Revolutionising education through AI
Artificial Intelligence (AI) holds immense potential to revolutionise education. However, with great power comes great responsibility. As educators and learners grappling with AI, we face profound questions about equity, ethics, efficacy, and the very essence of education. How can AI be integrated into education? That question is paramount – and that is where our real-time research comes in.
We share how we developed the project and what we have learned to date in an article published online in Schoolnews.co.nz.
The AUT AI Teaching Assistant Project: A Case Study in Cautious Innovation
Our investigation included feedback from students and lecturers in three AUT business courses - a condensed summer school, an undergraduate programme, and a postgraduate course. In designing the research, we chose an AI teaching assistant that predates the current generative AI boom. Our AI tool operates as a small-world neural network, meaning its knowledge base is strictly limited to the information we provide it. This controlled environment allows us to maintain full oversight of the AI's capabilities and limitations, ensuring consistency across different courses and student cohorts. It also helps avoid potential biases or errors inherent in larger, more opaque AI systems.
So, what have we found? Over 200 students had access to the AI teaching assistant, contributing data through operational field notes, questionnaires, and qualitative interviews. The results to date demonstrate AI's potential to transform education positively, but they also highlight the enduring importance of nuanced human judgement and intervention.
The Road Ahead: Charting a Course for AI in Education
The full impact of AI on tertiary education and future careers is unfolding in real time before our eyes. The question is not whether AI will change education but how we will steer that change to create a more equitable, effective, and enlightened educational landscape for all. Our research at AUT is just one step in this journey, but it's a crucial one in understanding how to harness AI's potential while mitigating its risks.
Read the full article in Schoolnews.co.nz: Revolutionising education through AI: a thoughtful approach
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