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How I changed teaching after AI managed to do all my homework assignments

305 points · 288 comments · azhenley

  1. helsinkiandrew · · focus · HN ↗
    > I now shifted to in-person interactions with a TA. After every assignment, each student needs to schedule a 15-minute meeting with a TA to answer a couple of questions in a live conversation

    Isn't the answer the 'flipped classroom' - students are assigned reading/studying to do before a class and the class becomes more interactive, answering questions/discussing topics/solving problems etc depending on subject. Of course, this is more expensive than a hall with 400 people listening to a lecture with a couple of tests/essays.

    <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;fltmag.com&#x2F;the-flipped-classroom&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;fltmag.com&#x2F;the-flipped-classroom&#x2F;

    <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Flipped_classroom" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Flipped_classroom

    1. raphman · · focus · HN ↗
      This only works if you either have very intrinsically motivated students or you verify that really everyone has actually read the assigned materials before class. Otherwise, some people will turn up unprepared, you will have to explain stuff they should have gotten from the reading assignment, other students will be annoyed, students will stop preparing for class, vicious cycle.
      1. chrismorgan · · focus · HN ↗
        And then you fail them. I suspect an institute genuinely empowered to do so, where the expectations were declared up front and followed through on consistently, would fare well, after the dust settled.
        1. raphman · · focus · HN ↗
          I don&#x27;t fail them usually - I expose them; and once I asked a student to leave the room because they were blatantly unprepared despite me warning them before.

          My main point is: flipped classroom works great in some contexts but is no panacea and requires setting clear expectations.

          Aside: as English is not my native language: &quot;you fail them&quot; can mean both &quot;you give them a failing grade&quot; and &quot;you fail to provide the support they need&quot;, right?

          1. chrismorgan · · focus · HN ↗
            &gt; &quot;you fail them&quot; can mean both &quot;you give them a failing grade&quot; and &quot;you fail to provide the support they need&quot;, right?

            Yes, but as written the latter would not be a reasonable parse. For that sense: “you have failed them”, sure; “you are failing them”, sure; even “in acting so, you fail them”; but “and then you fail them” as an entire sentence would be very weird. The emphasis I placed on “fail” also doesn’t feel particularly compatible with that sense of the word.

          2. officehero · · focus · HN ↗
            As a former flipped classroom student I can attest to the effectiveness of &quot;exposure&quot;. It requires some skill to pull off: the first time someone is exposed it should be very lenient and then get gradually harsher. The risk of embarrassment in front of the class can be a very strong motivator if utilized right.
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