AI in education: top applications, real-life examples, and adoption tips
April 19, 2023
AI has the potential to revolutionize education, transforming it from a system focused on memorizing facts into one that helps students unlock their full potential and learn necessary skills through more personalized learning. And as AI technology develops, it is becoming increasingly accessible for educators to deploy AI tools in their classrooms and provide personalized learning experiences.
What is AI in education?
Artificial intelligence in education is applied to improve learning outcomes and supports teachers in developing better educational practices. From automatic assignment grading to tailored curriculums, there are many ways AI consultants can help educational institutions make use of the technology.
invested in AI in education in 2020 despite the coronavirus pandemic
CoE
global AI in education CAGR from 2022 to 2030
Grand View Research
8 AI use cases in education
By leveraging AI-based technology, educational institutions can unlock new opportunities for their students, faculty, and staff. Let’s explore the most common ways artificial intelligence is applied in education.
Learning experience personalization
AI-based platforms can collect and analyze student data on interaction with educational materials, exercise completion time, test results, and overall performance to understand each student's attitudes and needs. Drawing on this data, AI tools can design personalized training pathways and adapt them in real-time to the learner’s progress.Â
For example, if an AI-powered system detects that a student is having difficulty completing a certain task (including tests and exercises), it can recommend them additional material to study. At the same time, the system can also advice tests for self-examination based on the materials the student learned.
Scheme title: Operating scheme of an intelligent adaptive teaching platform
Data source: deloitte.com—Global development of AI-based education
Ready to revolutionize education with AI?
Benefits of AI in education
For students
Better learning experience
By creating a personalized learning experience for each student and tailoring materials to their specific skill set and needs, AI gives students a greater degree of control over their educational experience.
Improved self-educational skills
In this new day and age, critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity are playing an increasingly important role in our careers. By providing students with instant feedback on their work, AI allows them to identify patterns quickly and come up with creative solutions.
Types of AI technologies in education
AI in education
Learner-supporting AI
- Adaptive learning tools
- Tools that measure attention, empathy, and emotion
- Virtual assistant chatbots
- Tools for automatic writing evaluation
- Personalized learning platforms
- Intelligent language learning apps
- Personalized content curation platforms
Teacher-supporting AI
- Web-scraping tools
- Intelligent scheduling and course planning
- Solutions or automatic assignment grading
- Classroom management tools
- Curriculum design tools
- Student progress analytics platforms
Institution-supporting AI
- Admission management platforms
- Emotional support chatbots
- Resource planning systems
- Dropout prediction tools
- Enrollment management and forecasting tools
- Campus safety and security tools
Emerging technologies in education to pair with AI
Technology
Description
Value for education
Virtual reality
Technology
Description
Value for education
VR provides a computer-generated 3D simulation of reality.
VR can be used to enhance student learning in both medical and technical fields by providing immersive, interactive experiences that simulate real-world scenarios. For example, students can learn about anatomy and physiology by exploring and interacting with 3D models of organs, bones, and other parts of the human body in a fun and engaging way.
Augmented reality
Technology
Description
Value for education
AR overlays digital information onto a physical environment.
AR technology can be applied to enhance the educational experience by superimposing digital information onto physical objects. This allows students to learn more about the studied subject while they experiment in the real world.
IoT
Technology
Description
Value for education
IoT is a network of physical devices embedded with electronics, sensors, software, and connectivity capabilities that collect and exchange data.
IoT devices allow teachers and administrators to get real-time data from classrooms, ranging from lighting and temperature levels to desk use, student attendance, and more. Drawing on this data, they can better understand how students learn in the classroom.
Real-life examples of AI in education
Duolingo
Duolingo’s language-learning application is a great example of an AI-based learning platform integrating a smart bot to interact with students. Its famous tutor/mascot is a cheerful but insistent green owl that motivates users to do daily exercises. Duolingo's personalized learning approach includes an initial positioning test to scan the user's skills and a progressive readjustment of the proposed activities' difficulty based on previous performance and results achieved. The ultimate goal is to maintain an optimal level of challenge and keep learners engaged, also thanks to a points-based reward system.
Image title: Duolingo main pageData source: duolingo.com
Our AI services for the education domain
If you are looking for a reliable development partner on your journey to transform education, Itransition offers a full range of AI services.
Our certified AI consultants provide advisory support at every step of the AI implementation or optimization process:
- AI use case identification
- Data mapping and data quality assessment
- Current technological environment audit
- Initial project setup advisory
- Development process review
- AI solution architecture design
- Tech stack selection
- MVP conceptualization
- Project budgeting and ROI analysis
- Risk management strategy creation
- User training and support
AI development
We help build innovative AI-driven solutions by covering all aspects of the development project:
- ETL/ELT pipeline setup
- Data cleansing, annotation, transformation
- Data security setup
- AI algorithm selection
- AI model training
- Software integrations
- Data visualization setup
- Quality assurance activities
- Deployment to the production environment
- Post-launch support, updates and modernization
Education is ripe for AI-based transformation
AI in education: implementation strategy
Successful AI implementation in the education market requires careful consideration and strategic planning.
1
Assessment
First, it is important to understand the core elements of AI-based approaches and how they can be used in educational settings. This includes examining the use cases and applications of ML, NLP, and deep learning. Next, it is important to assess the current state of AI-based solutions in educational contexts. This includes looking at the availability of products and services that can be incorporated into an AI-based approach, as well as the level of sophistication that more forward-looking schools and universities achieved using these technologies. Additionally, it is important to understand the legal and ethical implications of implementing AI-based systems in educational settings.
2
Planning
The next step is to develop a comprehensive plan for implementing AI-based solutions in your educational institution. This includes defining specific objectives, setting appropriate metrics and targets, and coming up with the project’s timeline. Additionally, you need to identify the necessary skills, resources, and technologies required to build an AI-based system. You can also research the most suitable vendors or organizations that provide these services, as well as create a development budget.
3
Monitoring
Finally, it is essential to establish a governance structure for AI-based solutions in educational settings, which involves creating a set of guidelines and protocols to ensure that the AI-based system is compliant with all applicable laws and regulations. Additionally, it requires creating a process for monitoring the use of AI-based solutions in the education sector and ensuring that data privacy is maintained throughout the implementation process.
AI in education challenges and their potential solutions
Challenge
Solution
Data privacy concerns
Challenge
AI applications require large amounts of data to operate effectively, which may jeopardize the security and privacy of student information.
Challenge
Solution
Education institutions should have clear policies and procedures in place to protect student data privacy, such as user authentication, limited access to sensitive information, and encryption of stored data.
Cost of implementation
Challenge
Implementing AI-powered solutions can be expensive for schools due to the cost of hardware and software required, as well as the cost of teaching the staff how to use the technology.
Challenge
Solution
The most effective way educational institutions can cut AI costs is by opting for out-of-the-box SaaS solutions instead of building AI solutions from scratch. Schools can also work with vendors that provide educational discounts to make AI implementation more affordable.
Lack of technical expertise
Challenge
Educators often lack the necessary technical skills to effectively utilize AI in their classrooms.
Challenge
Solution
To address this challenge, institutions should invest in training for teachers and staff on the use of AI technology and create support systems to help them integrate it into their teaching methods.
Limited tools for measuring impact
Challenge
Measuring the effectiveness of AI-powered solutions can be difficult due to the lack of suitable frameworks or standards.
Challenge
Solution
You first need to understand precisely what problems does your AI aims to solve and then develop custom metrics for each problem to measure the solution’s impact on student performance and outcomes.
Revolutionize education with AI
Artificial intelligence in education has the potential to revolutionize how we learn and teach. By using AI-powered systems, educational institutions can gain insights into student behavior and preferences; personalize learning experiences to meet each student's needs better; automate some of the more mundane tasks associated with teaching, and improve outcomes by providing students with tailored feedback. Furthermore, AI-powered systems can reduce operational costs by automating and streamlining operations, making the education process more efficient.Â
