Artificial Intelligence and What Does It Mean for Education

Introduction

Internet… a world-changing invention that is involved in most of the things we do. When we talk about education in the modern-day, we cannot put aside the digital world. Online students can find legit writing services or, if they can't decide on an essay service, they can get reviews and see which are the best. Or they can get some help with different questions they might have. Teachers, on the other hand, also have quite a lot of resources to pick from. There are opportunities to learn more about classroom management, student motivation, interaction, etc.

When we talk about the digital world, though, we should pay some attention to artificial intelligence. This is a particular area of study that will grow more and more with the days to come.

Artificial Intelligence, or the so-called AI, is gaining more and more steam as we continue to innovate it. We encounter it in quite a lot of places in our day-to-day life, for instance, in applications as Alexa. We also already know that with the current pandemic we experienced a growth in digital education. So, how do we see AI in the future of education in general?

What Is AI?

AI systems are such machines (or, perhaps, software) that can perform human-like tasks. By that, we mean that the algorithms behind them allow them to do tasks that are usually associated with people. AI systems rely on their algorithms for executing their functions. Via them, they examine the available information and reach conclusions. Once they reach such a conclusion, they then act. It can be perception, interaction, behavior reasoning, finding patterns, etc.

Through AI systems machines can perform high-level functions massively and rapidly. Sometimes they even resemble humans in their actions. Sure, this brings about not only excitement but also fear.

There is a view among some circles that AI can replace humans. But it's also possible that AI will work together with people, helping them in their day-to-day life. When we talk about education, we want to point out that human interaction is key. Still, AI can offer some help for teachers by automating various routine tasks.

AI and Education

Teaching is a highly sensitive area. Student-teacher interaction is close contact. Teachers need to build a trusting relationship with their pupils. Also, some types of feedback require human interaction. Thus, we cannot talk about AI replacing teachers. We don't consider such a possibility for some tasks that require face-to-face contact.

But some repetitive tasks can be automated using AI systems. This will allow teachers to put more emphasis on complex activities.

AI can offer many possibilities for education. For instance, it can support teachers and collaborate with them. Of course, collaboration isn't said in the traditional human-to-human meaning. No, AI can rather help teachers gain more knowledge of the strong and weak sides of their students.

Yes, through the use of AI one can create specific assessments. They can then be used to allow teachers to understand how far along the material are their students. With such programs teachers can see which students excel where and where are the weak points.

Also, teachers have a lot of students to work with. They cannot pay attention to anyone all the time. So, in some cases, they will be working with specific students. Via AI, though, they can understand what is happening to other students at that time.

AI presents another opportunity, too. It can offer a way for students and teachers to collaborate better. It can also enhance the "work-together" skills of students.

When we are talking about complex problems and means of solving them, AI can help here, as well. It can boost the problem-solving skills of students and teachers alike both individually and as a group.

With AI's students can experience personalized learning. When a teacher is working with a class, personalized learning isn't an easy thing to achieve. But it can be done through AI systems. Those systems will allow customization of the learning process for the particular student.

Emotional well-being is something that is thought about, too. The emotional states of children impact how they learn. AI can help identify what is the emotional state of the students and give them support. Such support can be offered through gestures, words, or attempts at motivating the student.

Artificial Intelligence can be used in various applications. Some of them we are already familiar with. But there are also other opportunities. For instance, AI can be used in learning apps. By them, students can experience gameplay that is related to learning specific materials and/or skills. Like, they can be learning math while playing a certain AI-powered game. Or they can ask for help with homework and questions that bother them and receive automatic answers from other students. Such applications can be used to tailor personalized learning plans for every student.

Conclusion

Sure, there are still areas that will require human-to-human interaction. That's for certain. But the introduction of AI into the classroom can help free teachers' time for more important aspects. It can also improve the interaction in the classroom.

AI systems are certainly something that will grow even more with time elapsed. We should think about how they can affect the future of education.

They can do that in various ways. We mentioned some of the above, but we are certain that new and new inventions will arise. With all of them, we can get a better understanding of the learning process, how students interact with one another, of how teachers can tailor their study plans.

One huge plus is the opportunity for a personalized learning process. Teachers cannot be with everyone all the time. Their teaching methodology cannot be tailored to every single student on their own, or they will have no time for everyone. Here comes AI. That system offers to give us a way to suit the learning plans specifically to every student. This will allow kids to learn at their own pace, strengthen their weak sides, and get even better in their strong aspects. AI cannot replace teachers but can certainly teach us something.