Data Science

AI in Education

AI in Education

AI in Education: Ever wondered how do you get a recommendation of products from Alibaba or Amazon that you have been looking for while using Facebook or Google? Well, that is Artificial Intelligence (AI) working in the background. It is continuously evolving to benefit many fields and industries; one of them is education.

Although AI is still being used in the educational sector, its use is expected to grow further which will change the educational paradigm in the future. According to the Artificial Intelligence Market in the US Education Sector report, artificial intelligence in U.S. Education will grow by 47.5% from 2018-2022. The application of AI in educational contexts is growing exponentially, such that by 2024 it is predicted to become a market worth almost $6 billion.

How AI can be used in Education?

AI has already been applied to education primarily in some tools that help develop skills and testing systems. It can be used in the educational sector in the following ways:

  • Differentiated and Individualized Learning

There are several companies such as Content Technologies and Carnegie Learning currently developing intelligent systems that use AI to provide learning, testing, and feedback to students from pre-K to college level that gives them the challenges they are ready for identifies gaps in knowledge, and redirects to new topics when appropriate. Latest systems can even understand students’ expressions and behavior that indicates a student is struggling to grasp understanding of some subject and will modify a lesson to respond to that.

  • Universal access

Artificial intelligence tools can help make global classrooms available to all including those who speak different languages or who might have visual or hearing impairments. Presentation Translator is a free plug-in for PowerPoint that creates subtitles in real-time for what the teacher is saying. This also opens up possibilities for students who might not be able to attend school due to illness or who require learning at a different level or on a particular subject that isn’t available in their own school.

  • Automate admin tasks

AI can automate admin tasks such as taking attendance and grading. AI systems can mark the attendance by facially recognizing a student. Moreover, it can also check tests and quizzes. Machines could already grade multiple-choice tests and now they can even grade written answers as well.

  • Voice Assistants

Voice assistants such as Amazon Alexa, Apple Siri, Google Home allow interacting with various learning materials without communication with a teacher. As a result, it’s possible to use it as an education platform anywhere and anytime. For example, Arizona State University uses Alexa for routine campus needs. The assistant can answer common questions or follow the student’s schedule.

Existing AI-based solutions in Education

Following are a few educational applications have already been built that use AI and Machine Learning to improve students’ learning process:

  • Thinkster Math

Thinkster Math is a tutoring app that allows the tutor to quickly spot areas in a student’s thinking and logic that have caused them to become stuck, and assist them through immediate, personalized feedback.

  • Brainly

Brainly is a platform where students can ask homework questions and receive automatic, verified answers from fellow students.

  • MATHiaU

Similar to Thinkster Math, MATHiaU offers AI-based tutoring tools for students who feel lost in classrooms. The app is guided by each student’s unique learning process, keeps them aware of their daily progress, and helps teachers tailor lessons to meet each student’s specific struggle.

Netex Learning

Netex Learning allows teachers to design and integrate curriculum across a variety of digital platforms and devices. The easy-to-use platform allows teachers to create customized student content that can be published on any digital platform.

Advantages of AI in Education

AI in education offers benefits to both; the teachers and the students. Students can be benefited in the following ways:

  • Students won’t be bound to attend classes at the scheduled They can study at any time feasible to them.
  • AI-based solutions can adapt to the students’ The system tends to help students with their weak sides. It offers learning materials based on their weaknesses.
  • It can offer virtual mentors to track the students.
  • Teachers can see where the students are struggling. For example, if there is some topic where the students have gained low marks or did not understand it then an AI-based solution can identify that topic to the instructors so that they can repeat it again to the students.
  • Teachers don’t need to create a curriculum from AI that can help teachers to find educational material easily.
  • AI can analyze students’ knowledge which can help the teachers to offer more personalized recommendations and training programs.

Disadvantages of AI in education

  • It has been scientifically proven that spending too much time in front of screens can damage your eyesight. Since AI is leading towards automation, it means students and teachers will have to spend more time in front of electronic devices which can possibly damage.
  • Although AI improves the education experience, relying too much on it may lead to educational oversights that hurt can learners more than help, Making teaching more efficient could create less of a demand for educators, the implementation of AI may mean a decrease in teaching aids.
  • It’s possible for someone to hack the AI algorithm which will give the power to hackers to spread inappropriate information.
  • Since AI focuses on automation, it means much of the teaching staff could be unemployed which may lead to protests from
  • Artificial intelligence comes with a high cost of installation, maintenance, and repair. It is expensive and only a few schools will find themselves in a position to benefit from AI.

Conclusion

Artificial Intelligence in Education may have some drawbacks but there is no doubt that it offers great help to the educational sector. The recent pandemic in the shape of COVID’19 has shown why AI is becoming a necessity in this department. Research and development on AI-based solutions are already ongoing and it is only expected to grow further in the future that will change the current educational paradigm.

Artificial Intelligence in Education: Promises and Implications for Teaching and Learning by Jim Flanagan is recommended to anyone concerned with the future of education in a digital world.

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