AI as a tutor

SAS faculty also employed AI tools and chatbots as tutors, helping students improve their writing skills and assignments.

Case A | Peter Lesnik, Documentary Cinema Course

Peter asked students to write an essay inspired by the themes and topics studied during the course. Students submitted a 1,000-word draft before the final deadline, which was then critiqued by ChatGPT-4o. Students could choose whether to incorporate the AI’s feedback. The final essay, ranging between 1,600 to 2,000 words, was expected to reflect any improvements.

Peter observed that three students significantly improved their final essays compared to their drafts. However, the majority of students showed minimal improvement. Nevertheless, all students, regardless of writing quality, demonstrated excellent structure and outline in their essays.

Case B | Emile Alexandrov, Perso-Arabic Neoplatonism Course

Emile tasked his students with choosing a poem from the course and analyzing it through the metaphysical lens of a philosopher studied in class. Students completed their analysis while simultaneously using ChatGPT-4 to perform the same task. Afterward, they had the option to submit their analysis or use the AI’s version, declaring so in their submission.

Emile found that students who conducted their own analysis exhibited greater creativity and deeper understanding of the course material. In contrast, the AI’s analysis was more generic and failed to meet his expectations, though it was better structured and written in simpler language.