Unleashing the Potential of AI in Education

January 1, 2024

Have you ever wondered if the use of Artificial Intelligence in education could be beneficial? The answer may be yes, but that doesn’t make it simple. To learn more about Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Generative AI (Gen AI), we are going to look at what they are, how they can be utilized and the core benefits to both educators and students.

What is Artificial Intelligence (AI)?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) was coined and defined by John McCarthy in 1955 as “the science and engineering of making intelligent machines.”1

Over the years, researchers have proposed different definitions of AI, incorporating elements such as computer systems, computer science, human intelligence, machine intelligence, and problem-solving.2 While these terms might seem abstract or intimidating to those outside of STEM fields, the applications of AI in our daily lives are more relatable and tangible—for example, Apple’s Siri, Amazon’s Alexa, Google, and Netflix’s recommendations.

In education, AI has been integrated into adaptive assessment platforms (e.g., SAT, GMAT, GRE) that generate questions based on users’ answers. These AI application examples suggest that most people are likely to have been users of AI knowingly or unknowingly.

What is Generative AI (GenAI)?

While within the same realm, generative AI is a subset of artificial intelligence. It focuses on creating new and original content such as text, images, audio, or video by learning from data and patterns. Generative AI models use deep learning techniques to analyze data and identify patterns that allow for generation of outputs that are not exact replicas. Gartner (n.d.) explained:

“Generative AI can learn from existing artifacts to generate new, realistic artifacts . . . It can produce a variety of novel content, such as images, video, music, speech, text.” (para. 1).3

The Rise of GenAI in Education

The release of ChatGPT in November 2022 brought GenAI to the public, sparking a wave of discussions on the impact of GenAI on education. For example:

  • UNESCO (2023) published ChatGPT and artificial intelligence guidelines in higher education.4
  • The U.S. Department of Education Office of Educational Technology (2023) released a new policy report titled “Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Teaching and Learning: Insights and Recommendations.”5

These articles and guidelines emphasized the need for a human-centered perspective on AI/GenAI.

Advocating for Human-Centered AI Integration in Education

Aligned with this view, this article aims to advocate for a human-centered, educator and learner-centered AI integration in education. The goal is to promote a meaningful, healthy, critical, and creative way of integrating AI in education where:

  • Educators and learners are at the center of the AI integration context
  • They are empowered to lead the technology rather than being led by it

In the following sections, we will share examples of best practices for using AI in Education.

Enrich Learning with Generative AI

As an educator, you might be wondering how to integrate generative AI into your classroom in a way that goes beyond basic tool usage and focuses on enhancing learning and personal development. Our ongoing research on AI integration in K-12 education has revealed that many educators share this curiosity.6

Let’s take a closer look at how one South Korean teacher used GenAI to enrich and expand learning activities in her English literature class:

  • Students read Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s “The Little Prince” together
  • Students were asked to choose a specific scene from the book
  • Using PicFinder AI, a GenAI image generator, students created images of their chosen scene
  • Students then wrote a story based on the images they generated

Adobe Education (2023) shares several ways of using AI-generated images (i.e., Adobe Express/Adobe Firefly) in various courses. For example:

  • In mathematics courses, students could learn shapes (e.g., triangles) by using text to images to create landscapes that illustrate different shapes connecting geometric shapes as artwork.
  • In historical courses, students could visualize historical figures or events using text to images.

These examples suggest that educators can use GenAI platforms to create engaging content and activities, facilitating knowledge acquisition and enhancing the connection between the subject and visuals.

Prompt Engineering – A Meaningful Conversation with a Chatbot

As mentioned, GenAI generates new content based on users’ inputs, often through a conversation between the user and a chatbot. Researchers have offered several prompt frameworks that could enhance conversations between users and chatbots. Lo (2023) introduced a CLEAR framework that can be integrated into literacy instructions to empower students with critical thinking skills.7 The CLEAR framework includes the following elements.

  • Concise: brevity and clarity in prompts
  • Logical: structured and coherent prompts
  • Explicit: clear output specifications
  • Adaptive: flexibility and customization in prompts
  • Reflective: continuous evaluation and improvement of prompts

Purdue University’s innovative learning (2024) recommends clarifying five variables in prompts:8

  • Persona – Give it a role, whether a specific profession or a named individual.
  • Task – What will you be asking it to do?
  • Steps to Complete – Is this a multi-stage process? Will it need to produce some language and then evaluate it for a second or third output?
  • Context/Constraints – Are there elements that you want to exclude or highlight in importance?
  • Goal – What is the output supposed to look like? What kind of audience should the output target?

Fact-Checking is Essential

The frameworks and suggestions regarding prompt engineering discussed above emphasize that users must evaluate the chatbot’s results/responses. Similarly, Harvard Business Publishing Education (2024) suggests that a straightforward way to integrate AI into teaching is to ask students to critique AI outputs.9 When discussing AI in education, it is crucial to encourage students to evaluate chatbot responses and critique AI outputs. These activities highlight the need to enhance students’ critical thinking skills, especially when using Generative AI in educational settings.

By incorporating these practices into the integration of artificial intelligence in education, educators can help students develop the necessary skills to navigate and effectively utilize AI-powered tools in their learning journey. Moreover, educators should take the opportunity to empower students to drive the conversations they have with a chatbot.

The Potential and Ethics Challenges of AI in Education

AI appears powerful and has the potential to revolutionize teaching and learning experiences. However, like any other educational technology (e.g., calculators, the Internet), AI faces concerns and doubts, such as:10

  • Academic dishonesty
  • Stifling learning
  • Inequality
  • Data privacy

Concerns related to GenAI’s algorithms and their potential to be biased and worsen stereotypes in cultures were raised by researchers (Ferrara, 2024; Turk, 2023). Turk (2023) argues, “generative AI systems have tendencies toward bias, stereotypes, and reductionism when it comes to national identities” (para. 4).11-12

Examples of Bias in Generative AI Systems

In her article titled “How AI reduces the world to stereotypes, Turk (2023) provides examples illustrating the existence of bias and stereotypes in generative AI systems, such as Midjourney. For example:

  • “A Mexican person” is usually a man in a sombrero.
  • Chopsticks accompanied most Chinese food images.
  • A prompt that says “American person” often resulted in images illustrated with U.S. flags.

Integrating AI in Your Classroom

Raising concerns about GenAI is not to deny the value of GenAI integration in education. Rather, it is to advocate for a conscious decision-making process of integrating GenAI into teaching and learning.

García-Peñalvo (2023) argued, “Denying it [GenAI] or banning it will do absolutely nothing to stop the tsunami effect that has already begun . . .we must . . .know their benefits and weaknesses, as well as what they really mean for a specific sector of activity, such as education” (p. 24 – 1).13

Selwyn (2022) cautioned, “AI is not a straightforwardly good thing for education. It is not a neutral tool that we can look forward to transforming our classrooms, schools and universities” (p. 627). As we continue to explore how AI can be integrated into education, it is only prudent that we remain vigilant and engage in the ongoing discussion that examines “various impacts on different people in various educational contexts” (Selwyn, 2022, p. 620).14

As you embark on your journey in the Master of Education program, consider how you can harness the power of AI to transform your teaching and learning experiences. By staying informed, critically evaluating AI tools, and maintaining a human-centered approach, you can help shape the future of education in the age of AI.

Source: Wanju Huang, Clinical Associate Professor

References
  1. McCarthy, J. (2007). What is artificial intelligence?. Retrieved May 27, 2024, from https://www-formal.stanford.edu/jmc/whatisai.pdf
  2. Chassignol, M., Khoroshavin, A., Klimova, A., & Bilyatdinova, A. (2018). Artificial intelligence trends in education: A narrative overview. Procedia Computer Science, 136, 16-24.
  3. Gartner. (n.d.). Gartner experts answer the top generative AI questions for your enterprise. Retrieved May 28, 2024, from https://www.gartner.com/en/topics/generative-ai#:~:text=Generative%20AI%20can%20learn%20from,software%20code%20and%20product%20designs.
  4. UNESCO. (2023). ChatGPT and artificial intelligence in higher education. https://www.iesalc.unesco.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/ChatGPT-and-Artificial-Intelligence-in-higher-education-Quick-Start-guide_EN_FINAL.pdf
  5. U.S. Department of Education. (2023) Artificial intelligence and the future of teaching and learning: Insights and recommendations. https://www2.ed.gov/documents/ai-report/ai-report.pdf
  6. Bailey, J. (2023). AI in education: The leap into a new era of machine intelligence carries risks and challenges, but also plenty of promise. Education Next, 23(4), 29-36. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A766115833/EAIM?u=anon~3bf735fe&sid=sitemap&xid=03521456
  7. Lo, L. S. (2023). The CLEAR path: A framework for enhancing information literacy through prompt engineering. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 49(4), 102720. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2023.102720
  8. Teaching @ Purdue (n.d.). Creative pedagogy and AI. Retrieved May 27, 2024, from https://www.purdue.edu/innovativelearning/teaching/module/creative-pedagogy-and-ai/
  9. Harvard Business Publishing Education. (2024). How generative AI is reshaping education. Retrieved May 28, 2024, from https://he.hbsp.harvard.edu/how-generative-ai-is-reshaping-education.html
  10. Holmes, W., Porayska-Pomsta, K., Holstein, K., Sutherland, E., Baker, T., Shum, S. B., … & Koedinger, K. R. (2022). Ethics of AI in education: Towards a community-wide framework. International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education, 31. 504–526.
  11. Ferrara, E. (2024). GenAI against humanity: Nefarious applications of generative artificial intelligence and large language models. Journal of Computational Social Science, 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42001-024-00250-1
  12. Turk, V. (2023, October 10). How AI reduces the world to stereotypes. Retrieved May 27, 2024, from https://restofworld.org/2023/ai-image-stereotypes/
  13. García-Peñalvo, F. J. (2023). The perception of Artificial Intelligence in educational contexts after the launch of ChatGPT: Disruption or panic?. Education in the Knowledge Society, 24. http://repositorio.grial.eu/handle/grial/2838
  14. Selwyn, N. (2022). The future of AI and education: Some cautionary notes. European Journal of Education, 57(4), 620-631. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejed.12532

Adobe Education Exchange. (n.d.). Describe and visualize substances with generative AI. Retrieved May 27, 2024, from https://edex.adobe.com/teaching-resources/describe-and-visualize-substances-with-generative-ai?src=express

Barrett, A., & Pack, A. (2023). Not quite eye to AI: Student and teacher perspectives on the use of generative artificial intelligence in the writing process. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 20(1), 59. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-023-00427-0

Chiu, T. K. (2024). Future research recommendations for transforming higher education with generative AI. Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence, 6, 100197.