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When my son headed off to college, I passed on a bit of advice I gleaned long after my own years on campus: Get to know your professors. Not only can one-on-one time help students learn the class material, but professors often act as mentors for navigating higher education and beyond – among many other benefits.
But what happens when an artificial intelligence chatbot comes in the middle? Will students simply ask the AI to elaborate on a point or give feedback on a project?
A team of researchers at the University of Pittsburgh found that generative AI products, such as ChatGPT and Gemini, are indeed changing those crucial relationships between students and professors, and among students themselves.
They surveyed undergraduate students this past spring about their experiences and found, amid stigma and accusations of cheating, that AI has led to distrust and anxiety. The research “tells a more complex story of students being thrust into a reality they didn’t ask for, with few clear guidelines and little control,” writes University of Pittsburgh researcher Elise Silva.
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Artificial intelligence has taken off on campus, changing relationships between students and professors and among students themselves.
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
Elise Silva, University of Pittsburgh
Whether students and faculty are actively using AI or not, it is having significant interpersonal, emotional effects on learning and trust in the classroom.
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Science + Technology
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Joshua Winowiecki, Michigan State University
Peer review is an important step after a researcher has carried out a scientific study but before it gets published by a journal and shared with the world.
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Mohamed Khalil Elhachimi, Binghamton University, State University of New York
Some mushrooms are sturdier than others, but it isn’t necessarily because of their chemistry – it’s how the filaments that make them up are arranged.
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Education
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Bryan Keogh, The Conversation
The justices overruled a lower court that had paused the Trump administration’s plan to fire over 1,300 workers.
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International
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Pintu Kumar Mahla, University of Arizona
China has announced the speeding up of a dam project in Pakistan. It follows the suspension of a key water-sharing treaty by India.
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Andrew Latham, Macalester College
Great powers rely on military, diplomatic and economic dominance. But in a multipolar world, power has been duluted.
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Ethics + Religion
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Christopher P. Scheitle, West Virginia University; Bernard DiGregorio, West Virginia University; Katie E. Corcoran, West Virginia University
Sociologists who measured supernatural beliefs in the US found that higher education and higher income are associated with lower levels.
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Politics + Society
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Mark Schlakman, Florida State University
Alligator Alcatraz represents a significant departure from past Florida policy regarding immigration.
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Environment + Energy
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Jacob Stid, Michigan State University; Annick Anctil, Michigan State University; Anthony Kendall, Michigan State University
Solar is helping farmers in California save water and secure reliable income in the face of drought and economic pressure.
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