The role of technology is becoming more and more central to our educational infrastructure, with AI-powered systems transforming the way we teach and learn. This is the age of the hi-tech classroom.
Since the inception of the institution of education, the methods of teaching and the bond shared between learners and educators have evolved significantly. Teaching methods across the globe have become more structured to give better, more streamlined results. This transformation can be majorly attributed to the ongoing intervention of technology.
On the back of continuous technological advancement, we are witnessing a paradigm shift in the teaching-learning process. The relationship between educators and students is changing, where educators have become more approachable and much better at understanding their students’ perspectives. Technology has made learning more collaborative, as teachers and students are working in tandem to achieve better outcomes.
This is shrinking the age-old accessibility gap and enabling tailor-made learning experiences for different learners with varied needs. Artificial intelligence (AI), among many technological applications, has a big role in changing old trends in education space. Let’s see how.
Use in administrative tasks
AI, by definition, focuses on machines that are designed to be intelligent enough to work and react like humans. AI has automated drab administrative tasks and cut down on the time and effort teachers used to put in things like assessing students’ work and grading exams. Though earlier AI-led test grading was limited to only objective-type answers, newer AI systems are being designed to assess subjective answers as well.
With this, teachers can now direct their energies towards engaging with their students and dealing with challenges that they are facing. AI is also helping school admission boards by automating classification and processing of paperwork.
For quality education
In an age when technology is shrinking the world, it is also making quality education more accessible to a larger population in the form of smart content. With advanced applications of AI, educators are setting content as per the local needs of the students in different parts of the country. They often offer education through virtual content like video conferencing, lectures etc.
Even the textbooks have transformed as AI systems are now being used to create digital textbooks for specific topics/subjects. This is helping to engage students of all academic grades and ages. Many educational platforms use AI to enable professors to create electronic curriculums and simplify textbook content through various tools.
Tailoring education
Each student possesses different learning abilities and pace of absorption. Who would have imagined that in a class full of students, teachers could fully identify each one’s strengths and weaknesses and work on them individually. Now, with the help of AI, they put in place systems that work according to the needs of the students.
If a student faces challenges with a particular topic, the system identifies the areas that need to be focused upon. Then, using predictive analysis, it provides help as and when needed. This helps students work at their own pace and brings out the best in them.
Identifies improvement
It is not uncommon for students to grapple with particularly challenging concepts in their curricula. This is where educators step in to ensure that students’ understanding is not limited. But sometimes even the best of teachers might leave a gap in explaining a concept, which could leave students with half-baked knowledge. AI, on multiple online course platforms, is solving this problem. Adopting a utilitarian approach, it analyses the most prevalent trend among students. If the trend is detracting from the intended goal, AI alerts educators and directs students towards the correct answer.
This way it facilitates educators in building a stronger conceptual foundation for all students alike. It helps students with immediate feedback and stops them in their tracks if they are straying and improves their understanding of the subject.
Universal access
AI-powered learning system makes classrooms accessible to all, including those in another country. This can be highly helpful to those students who are unable to attend school due to an illness or want to study a different course from the one available in their school.
School education in India has seen substantial progress in recent decades, with efforts at both the Central and State levels. Substantive gains in enrolment have been achieved—Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) is 97% at elementary level and 80% at secondary level, as per recent figures. Although the path is long and full of obstacles, the education pioneers of the country have vowed to take the national education system on a par with the global level.
The role of AI is significantly increasing and creating adaptive teaching-learning techniques. A study states that by 2021, the application of AI in education and learning will increase by 47.5%. Beyond academics, it can also streamline students’ career choices.
As the development of new applications of AI is underway, the education industry is gearing up to be a part of the revolution. With its distinct benefits, AI’s presence is ever swelling and in spite of its anticipated significance in the education space, it might surprise us with even greater value in time to come.
The author is founder director, Shemford & Shemrock Group of Schools