ChatGPT's new 'Study and learn' mode
I tried ChatGPT's new 'Study and learn' mode, hoping it could deliver an adaptive, curiosity-driven learning experience. Spoiler: It didn't.
It was disappointing. Especially as I'm a believer in adaptive and customized learning. Quick flashback: when I was teaching math for Temple University's summer bridge program, a student raised their hand to ask, "When am I ever going to use this stuff?" Valid question, and I challenged the class to bring me questions about topics they were genuinely interested in, and I'd show them the math hidden within.
Their questions were fascinating and spanned concepts from every discipline. I even got questions about making chocolate and flying helicopters. Sometimes the math was the foundation beneath layers of chemistry and physics. What mattered was that they were learning through their own curiosity and connecting the concepts through their existing understanding.
I've successfully used ChatGPT as a study partner for multiple certifications (PMP, CISSP, ITIL, etc.), and I wondered: Could AI finally deliver that adaptive, interest-driven education I tried to provide to my students?
1️⃣ The Vision
↳ An immersive space where AI knows your knowledge pool, adapts in real-time to your interests, and builds connections between what you know and what you need to know. Think Spock's Augmented Reality instruction sessions. 🖖
2️⃣ The Test
↳ Study for my AIGP certification using ChatGPT's "Study and learn" mode. See how close it comes to an immersive, adaptive learning experience.
3️⃣ The Reality
↳ It was unusable at first. Text and voice wouldn't work together. ChatGPT kept telling me it was working, and I kept sharing with it that it wasn't. I eventually solved my own tech issues by switching from the web version of ChatGPT to the standalone macOS and iOS apps and enabling subtitles. The app on macOS only showed a single tiny line of text, but iOS was better, with captions filling the screen.
↳ In voice mode, ChatGPT couldn't create visuals. So I had to manually switch modes, reprompt the AI, and then wait for the painfully slow image generation. Ad hoc video creation wasn't possible.
↳ ChatGPT would only tutor me on the specific topics I asked for. At times, I felt like I was only making progress because I already knew the answers and could guide the AI with the next steps.
↳ Worst of all, when I took a break, I returned to an AI that had not transcribed portions of our conversation and had forgotten chunks of our previous work (and this was not a temporary chat).
4️⃣ The Verdict
↳ It's OK for explaining a specific topic you already understand, but it's nowhere near that adaptive, curiosity-driven learning experience I had with my students.
❓Have you found tools that can genuinely adapt to how you learn, or are we still missing something fundamental about curiosity-driven education?
