Ihor Bauman, Founder & CEO at Workee.
Anyone who’s been following recent education news may have noticed a lot of buzz around the potential impact of AI technology. Some headlines have even expressed fear and apprehension. In January, The New York Times published an article titled “Alarmed by A.I. Chatbots, Universities Start Revamping How They Teach.”
While there are concerns that AI-powered tools like ChatGPT could lead to academic dishonesty and disrupt the learning process, I believe we are on the cusp of a transformative era in education thanks to AI technology. In working with private educators, we’ve seen firsthand how AI can be used for good. So, rather than focus only on the negative effects, what if we learned to implement and understand the potential of AI? We could use it to revolutionize how we learn, teach and create a brighter future for education.
How is AI reshaping the way we learn and teach?
AI is personalizing the learning experience.
Ever come across Benjamin Bloom’s 2 Sigma Problem? The study conducted back in 1984 revealed that students who received one-to-one tutoring using mastery learning techniques performed two standard deviations better than those who received traditional classroom education. In simpler terms, tutoring can transform an average student into an exceptional one or even help struggling students achieve above-average results. Fortunately, with the advent of AI, personalized learning has become more attainable than ever. Intelligent tutoring systems serve as an excellent example of this. These systems can cater to students’ unique needs by adapting their content and strategies, making lessons more engaging and effective. By leveraging AI, educators can customize content and learning pathways according to students’ strengths, weaknesses and pace, and thus help improve engagement and learning outcomes.
AI is revolutionizing the way we handle administrative tasks.
There are various ways in which AI is streamlining processes in the education sector, including:
• Scheduling. Scheduling tasks can be complicated and take up a lot of time. AI can make things easier by factoring in teacher and student availability and other important parameters to create the best possible schedule.
• Tracking student progress. AI systems like machine learning can analyze large amounts of student data to identify patterns, detect areas of difficulty and predict future performance. Educators can use this data to adapt their teaching and provide targeted support.
• Lesson planning and finding resources. AI tools can assist teachers in lesson planning and finding resources. IBM’s Teacher Advisor is an excellent example of an AI tool that provides personalized recommendations for lesson plans and resources tailored to the specific needs of the students.
• Chatbots and virtual assistants. AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants have become increasingly popular in EdTech because they can handle routine inquiries and provide quick answers, freeing up valuable time.
AI is bridging the digital divide.
The “digital divide” refers to the gap between individuals with access to modern information technology and those without access. This divide can be due to socio-economic factors, geographical location, age or disability status. AI can help bridge the divide in a few ways, including:
• Better access to quality education. Remote students can now also access top university content through massive open online courses (MOOCs), many of which use AI to customize the learning experience.
• More adaptive learning. As previously mentioned, AI-powered apps and platforms can be tailored to each student’s learning style, pace and level, improving learning and offering individualized experiences.
• Improved accessibility for students with disabilities. For example, AI-powered speech recognition can help students with dyslexia or typing difficulties and AI-powered text-to-speech can help visually impaired students access written content.
What are the ethical implications of AI in education and the possible solutions?
While AI presents opportunities to improve the education system as a whole, there are several ethical implications that leaders need to be mindful of, including:
• Data privacy. When AI is used in education, a lot of data about students is often collected and studied on a large scale. This information includes personal data, school records and even behavior patterns; therefore, strong security measures and ethical guidelines for how data can be used are crucial.
• Transparency and consent. Students, parents and educators must understand how AI systems are used in education and what data they collect. They should have the right to give informed consent to their data being used. AI systems should be transparent in making decisions or recommendations to ensure that users can trust their outputs.
• Algorithmic bias. AI systems learn from the data they are taught, so if the data has biases, so might the AI system. This could make it hard for some students to get the most out of it. For instance, if an AI system is taught based on data collected from mostly one type of student, it might not work as well for other types of students. It’s important to ensure that AI systems are taught using a wide range of data sets and that their performance is checked regularly for bias.
• Equal access. While AI has the potential to enhance education greatly, it’s also essential to ensure that all students have equitable access to these benefits. Students from low-income households, for example, may have different access to the technology needed to benefit from AI in education. Steps must be taken to ensure that the benefits of AI in education are available to all students, regardless of their socio-economic status.
It’s important to note that today’s cutting-edge technology can become outdated tomorrow. EdTech leaders should stay abreast of the latest developments in AI, continually updating their skills and knowledge—and this includes educators. While not all educators need to become AI experts, cultivating a certain technical skill level can be beneficial. This may involve learning how to use AI-powered educational tools and platforms or acquiring basic coding and AI development knowledge. And a heightened awareness of potential ethical issues can equip educators and others to employ AI ethically and responsibly.
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