Of late, maybe none of my conversations, or workshops or classes that I take, go without the mentioning of AI. When I see the young generation not being able to think, I wonder if I should ask them to think, or just let them be as they are because AI is there to take care of all the decisions. If I ask them to think, it might sound like asking them to go back to bullock-cart age. We have progressed a lot in terms of technology, and AI creeping into our lives in such a fast pace, should we shy away from accepting the fact that AI is no more a myth and thereby embrace it, or should we fight against it? There was a time calculators and computers were kept away from all spheres for the fear that it will kill our abilities. But now it has become a part of our lives. Similarly, should we get along with AI or wage a war against it is what we should think. The choice is personal right now, though the choice may cease to exist any time sooner or later.
That being said, the scope of AI in the realm of education is something that can turn the whole system topsy turvy. It's a dreadful thought that creeps into many a mind of those in the teaching profession. The fear of losing their bread and butter might bring shivers down their spines. But is it something to be fearful about, or is it something that can come handy is what we need to think about.
Should we bother?
Can it lead to massive loss of jobs in education sector? Can it cause havoc? Well, the answer maybe yes. Why so? The potential of AI is so much so that it can replace the teaching fraternity as a whole. One might find it difficult to digest. I'm pretty much sure that those who know about computer programming can understand that better. So what can AI do in the teaching-learning sphere? Let's take a look.
When a faculty deals with an average of fifty to sixty students in a class, it indeed is a diverse group whose learning methodologies are as varied as the group is. If you consider the VARK learning style, some are inclined to learn better with visual aids, some auditory, some read/write and others kinesthetics. When catering to students with varied learning styles, classroom teaching won't satisfy every individual. No matter how a person tries to incorporate all of these, it will not be possible to do all in one. This will lead to almost everyone lose out on a bit of each. Moreover one person cannot understand the mood of each and every student and cater to each one of them personally.
This is where digital content comes to use. It is very personal. The teaching happens one on one, with no one around. It has all the elements of VARK, including kinesthetics as it can have feedbacks and activities too. In the classroom, no matter how much ever a student is interested, due to mood swings, climate, time of the day etc, the student can lose attention. Even if not, the distraction by a friend can result in the loss of flow of attention. On the contrary, a video can be played when the student is in good mood to learn, beyond the stipulated time frame. More over, if concentration is lost for a moment, one can replay it and listen to it again and again as many times as it is understood, whereas it's not possible for a faculty to repeat anything umpteen times in a classroom setting.
Role of AI in education
Now, where does AI fit in? If AI can be developed in such a manner that it can understand the learning methodology of a student, it can deliver the learning material based on that. For eg, if a student is inclined to learn better through visual aids, it can provide more visual materials than using other types of study materials. If the student didn't understand, or lost concentration, or feel sleepy, AI can detect the mood with the help of a camera and can either ask the student to take a break and get back, or maybe play a game to get the student back in track. Here, even the game can be based on the study material. If not a game, it can be a song, or a movie, or anything that the student will find rejuvenated as per AI's understanding of the student.
One might argue that classroom teaching can never be replaced with digital learning. But, is it true in this era? My child, before going to school, learned almost all the nursery rhymes by watching TV. Well, of course, the next argument would be about their inter or intra-personal capabilities. How many from the previous generation are in touch with their friends and relatives physically? Have not most of them moved into making phone calls and sending messages, instead of going and meeting anyone personally? Even marriages and funerals are attended online these days. Should we be sceptical about the generation that is born in the digital era? I recently saw my 10 year old child with five or six children of the same age. I didn't see her speak, neither did other children. Everyone were having mobiles in their hands and were busy with that. Can we expect them to have the kind of relationships the older generation had? Will it make sense for them? Should we force our way of life on to them?
With AI, if we take it a step ahead, it can even speak to the student just like any of us. So it will become more of an interaction between them. Again, my child, when she was around four or five years of age, one day was speaking over the phone. I was wondering how could she make a phone call. But when I checked, it was not a phone call, but she was having a conversation with google. I don't think they will have the kind of thinking that we used to have once upon a time. Things have changed and they have moved far beyond the personal sphere. They will live in a digital world. I remember myself being busy with computer games and mIRC chats 20 years ago, and I never thought about anything else at that point in time. I used to be engrossed in it, not knowing what is happening around me. I was in touch with people across the globe, though I was cut off from my own relatives and friends. Twenty years down the lane, kids born in the IT age, will no doubt be far beyond that.
AI in lieu of teacher
When we speak about AI being the teacher, the student can even choose the teacher since it's all virtual. In a classroom setting, students can have issues with the teacher. Some students lose their interest in studies because of their teacher. Here, with AI, student can even choose the character. For eg, if a student is more attached to his/her father, the father's character can be chosen as teacher. This will give more of a personal touch. At times they might get bored with the same person teaching. Here again, just like the characters being chosen in games, students can choose/change the teacher character at any point in time. This will make learning more interesting.
Also, human beings have limitations in terms of knowledge, amount of time, health etc. But AI can be with the student beyond any time, with a wealth of knowledge. Since it's a collective knowledge, the information it can give is beyond imagination. It can deliver the same information again and again without losing temper.
If we sit and think of AI in teaching/learning, the advantages and possibilities are too many to list out. Here we would need to think about the role of a teacher. Should we move to AI and get rid of all the teachers? Or should we limit the learning possibilities of students with that of the limitations of human beings as teachers? Well, I would say that it's high time we move to AI. But at the same time, teachers should make use of AI and be facilitators and guides rather than fighting against it. One day or the other AI will surely takeover and if teachers are not ready to embrace it and make the best use of it, that is when they are going to be at the receiving end and may become obsolete. We can think of the scenario when computers were introduced, how even now, many struggle to make use of it, while those who have adapted it gives better output in terms of efficiency and timeliness. An MCQ question paper can give the results in fraction of a second than a teacher going through all the answers one by one and ending up with calculation errors, with so much of stress and fatigue. Which one is better?
We can't turn a blind eye to the reality. It's high time that we explore the possibilities of what AI can do and how we can make use of it in the best possible way in the field of education. There soon will be a pioneer who will turn the entire world upside down. Should we walk a step ahead or lose out? Ask, and decide for yourself.
