AI’s TAKE ON EDUCATION

Do you remember the days of the Guru-Shishya system of conducting classes? Sitting in an open garden under the shade of a mighty tree, hooked onto every word the teacher was saying while the wind swept away the fallen leaves on the grass and flipped our notebook pages with its force. In a blink of the eye, we’re now skimming through virtual pages on our mobile devices. From physical notebooks to projectors to touch screen LCD devices and mobiles! Phew! What a whirlwind of a change!

It’s not only digitisation that have come into play. With this change, we’ve also witnessed an evolution in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Virtual Reality (VR), Machine Learning (ML), and of course, the Internet of Things (IoT). So, where does the world stand concerning its education backed by Artificial Intelligence? Let’s take a walk down that street.

What do we know about the system of education worldwide? We have a diverse population of various cultures, ethnic backgrounds, and financial situations belonging to different levels in the system of education. And what do we know of AI? Well, we know that Artificial Intelligence is concerned with building smart machines capable of performing tasks that typically require human intelligence.

The question always occurs: will AI completely take over the system of education and replace teachers and professors? There is no fixed answer to this. But, we will always require human interference and intelligence to monitor machines and make important decisions that require a certain level of logic, emotion, and common sense that only humans possess. Over the years, we have caught sight of how AI has brought about immense transformation and ease to the world and its people.

For decades, our system of education has been confined to the four walls of a classroom. But with hybrid online face-to-face lessons, the world is gradually progressing towards an interactive method of learning that expands beyond the monotonous classroom walls. Anyone can now take in brand additional information anytime and anywhere!

Next, we come to Personalised Learning. Each student differs from the other in terms of their attributes and skills. Personalized learning uses AI algorithms to understand what teaching method and modules can best bring out one’s top qualities. Not only this, but targeted teaching can also aid in nurturing and overcoming a person’s weak spots.

Third, AI has assisted the occurrence and growth of Smart Campuses. Students can now access all integral divisions of the education system through automation. Be it class schedules, attendance, or the availability of notes, one will always be up-to-date through efficient notifications.

Now, let’s talk about Feedback and Monitoring. This automated process has made it extremely uncomplicated for teachers to understand if they have been able to get through to the students with their teaching or if the quality of the course has been up to the mark. Even where the student has been hesitant to walk up to the teacher and ask for performance feedback, this structure has turned out to be highly effective! With AI, both parties are now comfortable sharing feedback and attaining proper guidance on further progress.

Coming to point number five, Information Portals. Colleges and universities are leaning towards collaborating with software companies to make all material and additional information available online. AI is therefore used to understand a student’s behavior and recommend articles based on one’s interests. Here we can see how AI is performing a school counselor just by being intuitive! Brilliant, isn’t it?

I’m sure there are days when one reminisces of how independent we were of technology. But, what’s keeping us from saying that technology and Artificial Intelligence, in particular, have held us back from advancing in multiple domains and especially in education? AI has taken the world by storm. Let us climb aboard and sail along!

Originally published at https://www.redwoodalgorithms.com.