ChatGPT and Assessment (Part 1)
ChatGPT, the lastest chatbot from OpenAI, has triggered concerns in all areas of education. This tool allows anyone to create impressive essays on any subject in a matter of seconds. Is this the end of assessment as we know it? Or is it the beginning of a new knowledge and information age? What does it mean for English Language Teaching and Learning? Will teachers be forced to re-evaluate methods of assessment? What alternative methods of assessment can teachers adopt in the light of this new tool?
In this session, I will look at the capabilities of ChatGPT and discuss why it is problematic when it comes to standardised writing assessment and traditional homework. I will also examine how it might be used if the technology is embraced by teachers. Then, I will suggest five alternative methods of assessing students: oral presentations, group projects, personalised self-reflection, peer assessment, and hands-on performance-based assessment. What gains and what losses are implied with this new software?
For teachers, ChatGPT can be used as a time-saving aid to create gap-fill exercises, course outlines, lesson plans, and much more. For learners, there’s the possibility of generating answers to essays on any subjects in seconds, of providing study notes, etc. Already some educational establishments have banned the tool and other software has appeared that analyses texts to report on the likelihood that they were written by a machine. But, with the technology improving rapidly, how effective will this be?
The emergence of machine learning tools such as ChatGPT also point to a future workplace where use of this type of Artificial Intelligence will be expected, as routine as using a calculator or spreadsheet to increase productivity. What happens then remains to be seen and lies in the medium to long-term future, but teachers will have to adopt to the software and adopt new ways of working in the short-term. If we accept this needs to be done, then AI offers teachers, schools and educational systems an opportunity for change, and a chance to review and amend the ways in which our learners are assessed to enable more varied and potentially more inclusive and effective ways of testing and supporting students.
When it comes to making use of the tool for assessment, A Teacher's Prompt Guide to ChatGPT has a lot of useful examples.
For instance, suggesting teachers making student formative assessment a part of everyday practice:
Use Chat GPT to create quizzes and assessments that test students' understanding of the material. You could input the following prompt into Chat GPT: "Create a quiz with 5 multiple choice questions that assesses students' understanding of [concept being taught]."
Another example is to use ChatGPT to generate prompts for open-ended questions that align with the learning intentions and success criteria of the unit of work:
Input the following prompt: "Generate a question that assesses a student's understanding of the concept of [add concept]."
You can also create quick written quizzes that check for student understanding:
Input the prompt: "Generate a quiz testing the knowledge of the use of the present perfect."
I changed the example prompt so it was appropriate to language learning. This led to the following:
Here's a quiz to test your knowledge of the present perfect:
What is the correct form of the present perfect? a) Subject + past participle b) Subject + simple past c) Subject + present participle
Which of the following sentences is in the present perfect tense? a) I went to the store yesterday. b) She is studying for her exam. c) They have been to Paris before.
What is the function of the present perfect tense? a) To talk about actions that are currently happening. b) To talk about actions that happened at a specific time in the past. c) To talk about actions that started in the past and continue to the present.
Which of the following sentences correctly uses the present perfect continuous tense? a) She has been working here for five years. b) They have eaten all the cake. c) We have visited Spain twice.
Which of the following is a common time expression used with the present perfect tense? a) Yesterday b) Last week c) Recently
Which of the following is an example of a verb that uses an irregular past participle form in the present perfect tense? a) Go b) Drink c) See
Which of the following sentences is not correct? a) I have never been to New York. b) She has already ate lunch. c) They have lived in this city for five years.
Which of the following sentences implies that the action happened very recently? a) I have visited Rome. b) I visited Rome. c) I have just visited Rome.
Which of the following sentences correctly uses the present perfect tense in the negative form? a) I haven't been to the gym in a year. b) I didn't go to the gym yesterday. c) I am not going to the gym today.
Which of the following is a common use of the present perfect tense? a) To describe an action that happened at a specific time in the past. b) To talk about a habitual action in the past. c) To talk about an action that has an impact on the present.
Answers:
- a) Subject + past participle
- c) They have been to Paris before.
- c) To talk about actions that started in the past and continue to the present.
- a) She has been working here for five years.
- c) Recently
- a) Go
- b) She has already ate lunch. (should be "eaten")
- c) I have just visited Rome.
- a) I haven't been to the gym in a year.
- c) To talk about an action that has an impact on the present.
It's interesting to see some of the questions were testing students specifically about the rules here.
You can also use ChatGPT to generate specific and forward-focused feedback on student work.
Input the prompt: "Generate feedback on the following student's essay that focuses on how the student can improve their writing." [copy and paste the essay]
Another thing to try is to use ChatGPT to generate assessment tasks that align with the intended learning outcomes from the syllabus:
Input the prompt: "Generate an assessment task to test students on the differences between the use of the definite and indefinite article."
That prompt led to the following:
Instructions: Read each sentence carefully and determine whether it requires a definite article ("the"), an indefinite article ("a" or "an"), or no article at all. Write your answer in the space provided.
I have ___ dog and ___ cat. Answer: a, a
___ sun is shining brightly today. Answer: The
Do you have ___ umbrella I could borrow? Answer: an
___ love is a beautiful thing. Answer: Love does not take an article.
___ pizza we ordered is delicious. Answer: The
My sister is ___ artist and she paints beautiful pictures. Answer: an
My parents are going on ___ cruise to the Caribbean next month. Answer: a
I need to buy ___ new pair of shoes. Answer: a
We visited ___ museum last weekend. Answer: The
He wants to be ___ astronaut when he grows up. Answer: an
___ apple a day keeps the doctor away. Answer: An
I'm going to ___ store to buy some milk. Answer: the
___ honesty is the best policy. Answer: No article needed.
She bought ___ antique vase at the flea market. Answer: an
___ time flies when you're having fun. Answer: No article needed.
Scoring: Each correct answer is worth 1 point, for a total of 15 points possible.
You can use ChatGPT to generate prompts for formative assessment activities that provide ongoing feedback to inform teaching and learning.
Input the prompt: "Generate a formative assessment activity for a Beginnner English language class on prepositions of place."
That prompt led to the following:
Sure, here's a formative assessment activity for a Beginner English language class on prepositions of place:
Instructions: Look at the picture below and complete the sentences using the correct preposition of place.
Example: The cat is ___ the box. Answer: in
The dog is ___ the bed. Answer: on
The bird is ___ the cage. Answer: in
The shoes are ___ the floor. Answer: on
The lamp is ___ the table. Answer: on
The picture is ___ the wall. Answer: on
The plant is ___ the vase. Answer: in
The towels are ___ the shelf. Answer: on
The cups are ___ the cupboard. Answer: in
The television is ___ the cabinet. Answer: in
The clock is ___ the wall. Answer: on
Scoring: Each correct answer is worth 1 point, for a total of 10 points possible. You can adjust the number of questions or points as needed based on the level and needs of your students.
The above response was interesting because although ChatGPT included a mention of a picture in the task, it didn't actually supply the picture, so that would be something you'd have to source separately, or you could ask the students to draw the sentences and include the prepositions instead of making it a gap-fill.
Here's another suggested, adapted prompt from the Teacher's Guide: Use ChatGPT to generate prompts for using technology to enhance assessment and feedback.
Input the prompt: "Generate ideas for using technology to provide feedback on student writing in an advanced English language class."
This led to:
There are several ways to use technology to provide feedback on student writing in an advanced English language class. Here are some ideas:
Use online writing tools: There are several online writing tools available that can provide automated feedback on grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors. Some examples include Grammarly, ProWritingAid, and Hemingway Editor. You can ask your students to use these tools to check their own writing and provide feedback to one another.
Use Google Docs: Google Docs allows for real-time collaboration, so you can provide feedback as your students write. You can leave comments and suggestions directly on the document, and your students can respond to your feedback in real-time. This can be a great way to provide ongoing feedback as students work on a longer writing project.
Use audio or video feedback: Instead of providing written feedback, you can record audio or video feedback for your students. This can be a more personal and engaging way to provide feedback, as your students can hear your voice and see your facial expressions. You can use tools like Screencastify or Loom to record your feedback.
Use online writing communities: There are several online writing communities, such as Medium or Wattpad, where students can publish their writing and receive feedback from other writers. This can be a great way to encourage peer feedback and collaboration.
Use online rubrics: You can create an online rubric using a tool like Google Forms or SurveyMonkey, and ask your students to submit their writing for evaluation using the rubric. This can be a great way to provide objective feedback and help your students understand how their writing is being evaluated.
Use online peer review tools: There are several online peer review tools, such as PeerGrade or Eli Review, that can help facilitate peer feedback and evaluation. You can ask your students to submit their writing to the tool, and then assign peers to provide feedback and evaluation based on specific criteria.
These are just a few ideas for using technology to provide feedback on student writing in an advanced English language class. You can choose the tools and methods that work best for your students and your teaching style.
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