The bright side of the global pandemic is that it revealed failed legacy systems and processes, which caused the digital transformation of several sectors. The educational sector did benefit from it. Over time, Artificial intelligence was seen as a villain in the educational sector by displacing teachers. But currently, AI is used to reduce the teacher’s workload and enhance how they interact with the students.
6 ways in which AI is transforming education
Use of Smart Content
Most companies like JustThatFacts101 and Cram101 use AI to help students learn effectively and productively. Cram101 simplifies textbook content into an easily understandable smart guide that contains chapter summaries, multiple-choice practice tests, and flashcards. While JustThatFact101 is highlighting relevant parts of the book and generates chapter summaries that are cataloged. It’s available on Amazon.
Smart Content is used in several educational institutions. Also, it is used by websites to allure significant visitors. EMUCoupon Content Manager stated that “For us, smart Content means creating an experience based on the visitor’s previous behavior, and it includes language, device type, demographics, and location.
In the academic context, this concept contains digital learning guides and customizable learning interfaces. Most platforms offer engaging Content, feedback, exercises, and thorough assessments. Teachers or instructors can also benefit from these platforms by creating customizable agendas and Content that their students can easily access.
As the smart Content gets smarter, several simulations and improved self-assessments will be integrated into it.
Global Learning
There’s no limitation in the educational sector. AI can help in eradicating location boundaries. Technology caused intense transitions by bringing about the learning of any course anywhere and at any time. AI-powered education helps in equipping students with basic IT skills. With time, more courses will be available online, and AI will ensure that students can learn from anywhere in the world.
Use of Facial Recognition
Most schools in China have abolished the use of student IDs by using facial scans to identify students. When they are in the classroom, the camera will scan their faces every 30 seconds to know whether they are attentive or not.
Their parents will be notified if they’re not attentive in class. But this aspect of AI is still controversial since it’s been referred to as “surveillance” by critics. However, face-scanning cameras cannot be seen anytime soon in Chicago and London schools.
Virtual Learning Environment
AI is being used by platforms that digitize textbooks and enable students to access them anytime, anywhere globally, and on any device.
It’s beneficial for students who cannot attend classes and international students to study some courses that are not available in their countries, thereby creating opportunities for several students. Thereby create an interactive learning community for students of different ages, grades, and countries.
These AI-powered platforms can translate learning materials into different languages, which will ease the learning of non-English speakers.
Simplifying Administrative Tasks
AI can automatically perform administrative duties for instructors or teachers, and academic institutions, making them spend several hours assessing homework, grading exams, and offering worthy responses to students. AI can automatically grade multiple tests, hence enabling teachers to have more time for their students.
Well, software providers are looking for ways to improve the grading of essays and written answers. The school admission board also benefits from AI. It allows easy automation of processing and classifying paperwork.
24/7 Assistance
Usually, students must wait until they are in class or until their teachers or professors can resolve any questions or doubts. But, with AI, not anymore. There are many AI-powered chatbots specially developed for the education sector.
They act as 24/7 assistants for students to easily consult whenever they have questions at any time, regardless of where they are. This will enable them to get fast and relevant answers or solutions without waiting until the next class or until the teacher is free.
Ways in which AI is changing assessment
Currently, AI possesses automatic grading for almost all types of fill-in-the-blank tests and multiple-choice questions, thereby reducing teachers’ workload. It has allowed teachers to assess students’ knowledge and abilities easily, to be able to give beneficial feedback to students, and also prepare a personalized training plan for struggling students.
The AI-driven assessment provides regular feedback to teachers and parents about the students’ performance, the needed support, and their efforts towards achieving their learning goals. AI-powered solutions like Expert Control System (ECS)-based tutoring platform and Agent-based tutoring systems (AbS) are used for Assessment for Learning (AfL).
AI-assess is a generic intelligent assessment software created by UCL Knowledge Lab for students learning science and mathematics. It provides activities that assess and develop conceptual knowledge by providing students with specialized tasks of increasing difficulty levels as the student progresses in learning. It also offers different levels of hints and tips to assist the students in completing every task.
AI assessment software’s output offers the ingredients that can be interpreted and synthesized to generate visualizations that will assist the teachers in understanding their students’ approach to learning to create their future teaching methods. It will also encourage students by letting them track their progress. Also, it can be used in assessing students’ skills like persistence and collaboration and their characteristics like motivation and confidence.
The other AI technique used in evaluating student learning includes Speech Recognition, Semantic Analysis, and Natural Language Processing.
Conclusion
AI is beneficial to the educational sector. If AI knows the curriculums, it will show educational opportunities that are specific for an individual.
If the skill gap is known, AI can create tests and specifically provide content packages for the individual. Also, AI can produce online courses from recognized skills and provide vocational training and extended-lasting learning for lots of learners.
Lastly, AI won’t transform the way we learn, but it can transform access to education worldwide.
