Using AI to Speed up the Learning Process

Technology can be a blessing in disguise. It is especially true in the modern classroom. While the Internet and a host of multimedia tech do make it easier to perform various tasks and deliver educational content, there are always concerns about its overall effectiveness in learning.

In a world where most interactions either begin or, at a minimum, include the use of screens and online content, teachers and students have two choices: avoid the tech and leave it out of the process or embrace it and develop ways to use it to the student's advantage.

In the case of Artificial Intelligence (AI), many students and teachers agree that technology has substantial merits both inside and outside the classroom. Using AI can and does help deliver core concepts in a way that makes them easier to understand in less time. Here are a few examples.

AI And Testing Paradigms

Artificial Intelligence has been used in determining the structure of classroom rubrics and curricula for some time now. While most of its contribution up until now has been geared more toward collecting and analyzing specific metrics, it is possible to use it for more.

By analyzing test scores and keeping track of patterns, it is possible to make changes in the way various concepts are delivered. The intended purpose of these slight paradigm shifts is to build core concepts easier to grasp. Where students fall short, the AI algorithms propose variants in the schooling/instructional paradigm for those areas.

When properly implemented, AI can help teachers spend less time on subject areas that traditionally create confusion or mixed messaging in the minds of students. The ability to clarify the details in those areas can help accelerate learning.

Even educational professionals whose primary function includes working for writing companies and resources that lend other types of academic support can benefit from AI algorithms by learning more about the student and his or her perception and understanding of the subject before delivering assistance.

Individualized Education Plans (IEPs)

IEPs are developed for students with various learning and behavioral disabilities whose capacities to learn will never fall into a neat system or paradigm. In these instances, AI acts as a liaison between students, teachers, and administrators to provide unbiased, objective advice on how to best meet the needs of the student and accelerate learning.

According to a recent Forbes magazine article by Bernard Marr, “Adjusting learning based on an individual student’s particular needs has been a priority for educators for years, but AI will allow a level of differentiation that’s impossible for teachers who have to manage 30 students in each class [source].”

The article goes on to describe more sophisticated AI systems which can also analyze student mannerisms and behaviors, not just static data. This level of objective observation allows the AI algorithm to pinpoint central places in the instruction delivery process. It can identify things that cause students to either increase or decrease focus on what they are learning, making it possible for teachers to tailor individual lessons based on the student's response to the instruction.

Automation

AI also has the ability to become the teacher's virtual assistant. According to Marr:

“An educator spends a tremendous amount of time grading homework and tests. AI can step in and make quick work, out of these tasks while at the same time, offering recommendations for how to close the gaps in learning.” The ability to hand over tasks like grading to a virtual TA gives teachers more time to develop effective curricula for their classes or spend more time on individualized instruction.

These are just a few of the ways AI is poised to shape the face of education in the future. When used properly, the advantages to both the student and the teacher as well as the education process in general. It has become clearer.