When people think of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education, only the bad side comes to mind: laziness, cheating and taking the easy way out. Many schools ban AI outright, acting as though it is a villain in all aspects of the classroom. This distaste of AI comes from a valid place; without knowledge on how to use it correctly, AI can become a problem, promoting both plagiarism and laziness.
However, what if we looked at AI as more of a tool rather than an easy way out? When we learn to change our mindset about AI, we see that it can be used for good in many different aspects of learning, when used correctly. AI can positively add to the classroom and be used to assist students in studying, grow students’ critical thinking skills and help take some of the workload off teachers.
The first area that AI programs can help students learn is by helping them study. AI is very personalized to each user, which is a huge plus when it comes to helping students. It can create study timelines that help students better plan when and how they will study for their exams. It can also create practice tests based on study guides or notes that students plug in. These practice exams can be time-consuming for students to make on their own, yet they are extremely helpful for studying.
According to an article published by the University of Colorado at Denver, “This approach not only reinforces learning but also prepares students to think critically about their coursework.” AI can also summarize lectures or notes in a way that helps students better understand the content. Some may argue that this makes students reliant on technology; however, students can learn to work alongside AI to optimize their studying.
The next thing AI can do to help education is by growing students’ critical thinking skills. At first glance this may seem hard to believe, given that most people see AI as a tool used by lazy or unmotivated students looking to cut corners. However, AI actually forces students to problem-solve when coming up with prompts and follow-up questions for the model. It also forces students to fact-check and use their knowledge to make sure the information they receive from AI is trustworthy. Lastly, it teaches students to decipher the answers that are given back to them and relate them back to what they are learning in class.
A study conducted by Cambridge on AI and critical thinking states, “By putting learners in control of the materials that they are using to produce their answers, they become active participants in their learning and begin to understand not just the chatbot’s assumptions and biases, but also their own.”
The final thing AI can do for education has to do with teachers, not students. AI can complete a lot of busy work for teachers. This can include grading multiple-choice questions. Teachers can plug in the correct answers, and the program can do the rest. According to Forbes, 60% of teachers are already doing this and enjoying the results. Next, AI can help perfect their lesson plans, study guides or practice quizzes. It can edit and revise them to make these resources the most productive possible. This could save a lot of time for teachers who struggle with coming up with and perfecting their own learning materials.
All three of these problems that AI can assist with can lead to a better, smoother education system. AI still has its downsides, but it is constantly evolving. Instead of trying to avoid it entirely, something which is nearly impossible, we can combine learning and technology by implementing AI into classrooms. Instead of fearing AI and treating it like the enemy, we should flip our perspective and see AI as a helpful tool.