Artificial intelligence has a transformative power. AI changed business, banking, governmental processes, marketing, and any other industry you could think of. It changed education, too. Technology has become an inevitable aspect of the way we approach the learning process.
During UNESCO's Mobile Learning Week 2019, the participants focused on finding solutions to ensure equitable and inclusive use of AI in education. The organization is focused on offering equal learning opportunities to all people regardless of ethnicity, location, gender, and socio-economic status. AI helps with that.
One of the best examples of artificial intelligence in education is the Third Space project, which uses real-time feedback to make online tutors more effective at teaching. The system detects all reactions of the student, analyzes the data and gives hints to the tutor, so they can adjust their pace and style. Isn't that completely different from the education we once knew?
Artificial Intelligence in Education 2019: The Changes that Take Us Forward
To understand the role of AI in the educational industry, we'll go through specific examples that show how it changed things for both learners and teachers.
1. E-Learning Is the Next Logical Step
How many learning styles can one classroom fit? Each student has their own preferences and their own approach to learning. An individual may perform well at math, but they won't be effective at studying languages.
In the traditional educational system, the teacher cannot do much to personalize their approach to each student's needs. That's why many students end up hiring writers who can do your assignment in a matter of hours. AI is slowly, but surely changing that.
The regular classroom-style education lacks potential to cater to everyone's needs. Online learning systems, on the other hand, can evaluate an individual's abilities and personalize the process to suit their level and pace. When the teacher recommends the right online learning program, AI can complement what the students learn in the classroom.
2. AI Makes Students Ready to Hit the Job Market
Let's face it: any job involves technology nowadays. Everyone should learn how to use data, software, and all kinds of tools to perform tasks and get more productive. When teachers introduce AI into the educational process, they prepare their students for jobs and life in the tech era.
3. Teachers Are Getting Their Smart Assistants
Will AI take over a teacher's role? Will software fill in the need for tutoring? Will teaching be considered a profession in the future?
These are questions we all have to mind. Artificial intelligence is a necessity in education. However, it only acts as a support to the teaching process, which is still being conducted by humans. Even if it's a program we're talking about, it's developed not only by programmers and graphic designers, but by teachers as well.
Whiteboards, desks, classrooms, and schools will still be part of the educational system. They provide an environment for learning that's superior to any other we know of. Artificial intelligence, as part of the teaching process, helps the teacher to be more effective at transferring knowledge, offering personalized support, and evaluation. Most of all, it helps them to engage the students.
4. Access to Education Is More Available than Ever
What if a child from a remote village in India has a talent for physics but doesn't have access to appropriate education? Artificial intelligence is breaking the boundaries. We're moving towards a world where the location will make no difference in learning opportunities. This child will still attend the local school and learn the usual lectures. However, they will also have access to online tutoring services and AI-based lectures.
Connecting with tutors from all around the world only requires an Internet-connected device.
Students can also connect with peers from different countries and engage in a collaborative learning process. Brainly is a practical example of how that works. It's a social media platform for students and experts from various fields of study. When the student has trouble completing homework or understanding a concept, they connect with others to work towards a solution.
Thanks to AI, anyone can gain access to the information they need. Educators develop more courses, and students are gaining more interest in online learning. We're moving towards a bright future that will crush the differences between students.
The Future Is Here Already
The progress is not done yet. We'll see AI developing further, and we'll see it bringing new changes into the educational system. But it's safe to say that we've come a long way from the traditional classroom that we used to know.
Thanks to artificial intelligence, teachers are getting more effective at conveying even the most complex concepts. The students have access to personalized education wherever they are.
The element of social interaction remains. The schools and classrooms are still there, and no robots are taking teaching jobs away. What we know for sure is that thanks to AI, teachers are getting better at teaching, and students are getting better at learning.
BIO: Robert Everett is a blogger focused on eLearning. He started taking online courses five years ago and he never plans to stop. Through his blog posts, Robert explores the educational industry and predicts where the current trends will take us.
