AI in Education: How Artificial Intelligence Is Playing a Role in Colleges?

Although we might be several years from true artificial intelligence, big data — especially machine learning (ML) tools and natural language processing (NLP) — is starting to have a positive impact on how students in every age group are experiencing education.

Schools and colleges are using data-driven tools and technologies for everything from marking essays to student selection. AI and related tech is changing the nature and shape of education, for the benefit of students, tutors and institutions.

AI makes Hyper-personalization possible. Something that has always been out of reach, or a Holy Grail goal for educators, is now achievable. Everyone learns in different ways, and a class of students will have a range of abilities and educational attainment levels. Also, tutors — even in colleges — need to factor in learning difficulties, such as dyslexia.

With AI-powered hyper-personal learning tools and systems, course materials and lesson plans can be structured, as far as possible, around individual needs, while at the same time still achieving course and modular aims.

It is projected that AI and ML-powered eLearning solutions will reach a market size of $6 billion in 2024. Companies such as Content Technologies and Carnegie Learning are already pioneering in this field, and education giants such as Pearson are already investing in this space.

AI and ML is already being used to fill gaps in teaching and training. As these technologies mature, it’s expected that admin tasks can be streamlined and tutors can use AI assistants to further increase efficiencies and provide an even better learning experience for students.

With an increasing reliance on NLP and AI-powered voice assistants, tutors should be able to reduce the time it takes to plan lessons. At the same time, eLearning tools make it easier for students to research for classes and coursework. Everything that colleges can do to improve the learning experience and educational outcomes should be looked into as a viable solution worth exploring, including emerging AI tools.

Students are going to be entering the workforce where AI and ML plays an important role in the workplace. So preparing for this future now, in schools and colleges, benefits society and the economy. This way, new ways of working can be practiced before young adults are applying for graduate jobs in an educational environment.

Grading courses, papers and essays takes up a lot of time for educators across the country. Couldn't that time be better spent? Time that could be invested in value-added research, or tutoring students more effectively.

With the right tools, educators could hand over a significant percentage of admin and essay marking. In other areas, AI could significantly improve the enrollment and admissions, automating as much of that as possible. It could also reduce the need for students to rely on inefficient and sometimes chaotic admin teams to guide them through the process of picking the right courses to get the grades and onto the majors they want and need.

Picking the right courses to achieve the grades a student wants and needs isn't always easy. Unless you've got parents who've went to college, other family members, or older friends, you won’t always know how to navigate the hidden curriculum most colleges have.

How do you know how to pick the right courses to get onto the major you want to take? It isn’t always clear. Not only that, but do you want to graduate on-time? More than 50% of students don't graduate within the planned 4-years, costing themselves more money and time.

With the right AI-powered tool, such as Prepler, you will quickly understand how to successfully navigate the academic landscape. Prepler is a real-time study plan app, designed to help students pick the right colleges for them and then, before or during their time at that college, they can use it to navigate the curriculum more successfully to graduate on-time and hopefully with the grades they need.