AI in education: the transformative impact and the balancing act

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming the education landscape, presenting both significant opportunities and challenges. As AI becomes increasingly integrated into classrooms, educators, students, and parents need to grasp its benefits and potential pitfalls. This understanding is essential if we are to effectively utilise AI to enhance learning, while mitigating any negative impacts, ensuring a balanced and informed approach to technology in education.

Dr Nazreen Dasoo, Head of the Department for Education and Curriculum Studies at the University of Johannesburg, explains how AI can reshape the future of education, and outlines the most significant benefits it offers to students and educators: “If teachers are asking for the teaching and learning environment to improve, then the use of AI in classrooms may prove to be the answer.  Many teachers already use AI-powered services in their personal lives, such as Google Maps, language correcting tools for their writing, or voice-activated assistance (Siri). In the classroom, they could use AI to improve their lessons, as well as the ability to find and adapt existing resources to use in their classrooms.”

The pros of AI in education

AI is a reality and if used wisely in education, it has the potential to offer numerous benefits, including personalised learning experiences, increased efficiency, valuable data-driven insights, enhanced accessibility, and fostering innovation and creativity. These advancements have the power to significantly improve student engagement and educational outcomes:

• Personalised learning: AI adapts to individual student needs, offering personalised learning experiences. This tailoring can improve student engagement and comprehension.
• Efficiency and productivity: AI can streamline administrative tasks, such as grading and scheduling – freeing up educators to focus more on teaching.
• Data-Driven insights: AI analyses student data to provide valuable insights, helping educators make informed decisions to improve learning outcomes.
• Accessibility: AI enables distance learning and provides support to students with disabilities, increasing access to education, says Dr Dasoo: “Speech recognition generative AI can offer support to learners with disabilities and multilingual learners.”
• Innovation and creativity: AI encourages innovative teaching methods and tools, fostering creativity in both educators and students. Dr Dasoo elaborates: “The most exciting examples are those that use Virtual Reality Simulators as immersive learning experiences. Studies have shown how this virtual augmented teaching strategy can raise engagement and increase knowledge retention in learners.”

The cons and challenges of AI in education

While AI in education offers many benefits, it also presents significant challenges. Bias and discrimination can arise from flawed algorithms, perpetuating inequalities. Understanding these challenges is crucial for educators to mitigate potential drawbacks and ensure equitable and effective AI integration in education.

Dr Dasoo spells out some major concerns: “Perhaps the biggest risk of AI, despite its functionality, is that of data privacy and security. Also, AI can produce inappropriate or incorrect output. Sometimes AI creates and amplifies unwanted biases. Apps such as CHAT GPT for instance can be used unethically by learners when completing writing tasks.  Teachers may also raise a concern about whether the suggestions offered by algorithms could be considered fair. For me personally, the most important concern would be that the human pedagogical intervention in ‘teachable moments’ in a classroom can never be replaced by AI.”

The major concerns with AI and education include:

• Bias and discrimination: AI algorithms can inherit biases from their creators or the data they are trained on, potentially perpetuating or exacerbating inequalities in education.
• Privacy concerns: AI systems collect and analyse vast amounts of student data, raising concerns about privacy and data security.
• Overreliance on technology: There is a risk that overreliance on AI could lead to a lack of human interaction and personalised attention, which are crucial for student development.
• Job displacement: AI automation could lead to job displacement among educators and school staff, impacting the human touch in education.
• Equity and access: AI adoption could widen the gap between affluent and disadvantaged students if access to AI tools and technologies is unequal.

Striking a balance: the future of AI in education

To harness the benefits of AI in education while mitigating its drawbacks, a balanced approach is essential. Educators need to get on board and promote ethical AI use by ensuring that AI tools are transparent, unbiased, and respectful of student privacy. They should also empower educators through training and support to effectively integrate AI into their teaching practices.

Says Dr Dasoo: “Educators can ensure that the use of AI in education remains ethical, transparent, and equitable for all students through people-centred policies. This means that decisions regarding which technologies to use in classrooms are made by people on the ground. Also, there must be a deliberate strategy designed to ensure digital equity. For me perhaps the most valuable exercise would be teaching learners about how to use AI responsibly and for them to understand the values of respect, trust, honesty, and the risks involved when plagiarising AI-generated content.”

Emphasising human connection is another crucial element that needs to be considered – maintaining a balance between AI and essential human elements of teaching and learning. Additionally, addressing inequities is vital to ensure equitable access to AI tools and technologies, helping to bridge the digital divide. Dr Dasoo notes: “AI can help the achievement of educational outcomes on a large scale at lower cost. It can adapt learning resources to learner needs and learner’s strengths (it is in a sense individualised). Teachers can, through AI, extend support for learners when the constraints of classroom time dictate. AI is also well suited to culturally responsive curriculum and pedagogy, thereby customising curricular resources to meet local needs.”

In conclusion, AI is a powerful tool that has the potential to revolutionise education, offering personalised learning experiences and improving educational outcomes. However, it is crucial to address the challenges posed by AI, such as bias, privacy concerns, and job displacement, to ensure its equitable and responsible implementation. By striking a balance between harnessing AI’s benefits and mitigating its drawbacks, educators can create a future where every student has the opportunity to thrive and succeed.

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