Professor of Science Education, Berry Billingsley, has a regular science spot on BBC Radio Kent. She recently spoke on news stories surrounding the use of ChatGPT for essays and exams. Below is part of her interview looking into whether we are asking the right questions on how we view and use this new technology.

I’ve spoken about chatbots before because they are really making big dents in Education and getting people thinking. But I find this news story on students being allowed to use ChatGPT in exams really interesting because it is about the International Baccalaureate.

In contrast with our GCSEs and A-levels which are very compartmentalised, where you turn-up, you do a test, and pass an exam, you hope, and walk away, the International Baccalaureate is much more about the theory of knowledge: it’s getting students to dig deeply into how knowledge works. Students think about the disciplines: what does it mean to think like a scientist? What does it mean to think like an artist?

I think we are missing a trick here. When we look at the news webpages and the stories coming out at the moment, the only question they seem to be asking is ‘will students cheat when they do exams?’.

What I want to know is how are these chatbots going to change knowledge? How are they going to change the work that scientists do? How are they going to change the work that business people do? How are they going to change the lives of radio journalists and all of the other professions that we have?

Our young people need to be asking those questions; not just the ones about how to cheat, or not cheat, in exams.

What is this impact of this new technology and new way of thinking on how we think about knowledge?

To find out more and challenge your thinking about the Future of Knowledge – visit our website – www.futureofknowledge.com

And you can listen to the full interview with Professor Billingsley on BBC Radio Kent (1:18:30)