New guidelines from the European Union on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and data in education and training will affect us and our teaching, so AI tools will be useful for both students and teachers. How to adapt and embrace new tools with approaches such as open exams and assessments will be discussed by Keith Quille from the Technological University of Dublin, with whom we spoke in anticipation of the Forum about how AI will impact the educational system.
Artificial intelligence has been an unavoidable topic at almost every conference and discussion over the past year, so it is no surprise that we are also talking about it in education. Do you think that artificial intelligence has become a main topic only because of the emergence of ChatGPT, or is it a trend that has been around for some time?
– I think it has been a significant accelerator of the discussion, so it is a positive driver of change in itself. AI in education has been in focus for some time, and recently a working group of the European Commission, of which I was a member, developed guidelines on the use of AI and data in education and teaching that were conceived before the explosion of large language models (LLMs), so all of this has been brewing for a long time, and LLMs were the last catalyst.
What specific applications of AI do we see in the educational system, and how are they changing the way of learning and teaching?
– The most visible use of AI right now is the use of LLMs for teaching, learning, and assessment. It is just a tool that generates text, and while it is very good at what it does, it somehow distracts from what is to come. AI can have a much deeper impact on students, providing them with personalized learning. On the other hand, imagine AI selecting students’ paths or the content they view; that is already a more sensitive case of use. A large part of my research relates to educational AI, and I am developing an AI system for introductory programming courses that can identify students at risk of failure or dropout. Such applications are coming, and educational companies dealing with AI are likely moving towards such applications.
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How much will knowledge assessments change?
– I really hope they will change. I am talking about LLMs here because they are indeed a catalyst for change. In most curriculum changes in Ireland at this moment, AI is high on the radar, and assessment is central. I would start from the center, as most exams usually encourage surface learning by rote, open assessment can disadvantage those students for whom broader questions are more challenging. Computer schools today are increasingly focusing on assessing processes rather than assessing products.
What is the current societal attitude towards the use of AI in education, and how can the acceptance of this technology be improved in this context?
– This is quite a tricky question. There is a divide when it comes to AI in education. There is a camp that completely rejects it and a camp of supporters who will try to use it as much as possible. Personally, I think, just as the EU guidelines emphasize, that there is a middle ground. The guidelines suggest small steps for integrating new tools, and monitoring their effects is the right way forward. We really do not know the long-term effects (positive or negative), so I am cautious.
How could training and education for teachers be ensured so that they are able to use artificial intelligence tools in their work?
– This is extremely important. We need to properly support teachers, and I am not sure we have achieved that so far. I think that previous professional learning has focused on the ‘wow factors’ of generative AI, and we are not dealing with ‘how they work’. I am not saying that teachers need to technically understand how LLMs work; however, with so many misconceptions, I think there is a need. Correcting misconceptions is of utmost importance because teachers need to realize that they are still experts and that such tools should only assist them.
Content created in collaboration with the Croatian County Association
