DK HHX “ChatGPT in the subject German language”
The teaching module was conducted in March 2024 at Business Highschool Svendborg (Svendborg Erhvervsgymnasier, HHX). 26 students (17 males, 9 females) from grade 11 (HHX, 1.g) were enrolled in the module.
Duration: 1.5 hours, integrated as an innovative learning activity in the subject ´German language´.
Teaching Design
Learning objectives for the students were about investigating whether ChatGPT could be used in a method for correcting grammatical mistakes in German language. Furthermore, it was intended to train the students’ critical thinking in relation to artificial intelligence.
The students had no direct co-influence on the teaching design. However, they were prompted to use their own language mistakes from a test prior to the activity.
Content, activities, conditions:
1) Instructions of how to use ChatGPT: The teacher distributed a prompt that all students had to insert in ChatGPT: “Correct my errors”.
2) Each student selected 10 errors from his/her written test. They inserted one error at a time.
3) The students critically assessed the feedback from ChatGPT to identify their own mistakes. After this they verified: “Is ChatGPT’s feedback correct or not, and why?”
4) The students reflected on “Did ChatGPT help you to understand your mistakes from the written test? Why/why not?”
As their learning products, the students uploaded a WORD-document with the 10 mistakes from the test, and inserted the feedback from ChatGPT in the document, where they also verified the output. In this document they added their reflections.
Pedagogical methods: The students worked individually, but were allowed to exchange in groups. Each student delivered a personal learning product.
Evaluation
The teacher noted that many students learned about their mistakes. The exercise was considered valuable strengthening the students´ digital literacy by promoting their critical thinking. In general, the students appeared very motivated, supported by the inductive approach.
On the other hand, some of the more challenged students had difficulties in overviewing the process. For some of the stronger students, it obviously was more time-consuming to use this method than simply looking solutions up in their dictionaries. In addition, in some cases ChatGPT corrected more phrases than the selected ones. This made the exercise more complex than necessary.
Digital production
ChatGPT 3,5 was chosen, as one of the dominant large language model technologies at the given time. The teachers wanted to ´embrace´ the technology and support the students in identifying pro´s and con´s, as the students already meet and apply artificial intelligence on their own in everyday life.
Retrospective reflection: A survey related to the exercise made the students reflect on the efficiency and the reliability of the given AI language model. Although the module did not focus on the technology behind the language model, the students met and could apply the relevant terms, such as “prompting” and “Large Language model”.
The module was peer-reviewed by the project partners in MYRE DK-DE. The feedback indicated added value for the students´ learning processes. The teacher concluded on a continued future use of the module.
Extract from the students´ evaluations, focusing on their retrospective reflections
Digital literacy
The activity addressed ethics and the society, which supported the students’ digital thinking in relation to ChatGPT and its use. Additionally, the teacher intended to create awareness about the students´ temptation to ‘cheat’ by using AI during the studies.
The module became highly individually relevant as the students already now use ChatGPT extensively in their daily lives. Regrettably, the young people often do not know how to use the tool appropriately , and some of them may end up ´cheating´ when working with their their school assignments.
Critical thinking: The students reflected on the use of ChatGPT and how the tool can help them correct their mistakes. They have become more aware of what they must be careful about.
Communities of practice: The students´ collaboration was limited during this module. However, the potential for sparring can be explored further in the future.
"ChatGPT is less reliable than I thought." - "At first, I believed that ChatGPT was more reliable, but after this exercise, I got a different impression because it sometimes gives incorrect answers." - "I think it's fine, but you still need to double-check if the grammar is correct enough.
Environment / external world
The teacher underlines that incorporating more and more exercises with AI can develop the students’ understanding of the role of technologies in business, the added value as well as the limitations.
The module was not conducted in the education chain. But collaborative learning environments or modules across educational levels can be imagined, where students from different programs could share experiences, strategies, and feedback on their use of ChatGPT. This could foster a culture of mutual support across different studies and enhance overall educational outcomes.
Elevcitater, HHX Svendborg 1.g
