The following article has been inspired by the thoughts of Mr. Mayank Srivastava. He is the Founder of Experts’ Global, one of the world’s leading EdTech firms in the field of GMAT prep and MBA admission consulting.
Education Technology, or EdTech as it is colloquially known as is a term that refers to the practice of deploying technology to impart education. As it is highly adaptive and progressive; the education industry has always adopted new technologies, quite readily. Many types of education are already commonly used for educational purposes. These include search engines, live webinars, video streaming, and even specialized training applications. The next major advancement in EdTech will most likely come from its growing incorporation of artificial intelligence. Machine learning algorithms have already seen a good deal of success, in a number of use cases. Here are some of the ways that artificial intelligence will influence EdTech.
Creating Adaptive Learning Solutions
Every student learns differently, they all have their own capacity to absorb information and different requirements for learning effectively. Educators are well aware that each of their students needs to be handled differently. However, they simply do not have the time or resources to create different learning modules for each student. This is where artificial intelligence can be a big help.
Machine learning is a type of artificial intelligence that learns by gathering user data. Machine learning algorithms can identify patterns in the students’ behavior, analyze them, and then use that analysis to adapt the program to their needs. They can even pinpoint the student’s exact weakness areas and then suggest material to strengthen them.
Deep Learning
Deep learning is a subfield of artificial intelligence and can be very useful to EdTech. This subfield is concerned with algorithms and artificial neural networks, based on the structure and functions of the human brain. Deep learning EdTech algorithms track student behavior, to understand their cognitive capabilities. These algorithms are then paired with EdTech solutions that make learning recommendations that perfectly suit the student, both in terms of style and content.
Developing Collaborative Educational Tools
Today, it is absolutely clear just how seamlessly technology has been integrated into communication. We are able to work with people, from across the world, for our recreational activities. With the help of artificial intelligence solutions, we will be able to develop tools that will prove to be just as effective in fostering collaboration, for educational and learning purposes. These tools will bring the global student community closer together and allow them to learn from one another.
Freeing Up Time for Class Discussions
With the help of EdTech tools, educators are able to save a lot of time on chores and errands. Scheduling, data keeping, and organizational work can already be handled by EdTech. Even grading answers can be handed off to EdTech. Objective answers have been graded automatically, for quite some time.
While educators still have to grade subjective answers, themselves, this might change soon. With the help of artificial intelligence, specifically designed for the task, educators will soon be able to let the EdTech tools grade subjective type answers too. Educators will not even have to deliver lectures either.
They will be able to make use of pre-recorded video lectures, prepared by some of the brightest minds in their fields. With most other tasks being handled by EdTech, educators will be free to engage with their students. They will be able to devote the maximum amount of time to discussing concepts with their students and clearing up doubts. These are the areas where human minds can never be replaced.
