Integrating OpenAI Chat-GPT in a University Department of Education: Main Types of Use and Preliminary Assessment Results

During the last decades, ICT tools are often used in educational settings. ICT tools may offer advantages to learners, tutors and other staff members in educational institutions. Advances in Artificial Intelligence may be exploited to enhance the effectiveness of the tools used in education. An Artificial Intelligence tool that could be used in education is the OpenAI Chat-GPT. Chat-GPT may engage in text-based conversations with users because its main feature is the ability to provide human-like responses according to the input it receives. This chapter discusses issues regarding the use of Chat-GPT in a University Department of Education. First, main types of Chat-GPT uses in any University Department are analyzed. Based on the previous discussion, example queries to Chat-GPT corresponding to a Department of Education and indicative responses of the tool are presented. The goals of an ongoing research study in our Department that will involve students enrolled in various courses and staff members are then outlined. Preliminary assessment results obtained from senior pre-service teachers enrolled in the undergraduate course ‘Creative Writing’ are discussed. The overall discussion will be useful to tutors, students, educational policymakers and tool developers.