4 minute read
The role of AI in teaching and learning
The role of
Prof Nelishia Pillay
As we move into the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), artificial intelligence (AI) is playing an imperative role in the way we teach and learn. Several innovations can be implemented in the near future, including automated tutors and teaching assistants, genetic programming and learning analytics, chatbots and bookbots.
in teaching and learning
Students can receive individualised tuition through the use of intelligent tutoring systems. Innovations that are already in use internationally include Jill Watson, an automated teaching assistant at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) in Atlanta, Georgia, in the USA, that provides responses to student queries with a 97% accuracy rate. Pearson and McGraw-Hill, a corporation based in New York City that provides international educational services, has embraced this innovation as well with its development of Smartbook 2 and Pearson Mastering, two AI systems that provide individualised feedback to learners.
Artificial intelligence techniques, such as genetic programming, have also been used for the automated design of learning environments, including web-based courseware, digital learning environments, online courses and pedagogical agents. AI has also facilitated automated assessment. In China, AI-driven systems are used to automate the assessment of essays at schools, while Pearson has incorporated automated assessment in writing and mathematics learning tools. Automated assessment has also made an impact in the training of surgeons, psychometric testing and talent assessment.
Learning analytics, which uses machine learning techniques, has proven to be effective in predicting student learning difficulties and providing support to students. This technique can predict whether a student will fail or pass, the grade the student will obtain and specific learning difficulties a student will experience. Such techniques are already being incorporated into learning management systems, for example the predictive analytics tool that forms part of Blackboard (ClickUP).
Chatbots are also starting to play an important role in teaching and learning. A chatbot is basically a computer programme that fundamentally simulates human conversation. It allows a form of interaction between a human being and a machine, which takes place via messages or voice commands. It is programmed to work independently of a human operator. While early chatbots were text-based, the more recent iterations can converse in a natural language and use AI techniques to learn and adapt their communication to the needs of the particular student with whom they are conversing. Chatbots are used internationally to provide students with advice on university operations and logistics, such as lecture venues, admission procedures, timetables and financial advice.
Cornell University in New York has employed CourseQ for this purpose, while Georgia State employs “Pounce”, a custom virtual assistant, and Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia, employs “Genie”, a smart personal assistant. At the University of Tampa in Florida, chatbots provide students with mental health support. They have also been used to assist students to learn a language by conversing with the student in the target language.
Another area in which AI and robotics are contributing to education is the automation of tasks in libraries, making the concept of a smart library a reality. These tasks include automated cataloging, classification and periodical indexing. This has facilitated 24-hour selfborrowing, return and renewal. Artificial intelligence and robotics have also played a role in intelligent warehouse management. Bookbot can locate a selected book from millions of books on shelves in only five minutes.
In the University of Pretoria’s Department of Library Services, a robot, called Libby, became the first humanoid to be introduced in a library in Africa. Libby joined the staff of the Merensky 2 Library in 2019 as a library consultant, advising students about the library, telling them where to find specific books, directing students to the relevant subject librarian, and marketing the library.
As the role played by AI in teaching and learning increases, so several challenges are identified. One of these is how to prepare students and graduates for the advent of AI, and also how to promote AI literacy. An initiative to address this challenge has been launched at the University in the form of the Artificial Intelligence Student Society (AISS). This is a multidisciplinary student society that promotes AI literacy and innovation. It was founded in February 2019 by three students from the departments of Philosophy, Industrial Engineering and Computer Science, and has about 500 members from various disciplines within the University. The value of a society such as this in the University environment lies in the crucial role it plays in debunking the fearful misconceptions held by the population about the threat of AI being incorporated into our daily lives. Currently, the AISS is running a chatbot competition where students are developing chatbots to improve the quality of student and campus life.
A second initiative at the University, in which the Department of Computer Science played a role, in collaboration with the Department for Education Innovation, is the development of AIPods, which will be incorporated into the University’s Future for Work project to provide students with an overview of the role AI will play in their chosen career. The ten AIPods that have been developed cover an introduction to AI and the impact that AI is making in careers related to qualifications in each of the University’s nine faculties.
