How Institutions Are Leveraging AI in Education To Support Learners
In today’s fast-paced world, continuous learning has become more important than ever before. Not only are technological advancements happening at an accelerated pace, but they’re also anticipated to reshape millions of jobs over the next decade, according to the European Commission. Because of this, individuals need to keep themselves updated with the latest skills and knowledge to stay competitive in the job market.
But, how can educational institutions and university registrars motivate students to pursue continuous learning when learners don’t see the immediate value in doing so? Read on to find out how organisations across the educational realm are using digital credentials to support and motivate students along their lifelong learning journeys.
Artificial intelligence (AI) holds considerable potential to address some of the most pressing challenges in the modern educational space. This includes enabling personalised learning experiences, automating administrative tasks, innovating teaching practices and facilitating data-driven insights to enhance student performance — to name a few.
However, accelerated technological developments are accompanied by inherent risks and challenges — outpacing policy debates and regulation frameworks — that organisations will need to consider throughout AI tool adoption.
With this in mind, we’re exploring the value, and drawbacks, associated with AI solutions in an educational setting to help you determine if this tech is the right direction for your institution.
The growth of AI in the higher education sector
AI in higher education (i.e., the utilisation of artificial intelligence technologies to enhance different aspects of the learning experience) has witnessed accelerated adoption and use in the past few years. In fact, according to a report by Global Market Insights, AI in the education market is predicted to exceed $80 billion by 2030. This expedited growth is attributed to a few main reasons:
- Advancements in AI technology, such as improved algorithms and increased computing power, have enabled accessibility and educational integration.
- Digital data and the ability of AI to process and analyse this information are increasingly available, opening up new possibilities for data-driven insights to inform educational practices.
- Institutions believe AI can help address complex challenges in the sector, all while providing more personalised learning and efficient administration.
These driving factors are quickly fueling growth as educators seek to improve both the learning experience and student outcomes. As AI continues to evolve and new applications emerge, the higher education industry will likely witness further exploration and integration of these technologies.
Key uses of AI adoption for your institution
A study from IDC and Microsoft covering 509 higher education institutions found that nearly all respondents (99.4%) believe AI will be instrumental to the university’s competitiveness in the next few years. With the primary goals of boosting student results, enabling the future workforce and driving innovation, let’s take a closer look at how an educational institution can leverage artificial intelligence for success:
- Personalised learning: An AI-powered learning platform has the functionality to analyse student data to deliver customised content, adaptive assessments and recommendations that collectively tailor the learning experience to a student’s individual needs — supporting long-term engagement and performance.
- Intelligent tutoring systems: To supplement traditional classroom instructions, universities are progressively turning to virtual tutors and chatbots for support, providing learners with real-time help, answering questions, offering explanations and guiding them through complex subject matter more successfully. In fact, a survey from Intelligent revealed a shift in tutoring resources, with 75% of respondents reporting they preferred ChatGPT as an educational tool to relying solely on human tutors.
- Predictive analytics: Institutions can leverage an AI algorithm to analyse student data and predict student performance. This opens the door for educators and organisational leaders to identify at-risk students and consider intervention strategies early on, promoting higher retention rates and academic success.
- Automated grading and feedback: With the help of AI, teachers and administrators can introduce systems to automatically grade objective assignments. This is a great option to not only provide students with instant feedback but also save instructors valuable time — giving them the space necessary to focus on the human-centric aspects of the job.
Considering the potential drawbacks of AI in education
From teaching and learning to admissions and grading, AI systems are infiltrating higher education. But, as the potential and use of this tech grows, more questions and concerns are being raised at the same time. Widely speculated shortcomings of cutting-edge technology in higher education include:
- Privacy and security concerns: Because AI implementation requires the collection and analysis of a massive amount of learner data, there are increasing security concerns about possible data privacy issues, security breaches or even the misuse of sensitive information.
- Ethical factors: Some of the largest barriers to AI adoption are ethical questions regarding data usage, algorithm bias and the possibility of automation replacing human interaction. This has quickly led to sector-wide anxieties about the equity, fairness and overall impact of new tech on higher education.
- Cost and resource constraints: While the benefits of AI tools can be promising, implementing them often requires a significant financial investment for universities. The required infrastructure, software and training costs of introducing solutions effectively can be challenging for institutions with limited budgets and resources.
- Lack of standardisation and best practices: The growth of AI may be explosive, but it’s still a relatively new addition to the field of education. As such, it’s no surprise that the rapidly evolving nature of this tech has made it challenging for agencies and institutions to keep pace with establishing standard practices, guidelines and benchmarks for ethical use and quality assurance.
Future-proofing your institution with digital solutions
Ultimately, AI technology for the education industry demonstrates a clear potential to revolutionise the teaching and learning experience, while posing a unique set of challenges that will require attention and consideration along the way. However, the projected growth of these solutions indicates that AI isn’t going anywhere, anytime soon. With proper planning and a balanced approach, teams can leverage AI tech to achieve organisational goals while empowering students to succeed.
As your institution embarks on its digital transformation journey, digital credentialing solutions like Digitary by Parchment can play a pivotal role in supporting and promoting your online strategies. Our platform enables learners, institutions and employers alike to issue, manage and verify digital credentials with ease — while ensuring authenticity and accessibility. With decades of experience providing credentialing support to leading institutions, you can promote transparency, enhance employability prospects for learners and enable lifelong learning opportunities.
Ready to embrace the digital age and strengthen learning experiences with help from Digitary? Submit an enquiry today to get started.
