AI in Education – Advantages of Modern Technologies

Artificial intelligence (AI) is actively penetrating various sectors of production, economics, and social sphere, including education. Studying how to apply artificial intelligence systems to improve learning is a very promising area for both practical application and scientific research.

AI primarily focuses on introducing intelligent technologies into training and assessment systems. Adaptive online learning platforms and educational trajectory management systems deserve special mention. They help students/teachers and enhance educational effectiveness.

Intellectual analysis of educational data is successfully used to create student models and provide useful recommendations. It addresses the following issues as well:

♦ evaluating educational resources and training programs;

♦ predicting student academic achievement;

♦ providing feedback to teachers, students, and administrators;

♦ identifying challenges and inappropriate actions during the training process;

♦ organizing the educational process, etc.

Thus, artificial intelligence opens up new opportunities for improving learning. You can find more information about the main challenges and benefits below.

Challenges in Developing Quality AI Systems

There are several factors to consider when developing AI for education: students’ individual characteristics, their level of training, learning style, the needs of teachers/administrators, etc. This requires an integrated approach covering technical, pedagogical, as well as psychological aspects.

It’s also important to analyze ethical and legal issues to ensure data security. Just as significant is constant updating in accordance with the changing needs of the educational environment. In this context, gen AI development services serve as a valuable tool that provides access to cutting-edge tech solutions that enhance learning and student performance.

Main Tasks of AI in the Educational Environment

AI has the potential to fill many different roles in education. Traditionally, these are divided into roles related to student management and roles related to teacher support.

Here are the key tasks of AI in teaching and organizing student activities:

♦ setting learning goals based on individual competence and the level achieved by the student;

♦ enabling human-machine dialogue (chatbots and AI books are used in language learning to help students develop their communication skills through ongoing dialogue);

♦ analyzing student work to give feedback, offer timely advice, and evaluate progress.

♦ increasing adaptability and interactivity in the digital environment, where AI is used to collect learning data, facilitate interaction, and create a more adaptive digital environment (for example, through learner profiles).

In teaching, AI plays three main roles, facilitating the work of teachers and contributing to its improvement:

♦ provides adaptive learning strategies, materials, and tasks that meet student needs (artificial intelligence systems can identify learner cognitive traits and help educators determine the optimal way to present content, teaching methods, and communication strategies);

♦ improves teachers’ ability to manage a class or group (through loading and distributing instructional materials);

♦ offers professional development support (AI agents can analyze data in real time during classes and provide teachers with recommendations).

Therefore, artificial intelligence can significantly improve the quality of education. It helps students achieve academic goals, improves learning organization, and supports teacher growth. 

The Advantages Students Gain from Using Modern Technologies

Speaking about the benefits of AI for students, it’s essential to highlight personalization, training opportunities, prompt response, ongoing support, and task automation. Let’s consider these aspects in detail.

Personalization

One of the most debated topics in education currently is the idea of tailoring learning to individual needs. Thanks to artificial intelligence, students receive a personalized learning experience based on their specific preferences. AI easily adapts to individual students’ needs by considering their current knowledge level, pace of learning, and desired educational goals.

AI-powered solutions can also evaluate students’ previous learning backgrounds, identify weaknesses, recommend courses for improvement, and various personalized learning options.

Training

Due to their busy schedules, many teachers cannot find time to assist students who require additional support outside regular school hours. In these cases, AI tutors and chatbots are ideal solutions.

Prompt Response

It’s frustrating to ask a question and get an answer three days later, isn’t it? Teachers receive many similar requests every day. AI-powered support automation and conversational intelligence can generate responses instantly, saving teachers’ time and helping students find answers easily.

Continuous Support

Students can utilize artificial intelligence tools and gain knowledge at any time and from any place. With 24/7 support, they find the necessary information hassle-free. And there is no need to wait for the teacher’s approval. So, this is a great way to access high-quality education without travel and accommodation costs.

The Main Benefits for Teachers

Artificial intelligence helps teachers automate tasks, evaluate student performance, and bridge the education gap. Thus, they can spend more time teaching their students effectively.

Personalization

Just as AI can personalize distance learning courses for students, it can do the same for teachers. Artificial intelligence can help teachers identify subjects and lessons that need to be revised.

Task Automation

According to a Telegraph survey, teachers spend 40% of their time planning lessons, grading tests, and completing administrative work. AI computing power helps automate all these routine tasks.

Responses to Queries

AI-driven chatbots can answer students’ frequently asked questions, eliminating the need for teacher participation. This is because they have access to modern school knowledge bases. Thus, teachers get extra time for lesson planning, curriculum development, student engagement, and other tasks.

Examples of Successful AI Use in Education

Let’s consider several examples of successful AI implementation in the educational sector.

Duolingo is a well-known language platform that uses machine learning algorithms to personalize lessons. The system adapts to each student’s learning pace, providing immediate feedback and suggestions to improve their language skills. This AI system can also predict the most problematic aspects and, thus, provide additional support.

Campus Chat helps students who have just arrived on campus. It is ready to explain how to get to the right office and tell you how and where to submit the necessary documents. Smart Campus answers any student queries related to studying and living on campus: how to find a lecture hall, enroll in a chosen course, get assignments, find a free parking space, or contact a professor. The University of Western Australia (UWA) already has a smart campus. It runs on Watson, a well-known computer system created by IBM.

Carnegie Learning is another example of successful AI integration. This educational platform offers students personalized lessons and feedback on math. Adaptive learning algorithms generate individual student plans based on their strengths, weaknesses, and preferred learning methods. Besides, AI tutors provide real-time support, helping students overcome obstacles and improve their math skills.

IBM Watson Education provides educators with real-time information about student performance and engagement. This system uses natural language processing and machine learning to analyze data from a variety of sources (student grades, attendance records, social media activity, and so on). Then, it gives teachers personalized recommendations to improve student engagement and performance.

Gradescope uses artificial intelligence technology to simplify the process of reviewing and grading academic work. It helps teachers check student work faster and more accurately and provides useful feedback. This saves teacher and student time, reduces the likelihood of testing errors, and ensures more objective assessment.

ProctoredTest helps check students’ knowledge through online proctored tests. The program uses various algorithms to detect fraud and enforce testing rules. Students can easily complete exams online, whether at home or school. This is convenient, especially in distance learning conditions. The program guarantees integrity by preventing fraud and the use of prohibited sources.

QuillBot is a great choice if you want to improve your writing skills. It can suggest synonyms and phrase variations to make the text clearer and easier to understand. Students often use this program to check grammar, sentence structure, and vocabulary enrichment. It helps create better and more professional texts.

Incorporating AI into Education: Main Problems and Risks

Despite the positive effect of modern technologies in the educational space, there are still several potential threats:

1. The use of AI computerization technologies can lead to unemployment since the operation of any automatic device is much cheaper than hiring people. A structural shift in the economy will hit households and the labor market structure.

2. Dehumanization: the machine cannot create an emotional connection where necessary, including in teaching.

3. If the system of a technical device is hacked, it can be easily manipulated.

4. Deterioration of students’ memory due to biological changes in the structure of brain activity caused by a new significant load on their mental state (mainly in the pre-university education system).

5. Standardization of skills and competencies within the main educational disciplines.

Inflexibility should also be noted as a significant issue when implementing AI in education. Inflexibility manifests itself in the fact that changing a robot’s program is much more difficult and expensive. A person reacts to changes more quickly and adaptively. If something goes wrong, a human is more likely to find a way out of the situation than a bot with a specific built-in program.

Final Notes

AI has great potential to transform education by delivering customized learning experiences and enhancing student performance. But a human cannot be completely replaced by a robot. This is because a person has critical thinking, a system of judgment. So, they can analyze things and events with the formulation of reasonable conclusions, make well-thought-out assessments and interpretations, and also correctly apply the results obtained.

The ability to feel and understand another person’s emotions, known as human empathy, is also very important for successful interactions within an educational environment. Teachers educate students, instill valuable skills and knowledge, and motivate them to achieve success. Therefore, it’s recommended to find a balance between using technology and maintaining the role of the human factor in education.

The most crucial aspect is the integration issue, which emphasizes ethical concerns and ensures equal access to technology. Rather than replacing traditional teaching methods entirely, AI should be used as a tool to enhance and complement learning.