Navigating The AI Revolution In Education
Regardless of the industry you work in, you’ve probably faced some uncertainty over the last year as a result of innovative Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology and its rapidly growing popularity. For those working in education, these feelings of uncertainty around looming changes have been substantial. Specifically, having to pivot in order to both utilize this technology in the educational process and combat its use as a cheating tool is leaving educators and educational leaders with their hands full.
This being the case, anyone interested in developing their understanding of the education sector should be aware of the ways that AI technology is altering education for educators and students alike. Here is what lies ahead for education and the student experience in today’s AI-driven world.
The Pros, Cons, And Effects Of ChatGPT On Education
More likely than not, you, along with pretty much everyone you know, have now toyed with the ChatGPT AI software. From creating narratives to structuring essays, this technology has introduced a tremendous amount of power into the hands of the public at large. Unfortunately for educators, this potent tool is also available to students with intent to cheat and plagiarize work. Over the last several months, teachers from elementary schools to universities have been scrambling to address this growing problem.
Sadly, there is, as yet, no silver bullet solution for teachers. While some software has claimed to be able to detect the presence of AI-generated content, none of these have fully cracked the code. As a result, teachers are now left to guess whether students are utilizing this software to complete assignments, essays, and other coursework. As a result of this change, there will likely be a purposeful shift in education that champions in-person assessments rather than take-home assignments. In this way, educators can be sure that students aren’t utilizing ChatGPT or other comparable AI software to generate their work.
In addition to shifting curriculums to skew more toward in-person assessments, teachers are also starting to incorporate ChatGPT into their processes. This means that instead of trying to completely ban the use of AI in education, many educators and institutions are currently trying to figure out the best ways for students to use this technology as a helpful tool in the educational process.
For students, whether they’re studying business to land their first professional role or are in a program to pursue nursing as a second career, this will have a significant and lasting impact on their experiences of learning, both inside and outside of the classroom. In fact, many theorize that within a mere couple of years, all students will become adept at using Artificial Intelligence technology to help them in their educational pursuits in ethical, beneficial, and valuable ways.
How AI Technology Is Bolstering Personalized Learning
Over the decades, one glaring critique of the American school system that many have had is its one-size-fits-all approach to education. While this benefits some students with a particular learning style, many others struggle with this form of education. Though some attempts have been made over the years to fix this issue, none have stuck or been very effective. Today, however, AI and Machine Learning technology are presenting themselves as antidotes to this problem.
In essence, this technology becomes applicable in this way due to the increasingly digital nature of education in the modern age. Specifically, the fact that there is easily accessible digital data about different students’ learning capabilities makes it possible for teachers to utilize AI to personalize learning for students. For example, by generating insights about which students are struggling with a subject and which are excelling, teachers can develop different projects for different groups of students. This means that teachers are becoming more capable of serving the individual needs of students and increasing the chances that all students will experience academic success.
In addition to assessing various students, AI is also aiding educators in creating lesson plans. A task that used to take long hours of toiling and effort can now be accomplished in a few short minutes. This being the case, teachers have the ability to create a wide variety of different lesson plans for different students faster than it used to take to create just one. Given the many, and growing, applications of AI to increase instances of personalized learning, many in the education space believe that personalized learning will be the future of education.
AI Is Making Extra Help And Tutoring More Accessible To Students
For many students, extra academic help can make a substantial difference in their academic pursuits and outcomes. Unfortunately, not all students can afford the costs of one-on-one sessions with tutors. Fortunately, that is rapidly changing thanks to the power and accessibility of AI-powered technology.
Instead of needing to pay a human tutor, free AI tutors that have the ability to guide students through academic challenges are now sprouting up in impressive numbers. In fact, respected educational resource organizations such as Khan Academy are now developing their own AI resources for this express purpose. As a result, many students now have access to robust academic help anywhere they have an internet connection.
Thus, AI can have a wide variety of impacts on the student experience. For one, students in school districts that lack adequate funding and resources can now have impactful academic help in whichever area they need it. Beyond this, all students now have more opportunities to excel in subjects they once found overly challenging or difficult. This incredible innovation in the education space is making many hopeful that more students will achieve academic success as a result of these markedly accessible resources.
AI Is Transforming The Student Educational Experience
Today, education is in the midst of a monumental shift as a result of the growing popularity and accessibility of AI technology. From aiding teachers in creating personalized education plans to providing meaningful and easily accessible academic help to students, AI is transforming the academic experience for students and educators alike. As time goes on and more innovations arise in the intersection between education and AI technology, many are hopeful that the education system will benefit in even more exciting and impactful ways.
