On the Educational Impact of ChatGPT: Is Artificial Intelligence Ready to Obtain a University Degree?

TL;DR

This paper examines ChatGPT's impact on university education, especially in computer security, analyzing its potential for aiding learning and cheating, and discusses how education should adapt to such AI tools.

Contribution

It provides an empirical evaluation of ChatGPT's effectiveness and misuse in higher education, highlighting implications for teaching and assessment strategies.

Findings

ChatGPT can be easily used to cheat on exams and assignments.

It has potential benefits as an educational aid and learning enhancer.

The paper discusses necessary adaptations in computer science education.

Abstract

In late 2022, OpenAI released a new version of ChatGPT, a sophisticated natural language processing system capable of holding natural conversations while preserving and responding to the context of the discussion. ChatGPT has exceeded expectations in its abilities, leading to extensive considerations of its potential applications and misuse. In this work, we evaluate the influence of ChatGPT on university education, with a primary focus on computer security-oriented specialization. We gather data regarding the effectiveness and usability of this tool for completing exams, programming assignments, and term papers. We evaluate multiple levels of tool misuse, ranging from utilizing it as a consultant to simply copying its outputs. While we demonstrate how easily ChatGPT can be used to cheat, we also discuss the potentially significant benefits to the educational system. For instance, it might be used as an aid (assistant) to discuss problems encountered while solving an assignment or to speed up the learning process. Ultimately, we discuss how computer science higher education should adapt to tools like ChatGPT.