How can we prepare our education for a future with AI?
While the idea of an AI teacher still seems futuristic, AI is already quite present in our current education system. Kim Schildkamp explains, "With AI all around us, we are already noticing changes. Some of these changes are positive, such as apps that help you learn a new language, or online systems that provide automatic feedback on your work. However, there are also negative aspects, such as students relying too much on AI, making them think less for themselves, or even cases of fraud where essays are submitted that were actually written by AI, like ChatGPT. How AI will affect our education in the future depends on how we humans use these systems. So, the big question is: how can education prepare for a world where AI plays a major role?"
Are AI skills essential in our education?
Kim Schildkamp emphasises, "We should not just leave all control to AI, but rather keep control ourselves. When shaping our education, we must always have clear goals in mind. What do we want to achieve with our programmes and subjects, and how can AI help us achieve that? For example, more and more chatbots are being developed, which can serve as assistants for both teachers and students. As AI becomes increasingly important, we must think about ways to prepare our students for it. That probably means adapting our teaching materials so that AI skills become a part of what we learn."
How much knowledge of AI do students need?
"We need to make sure our students have the skills to deal with AI," says Schildkamp. "We need to teach them how to use AI smartly for learning and to remain fiar and ethical, both now and in their future careers and in society as a whole. But what exactly are these skills? Should students learn to code, or is understanding the basic principles of AI enough? And what about fairness and biases in AI? Do students in different subjects, such as mathematics and education, need the same knowledge of AI? These are important questions we need to think about."
Are our teachers ready for the world of AI?
Schildkamp: "If we expect our students to become skilled in AI, teachers have to be skilled in it as well. But what AI skills do teachers need, and how can we support them in developing these competencies? What forms of professional development are needed so that teachers can (1) prepare students for AI use and (2) use AI to teach and help students learn? For example, teachers can let students experiment with AI and discuss what possibilities and limitations they may have to deal with. Alternatively, they can use AI for peer feedback, where students receive feedback from both fellow students and AI systems, to improve their work and reflect on the quality of feedback. In this way, AI becomes like an extra classmate."
AI in education: Embrace or question?
In short, AI is no longer a far-fetched future; it is everywhere and will only become more prominent. It has the potential to radically change our education system, but could also leave things the same as they are now. We need to think about how we design our educational system and how AI can serve as both a purpose (e.g. developing AI skills in students) and a tool (e.g. supporting teaching and learning). And for you, the readers of this blog: do you know enough about AI to use it in an ethically responsible manner and achieve your goals? Think about it!
