Artificial Intelligence: More Than Just a Buzzword?

Artificial Intelligence. Love it or hate it, you sure can’t escape it.

In recent months, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a term that's thrown around in nearly every industry, from healthcare to finance and, of course, education. Google data shows a surge in AI's popularity with popular searches such as “ChatGPT, AI in marketing, photoshop AI” followed by a gradual decline in search volume over recent weeks. But despite this tapered interest, the potential of AI remains vast and largely untapped. This is particularly true in the realm of education, where AI promises to revolutionize the way we teach and learn - and we’re not the only ones to think this:

• A 2022 survey by the AI in Education Research Hub found that 77% of UK teachers believe that AI will have a positive impact on education. [Source: "AI in Education Research Hub Survey", AI in Education Research Hub]
• A 2021 report by the Department for Education found that the use of AI in education is growing rapidly, with 60% of schools in England using some form of AI-powered technology. [Source: "The Future of Education: Using AI to Personalise Learning", Department for Education]
• A 2020 report by the World Economic Forum found that AI is one of the top 10 technologies that will have the biggest impact on education in the next five years. [Source: "The Future of Education and Skills 2020", World Economic Forum]

The AI Hype Cycle

LLMs and Machine Learning are not novel inventions, however, the ability for everyday consumers to interact with the LLMs via a chat interface - enter “ChatGPT” - is something that we’ve not seen before. This new and exciting means of communicating with the model has piqued the interest of just about everyone as demonstrated by “AI” and “ChatGPT” being the most search terms in April 2023. The peak of search volume however does start to taper off as evidenced by the falling search volumes seen in the graph below. But does this mean AI is just another passing fad? Far from it.

Beyond the Hype: The Real Value of AI

Even as the hype around AI subsides, maybe just for the summer as students break up from school, the real value of this transformative technology is only beginning to emerge. In the education sector, AI has the potential to address some of the most pressing challenges and dramatically enhance the learning experience. A research survey conducted by the Department for Education showed that 75% of teachers reported data recording, lesson planning and marking were among the top reasons as to why their workloads were unmanageable. We’re currently in the early iterations of seeing how AI can be leveraged by the education sector but if those use cases are anything to go by then the sector has a lot of gain through the appropriate application of AI.

Tailored Learning and Instruction

One of the most promising applications of AI in education is the personalization of learning. AI-powered systems can analyze a student's performance in real-time, identifying strengths and weaknesses, and customizing the content accordingly. This allows for a learning experience that is tailored to the individual needs of each student, rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.

Research supports the effectiveness of this approach. A study by the US Department for Education found that personalized, competency-based learning improves student engagement and outcomes. With AI, this kind of personalized learning can be implemented on a large scale and reaffirmed with the application of frequent formative assessments.

Educait’s AI marking assistant leverages the largest, most sophisticated Large Language Models (LLMs) to augment the role of teachers by helping them with marking and resource creation. The product provides tailored and precise feedback to every student submission, as well as summarizing the common feedback points across the class. This allows teachers to provide more personalized feedback to students, which can help them to improve their learning whilst also having a detailed report on the weaker areas to address class-wise.

Future Directions

As we move beyond the hype, the focus shifts from what AI could potentially do to what it is already doing. The real-world applications of AI in education are expanding, and the benefits are tangible.

“We’ve saved at least 40% of our time across marking and lesson planning and the students seem really engaged.” - Learning and Development Lead, Glyn School, Surrey.

In the coming years, we can expect to see AI playing a more integral role in education. From automating administrative tasks to providing personalized learning experiences, AI holds the key to a more efficient, inclusive, and effective educational landscape.

Conclusion

While the buzz around AI may have subsided, the impact of this technology is only just beginning to be felt. In education and beyond, AI is proving to be more than just a buzzword. It's a powerful tool that's here to stay, promising to reshape our world in ways we're only beginning to imagine. Here at Educait, we’re creating AI products that make a difference to the workloads of teachers across the country. If you’re interested in finding out more then feel free to book a chat with one of our team to see how we can help your school.