7 September 2023
Recently, OpenAI, the parent company of ChatGPT, unveiled its ‘Teaching with AI’ guide, designed to provide valuable support to educators in harnessing the potential of ChatGPT for educational purposes. ChatGPT serves as a versatile partner in the realm of education, serving roles such as a debate partner, an assistant for crafting quizzes, exams, lesson plans, or assisting with translation—a testament to its diverse applications.
AI has emerged as a powerful ally in reshaping the educational landscape, offering a spectrum of solutions that promise to enhance assessment methods, foster student engagement, and promote accessibility for all learners. Delve into the multifaceted role of AI in education. Here are some AI-powered tools you can consider for your classroom.
Personalised Learning
Khanmigo
Meet Khanmigo, Khan Academy’s innovative AI-powered guide, driven by the formidable GPT-4 technology. Khanmigo serves as both a dedicated tutor for eager learners and an invaluable assistant for educators. It offers personalised one-on-one tutoring experiences for students while empowering teachers with AI-driven lesson planning support and actionable student feedback insights.
Knewton Alta
Knewton’s Alta seamlessly blends cutting-edge adaptive learning technology with a wealth of high-quality openly accessible content, resulting in a truly personalised learning journey. Alta’s exceptional capability to promptly identify knowledge gaps and offer on-the-spot remediation sets it apart. Moreover, it is fully WCAG 2.0 AA-level ADA compliant, ensuring accessibility for diverse groups of learners. Instructors benefit from actionable learner data and maintain full control over course design, enabling them to tailor the learning experience to achieve precise educational objectives.
Assessment
Turnitin
Employing AI to counter AI. In response to the growing prevalence of AI-generated content, Turnitin has evolved to meet the imperative of preserving academic integrity. The AI writing indicator, a pioneering addition, furnishes educators with insights into the authenticity of students’ work, discerning the human touch amidst digital composition. Beyond this, Turnitin offers comprehensive reporting capabilities and facilitates effortless integration into existing Learning Management Systems (LMS).
Gradescope
Even in the realm of paper-based assessments, the transformative potential of AI shines through. Enter Gradescope, the AI-powered grading platform that empowers educators to seamlessly transition from traditional paper assignments to digital grading. With Gradescope, teachers can effortlessly scan and upload paper assignments, streamlining the grading process and significantly reducing administrative overhead. Furthermore, this platform offers in-depth analysis, providing invaluable insights into individual student performance and question-level assessment, thus equipping teachers with a comprehensive understanding of their class’s progress.
Accessibility
SpeechText.AI
Powered by domain-specific speech recognition technology, SpeechText.AI is a cutting-edge AI software designed for precise speech-to-text conversion and seamless audio transcription. It offers robust support for numerous languages and diverse file formats, simplifying the process of transcribing educational content. This accessibility-focused tool enables educators to create transcriptions of learning materials, ensuring accessibility for individuals with hearing impairments and those facing challenges with reading and writing.
Lovo.ai
Genny, an award-winning AI-powered text-to-speech platform, boasts a diverse selection of voices tailored to various educational contexts. Beyond its text-to-speech capabilities, Genny, developed by Lovo.ai, is a versatile generative AI tool that extends its assistance to scriptwriting, image generation, translations, and beyond. With features like a pronunciation editor, emphasis control, speed adjustment, and pitch modulation, educators gain powerful tools to accommodate learners with special needs or those embarking on the journey of acquiring a new language.
However, educators, leaders, and policymakers are still grappling with its implementation and use. Dr Inge Molenaar, Director of the National Education Lab AI and Associate Professor at Radboud University in the Netherlands notes “AI is actually entering in through the backdoor”, and schools “don’t have any orchestration, not really able to follow the trajectory of AI use in schools very well”.
Furthermore, innovations in education, powered by AI, bring with them a host of ethical considerations that demand careful scrutiny. As we entrust machines with a greater role in our classrooms, it’s essential to address issues like data privacy, algorithmic bias, and equitable access.
Speaking at UNESCO’s Digital Learning Week 2023, Gabriela Ramos, Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences, UNESCO highlights the myriad of questions AI-use has opened in education, “Who has access to it? Who can take advantage of it? How are societies preparing to use these technologies for good?” Additionally, if and when AI is employed in the classrooms, how are we ensuring standards such as accountability, safety, reliability, and transparency are met? UNESCO has emphasised the need for efforts to regulate the use of AI in education, releasing its guidance on generative AI use. The European Union and China also shared their work in issuing stronger regulations.
As we stand at the cusp of a new educational era, it’s clear that AI is not just a passing trend but a transformative force and a profound shift in how we nurture the minds of future generations. The potential benefits in assessment, student engagement, and accessibility are immense, promising tailored learning experiences that cater to the unique needs of every student. The future of education is undeniably intertwined with the future of AI, and together, they hold the promise of shaping a world where learning is not only more accessible but also more empowering than ever before.
Further Reading
Open AI, ChatGPT: Teaching with AI resource and FAQ
Embracing the Power of Artificial Intelligence in Education
UNESCO Guidance for generative AI in education and research
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