In a bold move towards the future of education, Harvard University is set to introduce an AI instructor for its introductory coding course, CS50, starting this fall. The AI instructor is designed to provide students with personalized instruction and support. It can answer questions, give feedback, and even help students debug their code.
Harvard’s Leap into AI-Powered Education
CS50, one of the most popular classes on edX, an online learning platform built in collaboration between MIT and Harvard, is about to experience a paradigm shift. As pointed out by The Harvard Crimson, the student newspaper to which Professor David Malan spoke, CS50 is notably one of the most popular classes featured on edX, which was sold for a cool $800 million last year. Malan expressed his hope that AI could help achieve a 1:1 teacher-student ratio by providing software-based tools that can support students’ learning 24/7, tailored to their individual pace and style. The course staff is currently experimenting with GPT 3.5 and GPT 4 models, viewing the use of an AI teacher as an evolution of their tradition of incorporating new software.
While the idea of an AI-powered coding professor is intriguing, it’s worth noting that neither GPT-3.5 nor GPT-4 is entirely reliable at producing structurally sound code every time. This experimental approach means that the students, who are paying for their education, will essentially become the test subjects of this new teaching method. Malan admitted that early versions of AI programs might occasionally underperform or even make mistakes. However, he believes that AI can help reduce the course staff’s workload, allowing them more time for one-on-one interactions with students.
Despite the experimental nature of this initiative, Malan encourages students to think critically about the information they receive, whether it comes from humans or software. He said, “We’ll make clear to students that they should always think critically when taking in information as input.” This statement underscores the importance of maintaining a healthy level of skepticism in this new learning environment.
The use of AI instructors in education is still in its early stages, but it has the potential to revolutionize the way we learn. AI instructors can provide students with personalized instruction and support that was previously unavailable. This could help students learn more effectively and efficiently.
