Leiden University Student Repository

Houweling, Louise (2023)

Rethinking Education in the Age of AI: A Confucian Discourse on ChatGPT: Bridging Ancient Wisdom and Modern Technology for the Future of Learning

Bachelor thesis | Filosofie (BA)

The launch of the advanced language model ChatGPT has raised many concerns among teachers and educators as they fear the students will use it to do their written assignments for them. An initial response might be to ban the technology, such that the students have to write every word themselves again. However, one can also take one step back and question what it means that the work a student is expected to do is replaceable by a chatbot. Also, there seems to be a problem with their intrinsic motivation to learn. The fixation on tests and results seems to be one of the main causes for these two issues, as the focus on the end product makes it easy to skip the learning process leading to it, while that process is what motivates students to learn and grow. To revisit the aim of learning and teaching, I will draw upon the insights of the Chinese philosopher Confucius. His ideas on moral education will be used to create a better understanding of the current education system and the role...Show moreThe launch of the advanced language model ChatGPT has raised many concerns among teachers and educators as they fear the students will use it to do their written assignments for them. An initial response might be to ban the technology, such that the students have to write every word themselves again. However, one can also take one step back and question what it means that the work a student is expected to do is replaceable by a chatbot. Also, there seems to be a problem with their intrinsic motivation to learn. The fixation on tests and results seems to be one of the main causes for these two issues, as the focus on the end product makes it easy to skip the learning process leading to it, while that process is what motivates students to learn and grow. To revisit the aim of learning and teaching, I will draw upon the insights of the Chinese philosopher Confucius. His ideas on moral education will be used to create a better understanding of the current education system and the role of technologies such as ChatGPT within that. Most important are the emphasis on self-reflection, life-long learning and the role of the dialogue.Show less

Artificial Intelligence

ChatGPT

Confucius

Education

Motivation

Author

Houweling, Louise

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Specialisation

Global and Comparative

Supervisors

Sleutels, J.J.M.

ECTS Credits

10

Language

en