How artificial intelligence is transforming classrooms

The advent of internet has transformed every aspect of our life including education. With easy access to technology, there has been a massive revolution in this sphere. Now, chalkboards can be replaced by interactive whiteboards and inaccessibility to physical classrooms in an emergency like the COVID-19 pandemic doesn’t mean learning loss, thanks to virtual classrooms. Artificial intelligence (AI), a crucial game changer in the ed-tech sector, is proving to be a major boon for students and teachers. Starting from automating mechanical tasks like grading and admission, to offering personalised education and tracking performances, this new-age technology is altering the arena of education in an unprecedented manner, filling the gaps in learning and teaching like never before.  

The objective behind the integration of AI in education is not to replace traditional learning or teachers. It is designed to improve and streamline the existing system and yield better learning outcomes by enhancing critical thinking skills in students and allowing more time to teachers for bringing in innovation.  

Here are a few examples of how AI is transforming classrooms and redefining educational experience of the present and future.  

Automating of admin tasks 
Apart from teaching, teachers have to handle many mechanical admin tasks like evaluation, grading, admission, paper setting, creating mark sheets, recording attendance, tracking the performance of students, and much more. These can be automated by AI, allowing teachers more time to focus on the development of innovative curriculum and creation of interactive teaching methods. This technology also aids in imparting knowledge through games and activities and storing necessary student information.   

Offering personalised learning 
In order to ensure best outcomes, learning methods and modules need to be customised, based on a student’s strengths and weaknesses, preferences, and grasping capacity.  However, offering personalised learning to this extent is not possible for a teacher managing 30 students in a class. This is where AI comes in to play. As the technology gets more sophisticated, it can gather information about each and every student, starting from their preferred learning mode to areas of difficulty and much more. Teachers can use this information to prepare customised learning profiles and training modules with the help of AI. Tailor-made curriculum, powered by this technology can help bridge learning gaps and ensure the desired outcome.  

Bridging the gap between teacher-student ratio 
India cuts a sorry figure when it comes to teacher student ratio. This gap can be bridged by voice assistants like Amazon’s Alexa, Apple Siri and Microsoft Cortana among others. Based on Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), speech recognition and generation technology, these virtual assistants can be used for spelling and reading assistance, query resolution, so on and so forth. In fact, some schools in India have already started Alexa in their classrooms. It became even more popular after its software was upgraded with Indian accent. Answering questions across various topics, joining students in reciting poems and participating in vocal activities are among some of the functions of Alexa in classrooms. What’s more, she repeats as many times as required without judging students.  Various ed-tech start-ups are also coming up with their own versions of classroom Alexa, aimed to as resourceful assistants to teachers.