We’ve got a first mover: Harvard already using AI to teach

I strongly believe that using our own cutting-edge Intelligence as humans, by first thinking through how we teach and how we learn as humans can be a good starting point for using Artificial Intelligence(AI) in the most suitable way.

It seems evident that this has been the thinking at the Harvard Computer Science department, as the university is now using generative AI in their Intro to computer science course. According to the professor that teaches this course this is just a natural progression as they have been using technology tools to support their learners and teachers for a long time. I can confirm this, let me tell you how.

Tech support in education

When I first experienced the use of tech tools that support and give feedback it was through this same Harvard computer science course. The programs are called Check50 and Style50, these programs allowed teachers to automatically grade code on correctness and provided instant feedback to me while I was learning how to code. These tools felt natural like they were meant to be there, but this was only the beginning.

The introduction of ChatGPT was like opening Pandora's box, as the power of generative AI was finally unleashed to the world. In education, it’s started to shatter norms and we are in real-time seeing very opposite reactions. While many public schools have decided to police and ban AI in schooling, Harvard University has embraced it. Their AI tool called CS50 BOT and it is based on ChatGPT it is meant to help support learners and also free teachers up for other types of engagements. I commend them for this because we all know what it feels like to have to wait for a teacher for feedback.

My Personal experiences in the CS50 course

While working on coding assignments, I had Style50 and Check50 the command line programs that were used to look at the style of my coding and also to check if the code that I had written met all the requirements outlined by the practical assignments, was really helpful. The Immediate feedback meant that I could see my mistakes and correct them which Improved my learning. Though when it came to bigger problems and understanding, I still had to search for information on other platforms.

If you’ve ever learned how to program finding solutions and explanations can be a nightmare. because the information is distributed, most programmers will tell you that spend most of their time googling and looking on forums like stack overflow for explanations. It can really affect your motivation while being stuck for weeks trying to understand a problem or to learn. It can get overwhelming, I am not a person that quits but I nearly quit programming because of the feeling that you can't find the understanding you need to prosper.

Harvards AI chatbot

CS50 BOT gives learners personalized assistance by understanding their coding challenges with thorough explanations and instant feedback. This prevents learners from getting stuck and discouraged when they can’t find relevant explanations, which can help with retention..

Harvard has beta-tested it by Introducing it to 70 learners in the summer, and it has been able to answer 90% of the questions..

Will it replace teachers?

Not yet, according to David Malan, the perspective is to support students and also TAs by freeing their time for more engaging interactions with students.

What are the risks and how is the university dealing with those?

The risks are that the AI tool will give students answers and code, but according to the professor they are putting safeguards. They want the bot to lead learners to the answer rather than giving it to them and this is working well so far as they are prompting the bot to act like a teacher

Moving forward

I really hope other education institutions will start to look at how they can use AI to empower both their learners and teachers. As working with Ai is an inevitable part of the future, I am happy Harvard's computer science class has taken the leap. They also plan to Introduce it to other departments soon

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