8 Ways AI is Used in Education

While AI has been in the education technology space for a while, adoption has been slow. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual learning forced the industry to shift. AI helps streamline the student education process by offering access to suitable courses, bettering communication with tutors, and giving them more time to focus on other life aspects.

AI enhances the personalization of student learning programs and courses, promotes tutoring by helping students improve their weak spots and sharpen their skills, ensures quick responses between teachers and students, and enhances universal 24/7 learning access. Educators can use AI for task automation, including administrative work, evaluating learning patterns, grading papers, responding to general queries, and more. Here are eight ways AI is used in education.

1. Creating courses

A lot of time and money goes into creating learning courses via a central department. The use of AI streamlines the course creation process, speeding up the process and reducing costs. Whether you’re using premade templates or starting from scratch,AI software for creating courses can help create interactive content seamlessly. You can efficiently work with your entire team via in-app comments from reviewers and co-authors to create perfect training material.

AI simplifies and accelerates course development. By assessing student learning history and abilities, AI gives teachers a clear picture of the lessons and subjects requiring reevaluation. Teachers alter their courses by evaluating every student’s specific needs to address common knowledge gaps. This enables teachers to develop the best learning programs for all students.

2. Offering personalized learning

Personalization is a significant trend in education. AI gives students a customized learning approach depending on their unique preferences and experiences. AI can adjust to every student’s knowledge level, desired goals, and learning speed to help get the most out of their learning. Additionally, AI-powered solutions can assess a student’s learning history, pinpoint weaknesses, and provide courses suitable for improvement, offering many opportunities for personalized learning experiences.

3. Enabling universal access

AI breaks down the silos between schools and traditional grade levels. Through AI tools, classrooms are now globally available to students, including those with visual or hearing impairment or who use different languages. Using a PowerPoint plugin like Presentation Translator, learners get real-time subtitles for all the teacher says, opening up new possibilities for the learners who have to learn at varying levels, want to learn subjects that aren’t in their school, or are absent from school.

4.  Pinpointing where courses should be improved

Teachers may not always know the gaps in their educational materials and lectures, which can confuse learners regarding particular concepts. AI provides a way to solve this issue. For instance, Coursera is already applying this. When many students give the wrong answers to their homework assignments, the system alerts the professor and offers future students customized messages that provide hints to the correct answer.

This kind of system fills the gaps in explanation in courses and ensures every student is building a similar conceptual foundation. Instead of waiting to hear from the teacher, students receive immediate feedback to help them understand concepts better.

5. Automation tasks

Teachers usually have a lot to manage, including classes and other administrative and organizational tasks. They grade tests, evaluate homework, fill the needed paperwork, make progress reports, organize lecture resources and materials, manage teaching materials, and more. This means they might spend too much time on non-teaching activities, leaving them overwhelmed. With the help of automation tools and solutions, educators can automate manual processes giving them more time to concentrate on teaching key competencies.

6. Providing tutoring support

Intelligent tutoring systems, including AI chatbots and tutors, and tutoring programs are designed to handle customized feedback and guidelines for one-on-one teaching. Nonetheless, they can’t replace teachers because they aren’t advanced enough to teach the way humans can. They help in cases where teachers aren’t available for subjects that can be taught and assessed online.

AI is an effective tool that e-learning platforms can use to teach geography, languages, circuits, computer programming, medical diagnosis, physics, mathematics, chemistry, genetics, and more. They’re equipped to consider engagement, grading metrics, and comprehension. AI tools help students sharpen their skills while improving weak areas outside the classroom.

7. Promoting virtual learning

A virtual learning environment can provide group educational experiences, offer counseling services to students, and facilitate immersive learning experiences. With VR technologies, learners can directly connect their laptops or mobile devices to access the content. Using VR headsets, students with ADHD/ ADD can block distractions and increase concentration spans. In addition, students can help others in soft skill coaching, self-development, and life skills with interactive simulations.

8. Creating smart content

Smart content may include digital guides, textbooks, videos, instructional snippets, and AI, which develop customized environments for learning organizations depending on goals and strategies. Personalization in the education sector is a future world trend that can be achieved by pinpointing the areas where AI solutions can play a role. For instance, an educational institution can establish an AR/VR-based learning environment and web-based lessons to go with it.

Artificial Intelligence: Underlining The 7 Most Common Ethical Issues

Ever since the world has stepped forward towards the age of digitalization, things have never been the same. From the introduction of the internet to the expansion of the mobile-first concept and innovations like artificial intelligence and machine learning, people have experienced the highest exposure to technology ever.

Amidst all this development and expansion, one thing that has scaled dynamically is Artificial Intelligence. From the expansion of neural networks to energy use, data sets, and the prevalence of society, the growth of AI has made way for significant ethical concerns.

Before we jump on unraveling the most common ethical issues surrounding artificial intelligence, let us begin with developing an understanding of what ethical AI is.

What is ethical AI?

When it comes to “Ethics in AI”, the term means to investigate and constantly question the technologies that can hamper human life. Be it replacing humans with smart machines or concerns related to sharing personal information on AI-powered systems, the concept of ethical AI has gained all the pace due to the rapid scaling of AI technologies.

From computing power to data fed, AI systems have grown tremendously big in the past few years. Moreover, the rapid growth of AI has even dwarfed the potential of computing that was carried back from the era of the internet and PCs.

The extensive scale of deployment and responsibilities given to AI has now even involved other aspects of technology in the picture. Be it deep learning or scaling of any other advanced technologies that involve the use of AI, the situation has escaped the comprehension capabilities of even the most proficient practitioners.

And therefore, ethical AI brings some really interesting and important factors to the light that need immediate consideration in order to overcome ethical concerns surrounding AI technology:

1. Biases

From the training artificial intelligence algorithms to removing the bias involved, a huge amount of data is needed. Consider an example of any application made to allow editing of pictures. These applications are made to use AI to beautify the pictures and therefore contain a vast amount of data that has more white faces over non-white faces.

Therefore, it is necessary that AI algorithms must be trained to recognize and process non-white faces as efficiently as it does for white faces. The process requires feeding the right balance of faces to the database in order to ensure the algorithm works well to cut the built-in bias for beauty apps.

In other words, eliminating bias is extremely necessary when we need to create technology that can reflect our society with greater precision. Such actions thus require identifying all the potential areas of bias and fixing the AI solutions with the right approach.

2. Infusing Morality, Loss of Control

With more and more use of artificial intelligence, machines are capable of making important decisions. Be it the use of drones for delivery by carrier services or building autonomous rockets/missiles that can potentially kill a banned object. However, there is still a need for human involvement in such decision-making that can work on any rules and regulations that can impact humanity in any form.

The concern here is actually allowing AI to work on quick decisions. However, in operations like financial trading where it is essential to make split-second decisions, giving control to humans leaves no chance to make the right move at the right time.

Another example of the same is autonomous cars as they are made to make immediate reactions to take control of situations. The problem with all these scenarios is the ethical challenge of establishing a balance between control and AI.

3. Privacy

One of the most significant ethical concerns that have been long associated with AI is Privacy. There are many ethical concerns, from training AIs to the use of data and its source. Oftentimes, it is assumed that the data is coming from adults with high mental capabilities making the data used for creating AI that can work on choices. However, the situation is not always the same.

A quick example of the same can be the use of AI-powered toys that are designed to converse with children. Here the ethical concerns are about the algorithms collecting data from those conversations and making way for queries like where and how this data is being used.

The ethical concerns with such conversations grow even bigger when it comes to companies collecting that data and selling it to other companies. There is a need for rules that can justify data collection.

Moreover, there must be strict legislation made to protect the user’s privacy as an object that can collect data from conversations with children could potentially be used for taping the conversations of adults within the same environment.

4. Power Balance

The next significant ethical issue that comes with AI is giants like Amazon and Google using technology to dominate their competitors. More importantly, there are countries like China and Russia competing in the AI landscape, and here the question arises of the power balance.

From equal wealth generation to balancing monopolies, it is very likely that countries that are ahead of AI development and implementation are likely to race ahead of others.

For instance, countries with better access to resources that can develop and implement AI could utilize its power to innovate their war strategies, finance building, and more. Thus, AI creates some serious gaps around the subject of power balance.

5. Ownership

At number five, we have another big ethical challenge that needs to identify people or organizations that can be held accountable for things that AI creates. As Artificial Intelligence has all the potential to develop texts, bots, and video content, it is likely to create things that are misleading. Such material could trigger any violent circumstances for a particular community, ethnicity, or belief and therefore it becomes necessary to understand who could take ownership of the content.

Another example of the same could be AIs that are used to create music pieces or art. Thus, it is necessary that any new piece of content developed with AI that reaches some audience must have some ownership or could have intellectual property rights.

6. Environmental Concerns

Most of the time, the companies working on AI are not so concerned about how AI could impact the environment. Developers working on AI assume that they are using data on the cloud to work on their algorithm and then the data works on, say creating suggestions, recommendations, or making automated decisions. Though the systems are running efficiently and effectively, the computers that are keeping up the AI and cloud infrastructure require immense power.

A quick example of the impact that AI could create on the environment is the fact that training in AI could create 17 times more carbon emissions than an average American does in a year. Therefore, it is important that developers find ways to use this energy for other productive purposes and get over one of the most pressing problems of declining energy resources.

7. Humanity

Last but not least, it is the challenge of how humans feel in the presence of AI. Especially, when AI has been developed to be so powerful and efficient, it triggers the challenge for humans missing the feeling of how it actually feels to be human. As AI is designed and created to work on precision, it diminishes the human morale built through making errors and learning from it.

Especially, when AI has automated jobs for so long, it often leads to the question that what contributions human beings could make to the technology landscape. Though it is not possible for AI to replace humans for all jobs, only the idea of augmenting AI possesses some serious challenges.

To conclude

Humans need to get better when working along with smart machines in order to align with the tech transition. Besides, it is extremely necessary for the people to sustain their dignity and have respect for technology. Therefore, it is necessary that all the ethical challenges surrounding AI must be understood.

Especially, when AI is seen as a technology that has all the capability to create user-oriented and sustainable IT solutions, creating ethical AI could help empower digitalization. Be it advancing the process through AI improved Quality Assurance and software testing or using AI itself to create unbiased technology for users across the world.

More importantly, it is crucial that engineers working on AI technology should always have consideration for the human aspect of using AI. Be it the use of AI machines or software, it is vital that transparency should be maintained with respect to user data consumption and human involvement in decision making, the privacy of data, no biases, and the power balance.

Even if the thought of AI systems surpassing human intelligence may appear scary, the key is to have an early vision of all the ethical issues surrounding AI adoption. It not only needs humans to keep on learning but stay informed of the impact that any potential implementations related to AI could have on society.

How to Support Teachers for 21st Century Learning

via eClassroom News

Experts weigh in on how administrators can support teachers in implementing collaboration and creativity

Implementing broad concepts like critical thinking and communication may seem like natural next steps to educators, but unless teachers receive support from school policy and infrastructure, providing students with a true 21st century education may not be so easy.

This was a key topic of discussion during a recent Connected Educator Month webinar, hosted by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21) and EdLeader21—a national network of school and district leaders focused on integrating the 4Cs into education.

The 4Cs–communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity–are part of P21’s mission to help educators teach students 21st century skills. Webinar panelists said this task can’t be accomplished without support from school administrators in the way of space design, instructional practices, and school policy.

Dana Strother, chief academic officer at Douglas County School District in Colorado, said her district “looked at Bloom’s Taxonomy and vetted our state’s standards through the taxonomy” during an evaluation of instructional practice.

“Areas that were lacking we improved through what we call ‘World Class Outcomes,’ and instructional design that allows for the 4Cs. We also provided CIA curriculum and instruction alignment and wove authentic learning experiences into the curriculum for support,” she said.

The district also made it a priority to provide supporting infrastructure through district policy on risk-opportunities.

“It’s important to let teachers know, in various ways, but also through policy, that we support risk-taking opportunities, or new strategies, projects, or professional development opportunities that may be new or unique,” she said.

For example, Douglas County lets teachers experience inquiry-based professional development opportunities in order for teachers to learn through the same practices they’re expected to teach students.

“We’re asking teachers to incorporate new kinds of teaching that include the 4Cs, so why should teachers in turn be taught in a different manner? Sometimes by thinking outside of the box and going against traditional methods, especially from an administrator standpoint, the results are better,” Strother said.

Randy Fielding, chairman and founding partner of educational facilities planning and architectural design firm Fielding Nair International, said he believes school design also factors heavily into incorporating the 4Cs into a student’s daily life.

Fielding’s design firm tries to incorporate 20 “learning modalities” into school design, which include concepts, such as Independent Study, Peer Tutoring, Team Collaboration, and One-on-One Learning, to support the 4Cs of instruction.

“To have a truly 21st-century school, you have to inspire organic collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, and communication, and focusing on design can help.”

“To have a truly 21st-century school, you have to inspire organic collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, and communication, and focusing on design can help. For example, you could have a ‘watering hole’ space off hallways where students could casually converse; you could have a ‘cave space’ where students could reflect for independent thinking; and you could have a ‘campfire space’ where everyone gathers to collaborate,” Fielding said.

Panelists emphasized that it’s also important for administrators and teachers to understand that instruction focused on the 4Cs doesn’t just work for certain kinds of subjects, students, or teachers.

“The 4Cs work for every kind of student and teacher in classrooms across the country,” said Donna Harris-Aikens, director of Education Policy and Practice at the National Education Association (NEA). “It’s less a series of requirements and more just authentic learning. For example, a math class could use its English and design skills to help draft a proposal to help senior citizens in their community make their homes more accessible. For this kind of project, you need the 4Cs in STEM, English, and community service.”

Fielding said it’s important that school and district leaders support teachers in working together to develop collaborative projects for their students.

One of the schools his firm works with has a student-run lunch program through which students negotiate with local farmers. They serve the week’s menu selections on carts around the school so students can taste-test their creations. Students in the program generate quarterly reports on profit and loss, and send those reports off to the school board.

“Students get credit for working in this program, which essentially teaches them collaboration skills, analytical skills, and even creative skills, thanks to cooking,” he said.

However, panelists said that there are still barriers for teachers who want to pursue the 4Cs, including getting first-world experience on how to actually teach broad concepts like creativity.

“That’s why we introduced the Creative Innovator Network in our district, which allows teachers to collaborate with not only their peers on different projects, but also local businesses to brainstorm ideas on how students can better serve the community,” said Strother. “We also bring students into the teacher professional development sessions to hear their voice and how they enjoy learning, so that teachers can adapt their instruction.”

“The biggest barrier for teachers is time,” said Harris-Aikens. “Finding time to make everything work effectively and collaborate is hard, especially because planning, or collaborating, time needs to be on a consistent and continual basis. Students also need a large amount of time to work on these projects, and to have time flexibility in case they make mistakes, as well. Administrators need to make sure teachers and students can have that time in their day.”

For more on this topic, watch the full webinar.

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