
Sure enough, our trusted partner says “OK”, and then produces a simple HTML-based web application for teaching some basic encryption principles.
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang=”en”>
<head>
<meta charset=”UTF-8" />
<meta name=”viewport” content=”width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0"/>
<title>Encryption Demo</title>
<style>
body {
font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
max-width: 600px;
margin: 2em auto;
padding: 1em; …
We can then take this code and save it as a .html file, or we could even embed this code directly within our VLE (Virtual Learning Environment). The screenshot and link below shows what this output gives:
This is a great little example to start with — we can perform caesar cipher with a given rotation parameter, and we can see the output of this in an interactive manner. Not only does GPT provide this, but it will also suggest ways that the code can be enhanced further — e.g., different decryption algorithms, and real-time encryption/decryption. We can simply say “Yes” to these additional ideas, and GPT will then run along making further iterations of our simple concept. The examples below show the further iterations.
I’ve used this for a few different subject areas, with different interactive components all generated automatically. I’ll be doing a few short follow ups to showcase these also.
The key factor however, is that I can now use AI to create new, bespoke learning environments for my students. If I can do this and save time in the production, I can have students use the examples, and then use the class to elaborate further on the topic area, potentially with further interactive examples. You could even generate further interactive examples in partnership with your students! Talk about co-creation!! :)