Pros, Cons and the Human Touch in AI Education

The future of education is here as Artificial intelligence is gaining popularity not only among students but also the teachers. Educators use AI in the form of EdTech tools to aid them in creating lesson plans or computing students’ grades while as for the learners, AI can assist them to accomplish their projects, homework, and even research papers. While we can’t deny that Artificial Intelligence in 2023 is becoming a part of our lives now, there are still a couple of pros and cons of AI that need further attention and are still up for discussion. In this blog, we will help you identify each of those pros and cons, and what important role you should take on to ensure AI usage for education is still in moderation.

The Advantages of AI in Education

Improved Student Engagement and Motivation

The use of AI applications in teaching can enhance the learning experience in many ways such as personalized learning exercises thanks to AI algorithms or instant feedback and communication thanks to Artificial intelligence natural language processing. For instance, AI tools like Kahoot! and Squirrel AI have been instrumental in creating interactive quizzes and personalized learning paths, thereby fostering engagement and motivation.

Enhancing Student Performance

Another significant pro of artificial intelligence in education is that it can help enhance student performance with increased feedback. AI-powered systems like DreamBox or IXL can evaluate students’ progress, provide them with targeted feedback, and identify areas where they need improvement.  If Students need additional assistance in certain subjects, granular areas, or specific skills, Artificial intelligence can also monitor students’ behaviour patterns, and assess their attention levels. Instant, AI-powered feedback along with enhanced learning experiences can be expected to push students’ abilities to new heights.

Cost-Effective Learning

Using AI in Education can also reduce the cost of education from an educational institution’s perspective, and quite significantly if used to its potential. For example, AI can take on daily tasks such as grading, scheduling, data management, and even tutoring. With Artificial intelligence in education, educational institutions can save on budget by cutting down resources required to operate efficiently, thereby increasing cost-effectiveness. Tools like GradeScope have been effective in automating the grading process, saving time and resources.

Continuous Evaluation and Improvement in the long run

Last on our Pros of AI list is continuous evaluation and improvement. AI-powered EdTech tools can easily collect, analyze, and provide report data to teachers on student learning outcomes and behaviour patterns. By using predictive analytics, Artificial intelligence can provide educators with valuable insights from predicting future performance, providing personalized interventions, early identification of at-risk students, and refining instructional strategies. Tools like Brightspace Insights or Canvas Analytics offer educators detailed analytics to understand and enhance their teaching strategies.

How EdTech tools can contribute to an engaging and interactive class

We’re not new to the existence of EdTech or Educational Tools in terms of helping teachers to perform engaging and interactive activities in their classes. As a part of the Pros of AI in education, Let us dive more into how AI tools can be of service to educators and in what ways they can lighten their daily teaching needs.

Artificial intelligence in EdTech tools can serve as a teacher’s assistant, it saves time without sacrificing the quality of its output. Each and every EdTech tool out there has its own unique ways and features to aid teachers in anything that they need. Tools like Nearpod or Flipgrid can facilitate interactive lessons, collaborative activities, and student engagement in the classroom.

Cons and Challenges of AI in Education

For every single thing in this world to be balanced, one must have Pros and Cons, and AI is not an exception. What can become a challenge in AI that we can consider as cons? Let’s continue to identify.

Threat to Teacher’s Job Security

First on the list are the threats to teachers’ job security. This is not happening yet, but it is a concern that the advancement and adoption of AI could impact the need for certain job roles in education. The way AI continues to automate more aspects of the education process, there may be fewer demands for human educators, which could lead to both improved productivity and potential job loss. Tools like ChatGPT or Grammarly showcase the potential for automated content generation and proofreading, raising questions about the future roles of teachers in these areas.

Dehumanized Learning Experience

One of the biggest cons of AI in education is that it can dehumanize the learning experience. With AI algorithms generating content and deciding the pacing of the lessons, students may miss out on the nuanced approach that a human teacher can offer. Virtual teaching assistants like Mika or Cognii are examples of AI systems that attempt to provide personalized learning experiences but may lack the human touch.

Costly to Implement for Teachers

Another disadvantage of AI in education is that it can be costly to implement for teachers. Not all schools and educational institutions have a dedicated budget for investing in AI tools and technologies. Plus the cost of mass-implementing AI into schools may be too great at this time. If the teacher is the one to shoulder the cost, it can be expensive, and challenging to maintain. Advanced AI tutoring systems like Carnegie Learning or Knewton may come with significant costs for individual teachers or schools.

Dependence on Technology

As schools become increasingly reliant on AI-powered solutions, there is a risk that teachers and students may become too reliant on technology. Overreliance on tools like Google Classroom or Microsoft Teams may hinder the development of essential face-to-face teaching skills and interpersonal communication.

Human Intervention: The Roles of Teachers

As with any innovation, there are both pros and cons of AI when incorporating it into the classroom and when there are too many challenges happening in the class, this is where human intervention is set to come in.

Now the question is, what important role should teachers be taking to ensure AI usage for education among students is still in moderation? Teachers and AI can collaborate in co-teaching scenarios, where AI systems may assist in instruction, assessment, and real-time feedback & tutoring, while teachers offer guidance, interpretation, and deeper engagement with the material. The role of teachers as mentors, motivators, and facilitators of learning will remain essential. 

Teachers bring human connection, empathy, social-emotional skills, and the ability to foster creativity and critical thinking, which cannot be replicated by AI. The teacher-artificial intelligence collaboration will harness the power of technology while upholding the invaluable human elements of education.

As simple as it looks, teachers can still have the power to set rules and boundaries in class. Set a strict rule prohibiting the usage of the internet in any face-to-face class activities and allow students to think freely and creatively using their gained knowledge from past lessons. Given these pros and cons, it is also essential that EdTech companies and schools work together to create a balanced approach to AI in education. Teachers play a crucial role in this effort by understanding how to best integrate AI tools into their instruction, while still maintaining their core role as educators.

Time to Weigh in! Does using Artificial Intelligence in Education have more Pros or Cons?

As we’re nearing our conclusion, the Pros and Cons of Artificial intelligence are both intense; but as a teacher, should you restrict yourself from using AI for educational purposes? Definitely not. Our world is evolving, and we need to embrace that the power of Artificial Intelligence is likely to bring more benefits than harm, so you might want to expect its adoption not only in education but in every industry. We just have to learn to use it in moderation and set a good image for our students to not fully rely on Artificial Intelligence. Confidence in your expertise, trust in your skills, and better judgment is the key.

Overall, the evolving role of AI in education offers both opportunities and challenges for teachers. By being proactive in their approach to this technology, educators can leverage Artificial intelligence to improve student outcomes and promote equity in the classroom, while still preserving the unique role that teachers play in fostering growth, development, and learning in their students. That is why it is still necessary to incorporate the usage of AI-powered EdTech tools as a part of teachers’ teaching strategies.