The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the classroom has sparked heated debate, with some institutions banning its use, while others opt to embrace it. Harvard University has chosen the latter; recently announcing its intent to provide AI as a teaching resource to students enrolled in one of its most popular courses, Computer Science 50 (also known as CS50). The goal of the University is to simulate a one-to-one student-to-teacher ratio, while also supporting each student’s unique learning style.
CS50 is an introductory-level computer science course that covers a variety of topics, including coding languages, computer science concepts, IT security and AI. With an on-campus enrollment of more than 800 students, one-on-one instruction and consultation is difficult for both students and faculty. To better support CS50 students, Harvard has rolled out its own proprietary large language model that provides feedback, debugging support and helps troubleshoot errors, code and solutions.
The University’s model, dubbed the CS50 bot, is described as being similar to ChatGPT without being “too helpful.” Unlike ChatGPT, the model is designed to guide students to the right solutions, rather than provide answers without further discovery. The course is led by David Malan, a Gordon McKay professor of Computer Science at Harvard. Malan targeted a goal of a one-to-one teacher-to-student ratio for every CS50 student enrolled in the course.
The introduction of AI assistance has proven to be a turning point for the University and AI’s overall role in the classroom. Concerns remain about the potential for AI tools such as ChatGPT to enable cheating, plagiarism and use of fabricated sources. Others are concerned that student privacy and data collection may be compromised. Harvard’s adoption of AI may help ensure its responsible and controlled application.
The CS50 course is offered online by Harvard University and edX.org at no cost. According to edX.org, more than 4.8 million users have enrolled in the most recent session. The AI support is extended to all non-Harvard students accessing the course via edX.
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