There is no doubt that technology has revolutionized business. However, it is also changing academia.
Artificial intelligence has received a lot more attention in recent months. A growing number of academic institutions are talking about the ways they can use AI tools like ChatGPT. However, as a recent article in Wired points out, there are other ways to use AI in education mentioned in Wired.
There are many benefits of implementing artificial intelligence technology in education. AI can create more personalized experiences for students and help educators monitor student motivation and academic performance.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) published a consensus on artificial intelligence and education. UNESCO is working towards creating a framework for self-assessment of member countries’ abilities to take advantage of Artificial Intelligence.
This framework aims to help Member States assess their preparedness and capabilities to integrate these technologies at the national level, implementing them in all education-related areas. The organization will develop a profile to help achieve these purposes for each country, so educators can identify their strengths and weaknesses and make specific recommendations according to the requirements demanded in these territories.
Of course, some biases need to be taken into consideration. According to ExpressVPN’s explanation of AI bias, it is possible to anticipate some of the problems that bias can create. Nevertheless, the benefits of AI outweigh the downsides when bias is taken into account.
1. Identify new areas of study
Teachers can use Artificial Intelligence in Education to help design better curricula. To do this, they can use AI software that searches the Internet for content that is most relevant to a particular subject.
Likewise, these machines can automatically create courses, making this task easier for the teacher because they will only have to correct the information and verify that it is correct.
On the other hand, these algorithms can also create questions and exercises about the content collected.
2. Virtual tutors
Artificial Intelligence can help design virtual tutors that can automate many teachers responsible for conducting such as grading questionnaires, identifying the most common mistakes made by students, and even offering feedback on their performance in real-time.
These functions can allow students to realize their strengths and weaknesses when learning, which will help them improve their learning processes and academic performance.
In addition, as a virtual tutor, this software can help students to solve their doubts 24 hours a day and wherever they are.
If you think that this sounds unrealistic, then you should read about a professor from Georgia Tech that developed a virtual assistant with AI. According to Forbes author Michael T. Nietzel, this virtual assistant receives very positive reviews.
3. Personalized learning materials
We have talked about the benefits of using AI for transcription in the past with the reference to Catalyst for Business.
However, AI can also help develop new materials for students in academia.
One of the ways that AI is useful in education is that it can help develop learning materials that cater to different learning styles. If educators follow this approach, students will be able to have learning resources that are more adapted to the way they assimilate information, since different kinds of audiovisual materials can be offered to make it easier for them to absorb new information and learn more easily.
American Progress has a detailed analysis of the benefits of AI in education. They emphasize that the biggest benefit is that it can help offer personalized feedback to students.
4. Online teacher refresher courses
Teachers can take online training courses to keep their skills fresh and develop a better understanding of new tools that can help them teach more effectively.
These professionals can take courses that allow them to learn about innovative teaching and learning methodologies and strategies and can apply them to their classrooms to improve student academic motivation when they use E-learning, as well as in face-to-face education.
5. Predicting the risk of dropping out of school
One of the applications of Artificial Intelligence is usually to predict the risk of dropping out of school since it is used to analyze data to see which students are more likely to drop out of school.
In this sense, teachers can use this information to design learning strategies that allow them to work individually with students.
These professionals will be able to improve students’ motivation to learn, thus discouraging them from dropping out of school, which is usually a behavioral pattern in students with fewer economic resources.
