Teaching Statistics in the Age of AI: Leveraging Learning Sciences Principles with AI Tool Use to Support GAISE

Large language model chatbots are novel technologies that have sparked widespread attention and adoption. Despite the potential for overreliance, they can provide unique opportunities to bolster statistics education if used strategically. In this article, we offer recommendations on how students and educators can leverage ChatGPT and other AI tools in conjunction with principles of learning sciences in introductory statistics courses. Specifically, we focus on how these tools can help meet aspects of the American Statistical Association (ASA)’s Guidelines for Assessments and Instruction in Statistics Education (GAISE). The article first underscores the importance of developing strong mental representations when learning statistics. Next, we review the updated GAISE College Report’s recommendations and offer suggestions for students and teachers on how to use AI as a tool to meet these recommendations. Finally, we review important limitations of ChatGPT and similar AI tools, including the potential danger of students’ overreliance on these technologies.