Introducing DidactLabs: An AI-Compatible Learning Environment

AI is no longer the future - it's the present, and it's here to stay. It is on track to become an integral part of the workplace of today's students. However, schools are struggling to keep up with this rapidly changing technology.

Some students are relying on AI for basic thinking tasks, leading to a decline in their essential skills. Many schools have tried to solve this problem by completely banning AI tools. But instead of stopping students from using AI, this has just made them secretive about it. As a consequence, institutions adopted AI-detection software to catch cheaters. Yet, due to the way they work, these tools sometimes wrongly flag honest work as AI-generated. This has resulted in an atmosphere of distrust between students and teachers, which ultimately hinders the development of responsible AI literacy.

To address this problem, we are creating a new virtual learning environment that empowers teachers to educate students on responsible AI use, rather than just restricting it. It gives teachers insights on when, how, and why their students are using AI, allowing them to detect its misuse and respond to it.

On the student side of the platform, we are giving students a familiar writing interface - similar to the ones Microsoft Word or Google Docs offers - but with an integrated AI assistant that students can talk to, and get feedback from, as they work. Anything students do within this environment will be recorded - typing, deleting, copying and pasting, as well as their interactions with the AI assistant. If multiple students are collaborating on a project, it will be clear who performed each action.

The teacher side of the platform uses all of this recorded information and displays it in a user-friendly, education-focused format to inform teachers on how students wrote their assignment.

• Did they type it all themselves or did they paste some content from external sources?
• Are they using AI sensibly, or are they just copying its work without a second thought?
• Did all students contribute equally to the assignment, or did a single student do all the work?

Within our environment, teachers can easily find the answer to all these questions. For example, if a student just asks AI to do their work, copies it, and then pastes it into our environment, the platform will flag this and show the teacher that all of the content was pasted in an instant, immediately alerting them that the student did not do their work properly.

With this approach, we aim to bridge the gap between AI technology and education, fostering an environment where students can learn to use AI tools responsibly and effectively. By providing transparency and insights to teachers, we enable them to guide students in developing critical thinking skills alongside AI literacy. This platform not only addresses the current challenges of AI in education but also prepares students for a future where AI will be an integral part of their professional lives. Ultimately, our goal is to create a learning ecosystem that embraces AI as a tool for enhancing education, rather than a threat to be feared or a shortcut to be exploited, ensuring that students are well-equipped to thrive in an AI-driven world.