AI tools prompt tough questions about future of grading and teaching at Hong Kong universities

After months of shifting views on the use of generative artificial intelligence, or GenAI, on campuses, most leading universities in city are adopting the technology

But professors and lecturers warn traditional ways of assessing students will have to change and unchecked use could undermine academic literacy

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Market analysts say AI in the global education market is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of more than 40 per cent between 2021 and 2027.Photo: Dreamstime/TNS

Published: 3:00pm, 5 Aug 2023

Hong Kong’s professors and lecturers have warned that the quality of education and academic literacy could be undermined if universities rush to adopt generative artificial intelligence (GenAI).

At least five teachers at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) told the Post on Friday they were cautious about incorporating tools such as ChatGPT and Dall-E into their coursework, especially when the programs could not yet be relied upon to distinguish between fact and fiction.

One lecturer said widespread use of the new technology on campus could lead to a “collapse” of the university’s years-long assessment system, as AI could play a role in carrying out lower-level tasks.

(From left) HKU chief information officer Flora Ng Lai-kuen, associate vice-president of teaching and learning Pauline Chiu, vice-president of teaching and Learning Ian Holliday and founding director of the Teaching and Learning Innovation Centre Cecilia Chan. Photo: Jonathan Wong

HKU on Thursday said AI tools could be incorporated into teaching in the next school year. Students will be restricted to 20 prompts on GenAI each month.

The university had previously banned students from using GenAI, with offenders incurring penalties in their coursework if caught.

But in announcing the about-face this week, HKU’s Cecilia Chan Ka-yuk, director of the Teaching and Learning Innovation Centre, said the university wanted pupils to be “forerunners and leaders in GenAI”.

Vera Yuen Wing-han, a lecturer at HKU’s business school, warned the introduction of GenAI would inevitably shake up the university’s assessment system.