“It’s a tool” – Mira Murati, OpenAI during a session at Dartmouth’s Thayer School of Engineering
AI is already in the classroom. Regardless of the preferences of educators, policymakers, and administrators, students are using it. During my role as an Alumni Liaison Committee member at Dartmouth College, I spent time with current students and asked them how often they used ChatGPT. Their response was “all the time.” They emphasized they didn’t cheat but used the tool for “everything,” from researching ideas to everyday tasks like finding the best time to buy a plane ticket home.
Announcements of AI features in Blackboard’s LMS AI Design Assistant, Khan Academy’s AI tutor, “Khanmigo” and Duolingo’s MAX show the widespread integration of AI throughout the education ecosystem. These tools, while grabbing headlines now, are not new. In 1993, Dr. Jean-Claude Falmagne led the development of ALEKS, “assessment and learning in knowledge spaces” at the University of California, Irvine, with funding from the National Science Foundation. Arizona State University (ASU) began using ALEKS in 2016 in their Global Freshman Academy algebra course and later expanded its use as a diagnostic tool. This followed their earlier use of another another adaptive learning tool, Knewton, that had begun in 2011. Those early movers clearly didn’t rattle the industry as much as today’s, which benefit from the increased availability of neural networks, data and processing power.
Mira Murati, Chief Technology Officer of OpenAI, stated, “…I think one of the most powerful applications of AI is going to be in education. Advancing our creativity and knowledge. And we have the opportunity to basically build super high quality education, and very accessible, and ideally free for anyone in the world in any of the languages or cultural nuances that you can imagine. You can really have customized understanding and customized education for anyone in the world.”
The rapid advancement of AI within education has already impacted the industry. The California Legislature passed AB 2370, Chapter 66, and Governor Gavin Newsom signed it into law on July 2, 2024, to codify that instructors and administrators in the nation’s largest community college system with over 116 colleges and over 2 million students, be “a person.” This defense against job loss is not unfounded. In January 2024, Duolingo had a staff reduction (some said layoff, but it was a reduction in contract workers, so there is some nuance) announcement showing how there can be “worker dislocation” due to AI tools. “We are not swapping the expertise of human experts for AI,” A spokesperson for Duolingo said. “AI is a tool we are using to increase productivity and efficiency, with the goal of adding new content and improving our courses faster.”
AI will continue to revolutionize the classroom and instruction by assisting with:
- Personalized Learning:
- Adaptive Learning Systems: AI-driven platforms can personalize the learning experience by adjusting the difficulty and type of content based on individual student performance. This ensures that students receive the support they need to succeed at their own pace.
- Intelligent Tutoring Systems: These systems use AI to provide personalized feedback and assistance, helping students understand complex subjects more effectively.
- Curriculum Development:
- Competency-Based Education (CBE): AI can facilitate the implementation of CBE by tracking student progress in real-time and ensuring that learning outcomes are met. This approach allows for more flexible and tailored educational pathways.
- Digital Credentials: AI can manage and verify digital credentials, making it easier for students to showcase their skills and for employers to validate them. This enhances the portability and transparency of student achievements.
- Enhancing Learning Outcomes:
- Active Learning Techniques: AI can support active learning by providing tools that engage students in constructing knowledge rather than passively consuming it. This method has been shown to improve learning outcomes and reduce performance gaps.
The impact of AI, GPTs and LLMs on learning is just beginning. It will be exciting to see what we can build together.