by Rani Van Schoors & Ann Fastré, KU Leuven, Belgium.
Think of Artificial Intelligence in education.
What’s the first image that pops up in your mind?
Most likely, the image you think of consists of the following elements:
- Learners that need to be filled with knowledge
- Screens instead of books
- Robots instead of teachers
- Some probably white and blue visualizations of thought processes going on inside our childrens’ minds
Let me ask you a follow-up question.
How does the image your brain came up with fundamentally differ from ‘old-school’ classrooms?
- Are learners still seated in rows, intently listening to their robot/transformed teacher?
- Are they maybe holding screens instead of books?
- Did the learning content stay the same?
- Has anything really changed?
I’ll show you what Bing Image Creator has come up with to illustrate the evolution we have made throughout the past hundreds of years.
Captivating, huh?
With such a grim (and simultaneously meagre) perspective on the future, it should not come as a surprise that some teachers are afraid AI will eventually replace them whereas others are more inclined to fully embrace its possibilities. Those who fear it, may resort to banning the use of new technologies altogether and miss out on unique opportunities for enhancing the teaching and learning process. The enthusiasts on the other side of the spectrum may dive in too quickly, without considering the potential challenges those recent advancements risk bringing along.
In itec’s free online course on ‘AI in Education’, you will explore how to realistically make use of AI in your educational context. Substantiated with recent research insights, the course will help you understand what lies behind AI systems and provide you with lots of tips & tricks to concretely implement AI applications that can complement your human intelligence.
Throughout the course, we will cover four key topics:
1. Exploring the relationship between AI and education: We explain the broad spectrum of AI and its applications, viewed from a pedagogical perspective. Additionally, we provide a brief overview of the history of AI in education, emphasizing the differences between ‘Good Old-Fashioned Artificial Intelligence’ and ‘Machine Learning’.
2. The black box of AI: We’ll explore which data types are typically collected in AI tools and how they each contribute to adaptive learning.
3. Challenges of AI in education: We discuss three types of challenges (technical, ethical, and implementation) related to ‘AI in education’, while also considering various stakeholders within a complex educational network.
4. Tinkering with AI in education: We explore how to best navigate AI trends and hypes, with specific attention to education. We delve into various perspectives, examine how AI can enhance education, and serve as a useful tool for teachers and students. We conclude with practical guidelines and insights for a responsible and meaningful integration of AI in education.
Course duration: 5 to 7 hours
Target audience: This online course is intended for anyone interested in AI in education, whether you are a student, teacher, EdTech enthusiast, educational policymaker, or simply curious about the impact of AI in the classroom.
Are you ready for a digital transformation that brings out the best in each and every learner? Preregister for our course now!
Authors
Rani Van Schoors, developer of the online training, linked to research group itec, KU Leuven, Belgium.
Ann Fastré, developer of the online training, linked to research group itec, KU Leuven, Belgium.
