Generally Productive Talks #7 - Ai and Education

Introduction

Ai has had a presence within Education since the 1970s, but it is only now with the explosion onto the scene of Chat-GPT that it is proving a challenge to the Education system. How the system adapts to this new tool and how it will change the way we learn are unknown at this point. It has the potential to drastically change the world through how, what, and to what end learning is for

The Past

Starting with Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS) in the 1970s (the first programs to provide customized instruction based on student performance), Ai has been involved with Education. Since then its involvement has been relatively minor and either in the background or within active parts in specialized research, it has never been an active component in the classroom nor a method of producing the work students are supposed to be learning to produce themselves

Today

Chat-GPT has turned the status quo on its head with its ability to generate levels of information and responses that are so far ahead of what Google and other search engines offer students that it is now an entirely different dynamic. Teachers are already complaining that students are using these systems to do their homework/coursework for them and teachers cannot discern what is the student's work and what is not (personally I believe it should not be so difficult to discern if the teacher knows the student and their ability but this will be is a growing issue)

The fact that this is now possible raises issues and concerns with how to ensure students are doing the work they need to do to learn, methods need to be implemented to mediate this new ability as while it is possible to ban such systems, it is not realistic to expect this to result in the systems 100% not being used. The way teachers teach, how students are graded and the methods of producing work have to be examined, this is not a small task but needs to begin now

• Plagiarism Software - already in use and being developed, it is a constant race to stay ahead of the generative software. This also needs to be attuned to specific students, following their progress and comparing new work to old, and plotting their progress

• Assessment Criteria - how work is graded needs to be changed with methods of assessment used that show critical thinking and creative analysis. This would require longer grading time which in turn would require more staff and increased cost or reliance on new software to take over most of the work involved

• Monitoring - students working environment would need to be monitored to prevent access to such software, perhaps with work being done while at school and in tech-free environments. This will result in student and parent (and also teacher) complaints with nanny-state connotations

The above mention only a few options while many need to be explored to prevent abuse of the systems available, the status quo is no longer an option

For Design

New software is being developed that can do design specifications, concept design, CAD design, and soon will be able to do even more, how design can be taught in this environment needs a total overhaul and how students can learn the fundamentals to do good design is an open question

The Future

How to adjust to Ai in Education today is a daunting challenge, but it will continue to develop and once we pass the painful initial implementation, its impact in the future will be even greater

5 Years

• Personalized Learning - each student will have some degree of customized learning

• Learning Assistants/E-Tutors - Ai learning companions to help, train, and grade students

• Grading and Management - some work will be able to be tracked and graded automatically and checked against existing work to ensure no plagiarism or outside assistance

10 Years

• Grading and Management - Ai will be able to track and grade almost all work done by students of all ages

• Analysis and Progress - through assistants and tutoring Ai will be able to check what student's aptitudes match most to, what they struggle with and create plans to better connect with and aid learning and improvement through

• Enhanced Experiences - VR and AR could be adapted through different methods, changing during interaction and allowing interaction across geographical areas for likeminded students

• Career Services - as assistants will have been aiding students for a long period, a better understanding of career avenues can be created to tailor to a person's best attributes and capabilities

20 Years

• Lifelong Education - through long-term partnership Ai will be able to conceive of constantly evolving ways to promote and facilitate ever-increasing learning and betterment for people, promoting education that doesn't stop with leaving school

• Personalization - the level of personalization from birth for education, constantly learning about the student and adapting will mean the level of customization is beyond anything conceivable today (but will result in a questionable level of privacy and security concerns)

• Smart Devices - equipment of all types will be integrated into IoT with interaction from cradle to grave to monitor, adapt, promote, and facilitate further learning

My thoughts:

The above will over time make education drastically better in most measurable methods compared to today, however, it will also mean progressively less need for human teachers, more privacy concerns, and less human contact for students throughout childhood and life, it will raise questions as to what people do with education and how society functions

Ai will impact all aspects of life as it develops and expands, its impact today shows its disruptive possibilities, and governments already acting against it show the concerns it raises and the difficulties it presents, because the current education system is not ready for such a tool. These issues will only grow unless drastic changes are made, and those changes cannot be banning the technology because it's already available, its use cannot be totally prevented and things need to change...