Gradually but surely, artificial intelligence (AI) has managed to infiltrate every area of our lives. Every day to day activity, from clothes shopping to TV viewing to dating, artificial intelligence technology has been used to enhance experiences all around us. But what is its impact on education? Will it help students perform better? Will it help the learning process and teachers, or will it make them obsolete?
From a layman’s point of view, the vast use of technology in learning takes away most of the teaching duties from teachers. Students can easily attend classes online from the comfort of their homes, get assistance for difficult assignments from resources like homeworkdoer, and even submit them without stepping into the school compound.
However, when you take a deeper look at it, in fact, AI does not detract from classroom experience but enhances it in many ways. Here are some advantages of AI in our educational systems.
Personalization of the learning process.
Traditionally, it used to be overwhelmingly difficult for one teacher to figure out how to meet the needs of every student in the classroom. The learning experience of traditional classrooms is generalized and this means that the different individual needs of students cannot be attacked specifically. Remedial students, advanced students, and the disabled all need to have the same access to learning. With AI systems, teaching can easily adapt to each student’s individual learning needs and can target instructions based on their strengths and weaknesses of students. The use of AI negates meaningless work for teachers and provides a more meaningful learning experience for students.
Tutoring.
Yes, automated tutoring is already happening. Thanks to AI, machines are taking on the role of humans in many capacities, not excluding tutors. Just like human tutors, “Intelligent Tutoring Systems” can interrogate a student’s learning style and preexisting knowledge to provide customized support and instruction.
Grading.
Marking and grading is arguably one of the most tedious tasks for teachers and it takes time away from more meaningful and purposeful duties, like lesson planning and professional development. Computers are now so far advanced that they can do much more than simply grade an exam according to the answer key; they can compile data about how students performed for better analysis and can even grade more abstract assessments such as essays and research papers.
Feedback on course quality.
Using AI, you can easily identify instruction gaps in the course content based on student performance on assessments. For example, if a large percentage of students answer a question incorrectly, AI can figure out the specific information or the concepts that students are missing, or have had challenges understanding so that educators can deliver accurately targeted improvements in materials and methods.
Meaningful and real-time feedback to students.
In an era when most communication occurs online or using text messages, students are increasingly hesitant about taking risks in front of teachers and peers. They hide from receiving critical feedback in such public forums. With AI, students can feel comfortable making the mistakes necessary for learning and receive the feedback they need for improvement.
AI also allows for teachers to provide instant feedback on performance to the students via online student portals. Students can also use the same portals to provide feedback to the teachers on the progress of their coursework understanding. They can pose questions when faced with challenges during the learning process and easily receive assistance.
As educators, all teachers have fears about instituting large systemic changes, and sometimes those fears are well grounded. However, we cannot afford to ignore the possibilities that AI offers us for significantly improving the student learning experience.
