8: ChatGPT, ADHD and Dyslexia, a Tool to Enhance Creativity

On today’s episode of Square Pegs we are joined by Maggie Melo, an Assistant Professor at UNC Chapel Hill’s School of Information and Library Science. Maggie recently ⁠wrote an op-ed on the value of ChatGPT⁠, especially as a tool for neurodiverse learners, for "Inside Higher Ed" and she joins us to discuss the paradigm shift ChatGPT represents. As higher education engages in a fierce debate over what role, if any, ChatGPT should play in the lives of students, this conversation takes a sober look at the program as a tool to enhance rather than replace, human creativity. Maggie and Arash share their personal experiences utilizing ChatGPT to assist students with ADHD and dyslexia. Maggie talks about using the program to recreate the body-doubling productivity strategy to manage her ADHD, while Arash describes how he encourages students to utilize ChatGPT for refining language, allowing them to focus more on the depth of their analysis. Both emphasize ethical usage when implementing AI tools like ChatGPT in education. The debate surrounding ChatGPT's impact on academic integrity needs to be informed by a nuanced understanding of what this tool offers, rather than by fear and anxiety. Ultimately, we find a hopeful glimpse into the possibilities that AI technology holds for supporting diverse learners in achieving their academic aspirations, and how those lessons can inform its use for the wider academic community. Read Maggie Melo's article here: ⁠https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2023/03/01/chatgpt-can-help-students-and-faculty-adhd-opinion⁠ Square Pegs is a series of intimate conversations about navigating life and learning within the neurodiverse community, hosted by Dr. Arash Zaghi, Professor at the University of Connecticut School of Engineering. In each episode, we talk to neurodiverse students and experts in the field of neurodiversity.  Send feedback about Square Pegs to [e-mail] or find us at squarepegspodcast.com. 00:11 Guest intro: Dr. Maggie Melo, Assistant Professor at UNC-Chapel Hill 02:26 Maggie’s NSF CAREER research into accessibility in maker spaces 05:35 ChatGPT as a generative assistive technology for neurodiverse researchers and how it supplements other focusing strategies 12:24 Inspiration for Maggie’s article on ADHD and ChatGPT 17:37 Use of ChatGPT in the daily life of academia 22:33 Exploring the cause of the negative reaction and fear coming from academia around the use of AI 32:33 How we are using ChatGPT in the classroom currently 45:15 How AI will change scholarship and publishing 56:10 Predicting the future of ChatGPT and other large language models 1:01:05 ChatGPT as the “easy way out” and inherent guilt in using it 1:13:25 Concluding thoughts: advice to young Maggie