Observations that guide practice!! artificial intelligence in the online classroom: know it well so it can benefit, not destroy

“Artificial Intelligence”—those two words have led to confusion, horror, anxiety, disillusionment, concern, and frustration for the distance learning instructor. Its partner in all this is ChatGPT, an AI network that can process and generate human-like text. Ben Dickson, software engineer, writing for PC Magazine, sums it up nicely:It is that last part of the quote—“allowing students to cheat on texts”—that has online educators worrying. There are students looking for shortcuts to less time doing school work yet better grades; AI seems to be a gift giving both of these. But the sky is not falling! Notes the Harvard University Graduate School of Education ,These are items to consider with the added tool of AI in the classroom:A nice summation of AI’s use in the classroom comes from Forbes (Singh, 2024): “As the world becomes increasingly interconnected and digital … students must be equipped with the skills and knowledge to thrive in this new environment. AI offers a solution that can address these challenges, providing personalized, flexible and accessible learning experiences.”