Written by: Xinman Liu. University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
Abstract: Within its early adoption stage, ChatGPT has inspired widespread discourse on the potential and threats of artificial intelligence in revolutionising education. Nonetheless, to what extent is ChatGPT truly disruptive in education? New educational technologies are oftentimes not complete novelties but rather built upon existing lineages and patterns. Hence, examining the broader historical implications of education innovations is crucial (Reich, 2020). This study conducts a comparative public media analysis on the current “hype” of ChatGPT and the “hype” of the massive open online courses (MOOCs) a decade ago, which similarly inspired unprecedented interest and involvement from the general public (Kovanović et al., 2015). Deploying Latent Code Identification (LACOID) framework (González Canché, 2023) and sentiment analysis, the study highlights how MOOCs and ChatGPT are similarly constrained within a sociotechnical context that discursively marginalises deeper structural and ethical concerns coated under the hype of proclaimed disruptiveness. It is thus crucial to transcend the perception of technological innovations as transformative solutions to existing educational issues, and instead harness them as a lens that prompts and challenges educators, policymakers, and researchers to approach educational change collaboratively and systemically.
Keywords: MOOCs; ChatGPT; early adopters; media discourse; education innovation