Over the past few years, Artificial Intelligence and Chatbots have become the latest trends in the technology world. You can find chatbots in almost every industry now, whether it is a travel website, e-commerce platforms, blogs or government sites. The education sector also holds abundant of possibilities for utilizing this incredible technology. The machine learning ability of the chatbots makes them a promising tool for the educators. This article presents you six ways in which artificial intelligence and chatbots can influence the education industry.
1. Identify Weaknesses in the Classroom
AI works in identifying classroom weaknesses. For instance, AI will identify when groups of students miss certain questions letting the teacher know when material needs to be retaught. In this way, AI will also hold teachers accountable and strengthen best teaching practices.
While artificial intelligence will not replace teachers altogether, it is possible that it will reshape the way teachers teach and students learn.
2. Spaced Interval Learning
This learning concept involves repeating the old lessons, just before you forget them. The spaced interval learning was used as a basis for developing an app that helps people to track the learning process and reminds them to repeat the lessons they are about to forget. The app was created by the Polish inventor Piotr Wozniak and promoted by the SuperMemo company.
3. Personalization of learning for students
It is well known that individuals need customization of their learning methodology. This is one area where Artificial Intelligence is likely to play a major role. AI based tools respond to the individual need of the students putting more emphasis on certain topics, repeating content that student has not yet mastered, and generally, assisting students to learn at their own pace.
As AI advances in the coming years, adapted learning programs will add more personalization and gamification to learning process.
4. Watson, the Teacher Assistant
At the Georgia Institute of Technology, students were charmed by the new teachers assistant, Jill Watson, who managed to respond to student inquiries in a fast and accurate way.
5. The Chatbot Campus Genie
At the Deakin University in Victoria, Australia, development is in full swing to complete the first ever chatbot campus genie. Just like in the case of the AI teacher assistant, the intelligence behind it comes from IBM’s supercomputer system, Watson.
Once operational, the Deakin genie will be able to answer questions related to everything a student needs to know about life on campus. How to find the next lecture hall, how to apply for next semester’s class, how to submit assignments, where to find parking or where a counselor can be reached are all questions that can be handled by the genie.
When new students swarm the campus, they have similar questions every year which makes for a perfect application of a chatbot.
William Confalonieri is the driving force behind the genie-project and the CIO at Deakins University.
Confalonieri hopes to be able to expand the capabilities of the system rapidly in the coming years and have it handle significantly more complex tasks in the future.
6. Automating and Expediting Administrative Tasks
One of the simplest but impactful things AI can do for the educational space is to speed up the administrative process both for institutions and educators. The tedious process of grading homework, evaluating essays and measuring student responses can require valuable time from lecturers and teachers who would prefer to focus on their lesson planning and one-on-one time with students.
Machines are already capable of automating the grading process for multiple choice and fill-in-the-blank tests. Soon, they will be able to assist and eventually replace human grading for written response work as well. Admissions processes can also be streamlined and improved, reducing the workload for high volume admissions offices. Automating the process of paperwork and support for students with common admissions questions via chatbot and interactive website materials can improve the process for both administrators and future students.