Many Math, Computer Science Teachers Use Chatbots

Many Math, Computer Science Teachers Use Chatbots

许多数学、计算机科学教师使用聊天机器人

【原文听力】

　　By Dan Novak

　　31 October 2023

　　Some schools in the U.S. are considering whether to ban chatbots, which use artificial intelligence, or AI. However, some math and computer science teachers think chatbots, which "learn" about subjects from the internet, are just another tool.

　　Jack Price has taught math using Wolfram Alpha. It is a website that solves algebraic problems online. It has long threatened to make algebra homework a thing of the past.

　　Teachers learned to work around and with it, said Price. He is an assistant professor of mathematics and computer science at the University of Puget Sound in the western state of Washington. Now, students have a new online service that provides homework help using AI—ChatGPT—that teachers must deal with.

　　Price does not consider ChatGPT to be a threat, and he is not alone. Some math professors believe AI, when used correctly, can help strengthen math learning. It is arriving at a time when math scores are at historic lows and educators are questioning if math should be taught differently.

　　AI can serve as a tutor, giving a student who is struggling with a problem immediate feedback. It can help a teacher plan math lessons or write math problems for different levels of teaching. It can show new computer programmers sample code, permitting them to avoid learning how to write basic code.

　　"Math has always been evolving as technology evolves," said Price. He said that a hundred years ago, people could not solve problems using calculators.

　　Price makes sure students have the ability to solve problems on their own. Then, he discusses the limitations of the technologies they might want to use when they get home.

　　"Computers are really good at doing tedious things," Price said. "We don't have to do all the tedious stuff...And then we can interpret the answer and think about what it tells us about the decisions we need to make."

　　Min Sun is a University of Washington education professor. She thinks students should use chatbots like personal tutors. If students do not understand a math operation, they can ask ChatGPT to explain it and give examples.

　　She wants teachers to use ChatGPT as their own assistant: to plan math lessons, give students feedback and communicate with parents.

　　Teachers can also ask ChatGPT to recommend different levels of math problems for students with different skill levels, she said. This is particularly helpful for teachers who are new to the job or have students with different needs, Sun said.

　　A year ago, if you asked Daniel Zingaro how he tests his introductory computer science students, he would say: "We ask them to write code."

　　But, if you ask him today, Zingaro said his answer would be more complex. He teaches at the University of Toronto in Canada.

　　Zingaro wrote the book Learn AI-Assisted Python Programming with GitHub Copilot and ChatGPT with Leo Porter, a computer science professor at University of California San Diego. They believe AI will permit introductory computer science classes to teach larger ideas.

　　A lot of beginner students have problems writing simple code, Porter and Zingaro said. They never move on to higher-level questions. Many still cannot write simple code after they complete the class.

　　Chatbots do not make those mistakes, and it permits computer science professors to spend more time teaching higher-level abilities.

　　The professors now ask their students to take a big problem and break it down to smaller questions the code needs to do. They also ask students to test and debug code once it is written.

　　Porter said of students: "We want them to write software that is meaningful to them."

　　Magdalena Balazinska is director of the University of Washington's Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering. She welcomes AI.

　　"With the support of AI, human software engineers get to focus on the most interesting part of computer science: answering big software design questions," Balazinska said.

　　Not all professors in the field think AI should be used. But Zingaro and Porter said that reading a lot of code created by artificial intelligence does not feel like cheating. Rather, it is a way for students to learn.

　　"I think a lot of programmers read a lot of code, just like how I believe the best writers read a lot of writing," Zingaro said. "I think that is a very powerful way to learn."

　　I'm Dan Novak. And I'm Jill Robbins.

　　Dan Novak adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting by The Associated Press.

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　　丹·诺瓦克

　　2023年10月31日

　　美国的一些学校正在考虑是否禁止使用人工智能或AI的聊天机器人。然而，一些数学和计算机科学教师认为聊天机器人，从互联网上“学习”科目，只是另一种工具。

　　杰克·普莱斯用Wolfram Alpha教过数学。它是一个在线解决代数问题的网站。它早就威胁要让代数作业成为历史。

　　普莱斯说，老师们学会了变通和适应。他是西部华盛顿州普吉特湾大学的数学和计算机科学助理教授。现在，学生们有了一个新的在线服务，使用人工智能提供家庭作业帮助——ChatGPT——教师必须处理。

　　普莱斯并不认为ChatGPT是一个威胁，他并不孤单。一些数学教授认为，人工智能在正确使用的情况下，可以帮助加强数学学习。这是在数学成绩处于历史低点的时候到来的，教育家们正在质疑数学是否应该以不同的方式教授。

　　AI可以作为一个导师，让正在努力解决问题的学生立竿见影反馈。它可以帮助老师为不同层次的教学计划数学课或写数学问题。它可以展示新的计算机程序员样本密码，允许他们避免学习如何编写基本代码。

　　“数学一直都是进化的，逐步发展随着技术的发展，”普莱斯说。他说一百年前，人们不能用计算机解决问题计算器.

　　普莱斯确保学生有能力独立解决问题。然后，他讨论了他们回家后可能想要使用的技术的局限性。

　　“计算机真的很擅长做沉闷的“事情，”普莱斯说我们不必做所有乏味的事情...然后我们可以口译想一想这个答案告诉我们需要做什么决定。"

　　孙敏是华盛顿大学的教育学教授。她认为学生应该像私人教师一样使用聊天机器人。如果学生不理解某个数学运算，可以请ChatGPT解释并举例说明。

　　她希望老师将ChatGPT作为自己的助手:规划数学课，给学生反馈，与家长沟通。

　　她说，老师也可以要求ChatGPT为不同技能水平的学生推荐不同水平的数学问题。孙说，这对于初来乍到的老师或有不同需求的学生来说尤其有用。

　　一年前，如果你问丹尼尔·津加罗如何测试他的计算机科学入门学生，他会说:“我们让他们写代码。”

　　但是，如果你今天问他，津加洛说他的答案会更复杂。他在加拿大多伦多大学教书。

　　津加罗写了这本书用GitHub Copilot和ChatGPT学习AI辅助的Python编程加州大学圣地亚哥分校的计算机科学教授利奥·波特。他们相信人工智能将允许计算机科学导论课教授更大的思想。

　　波特和津加罗说，许多初学者在编写简单代码方面存在问题。他们从来不讨论更高层次的问题。许多人在完成课程后仍然无法编写简单的代码。

　　聊天机器人不会犯这些错误，它允许计算机科学教授花更多时间教授更高层次的能力。

　　教授们现在要求他们的学生把一个大问题分解成代码需要做的小问题。他们也要求学生测试调试代码一旦写好。

　　波特谈到学生时说:“我们希望他们写出对他们有意义的软件。”

　　Magdalena Balazinska是华盛顿大学Paul G. Allen计算机科学与工程学院的主任。她欢迎艾。

　　“在人工智能的支持下，人类软件工程师可以集中计算机科学最有趣的部分:回答大型软件设计问题，”Balazinska说。

　　并非该领域的所有教授都认为应该使用人工智能。但津加罗和波特表示，阅读大量人工智能创造的代码并不像是作弊。相反，这是学生学习的一种方式。

　　“我认为许多程序员阅读大量代码，就像我认为最好的作家阅读大量作品一样，”津加罗说。“我认为这是一种非常有效的学习方式。”

　　我是丹·诺瓦克。我是吉尔·罗宾斯。

　　丹·诺瓦克根据美联社的报道改编了这个故事。

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　　这个故事中的词语

　　tutor — n.教一个或几个学生的老师

　　feedback — n. 旨在提高绩效的有益批评

　　code –n. 计算设备的说明

　　evolve — v. 经过一段时间变成另一种东西；发展

　　calculator –n. 执行数学运算的电子设备

　　tedious — adj. 重复的、没有意思的东西

　　interpret — v. 以某种方式理解某事

　　debug –v. (计算机)从代码中删除错误

　　focus –v.把注意力放在一件事或一个人身上

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