Artificial intelligence (AI) emerges as a catalyst for change in all areas, and in education it provides unprecedented potential.
But what is its role, the principles of its use, its advantages and challenges in education?
The TEC of Monterrey is a small city within another big city: there are dormitories, buildings, supermarkets where there are no employees and you have to buy with an app, ATMs, fast food stores and large screens throughout its campus.
It is a
futuristic university
, where, for example, students learn medicine through augmented reality.
Within its green landscape, there are several animals loose, they say to raise awareness among students about
the protection of living beings
.
You can find anything from a family of domesticated deer, ducks, peacocks to two kittens.
In the midst of so much nature and development, the TEC was the scene of the debates on technological educational innovation at the IFE Conference 2024, the congress of the Institute for the Future of Education, which was held at the end of January.
In it, teachers, specialists and researchers from various parts of the world shared their reflections and uses of artificial intelligence and its impact on education.
IFE Director Michael Fung stated that "artificial intelligence can be used effectively to create content or for highly individualized student tutoring.
Institutions need to apply AI effectively
."
The director also considered that it is important to educate students for a future that advances increasingly rapidly, where the areas of greatest interest are English, science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Michael Fung is the executive director of the Institute for the Future of Education.
Photo: IFE Conference - Tec. de Monterrey
"A
competency-based educational model
will be very helpful in providing the kind of flexibility as we look at evolving competency needs," he noted.
According to Ryan Baker, a specialist at the University of Pennsylvania, large-scale language models, such as ChatGPT, are a very popular type of generative AI and are
very useful for saving teachers' time
.
"The employability of these tools means
accompaniment to learning
with teaching assistants capable of answering questions and interacting with students and generating feedback. These new assistants save time for teachers and can offer faster answers to students," he assured. to
Clarín
.
Bots and automated chats that respond about the class
José Mayorga, rector of the Bolivian Private University, explained to the audience that teachers can now
create their own bots with the information from their classes
.
According to Mayorga, this tool helps students become even more involved with class materials.
“There are many sites and apps that help you
develop your own ChatGPT
and all you have to do is feed the bot the material from your
syllabus
(syllabus).
This is part of the trend of hyper-individualization of information and it is something that teachers not only can do but should start doing,” she considered.
Rose Luckin, professor at the Institute of Education, University College London, shared with the audience
three key aspects
for teachers to focus on AI.
The first, the use of tools that allow
the teacher
to reduce time when doing repetitive tasks;
The next is focused on the intention of using tools to
enhance the student's intelligence
, but not to replace it with artificial intelligence;
and the third,
educate the student
about artificial intelligence itself so that they learn to use it effectively, safely and ethically.
Rose Luckin, during the conference she gave in Monterrey.
For the specialist "we have to value the elements of human intelligence that are not present in artificial intelligence."
“Unlike non-biological cognition, human cognition is always changing, as our memory, navigation skills, etc.
“They can be
accelerated and magnified by external stimuli
,” she noted.
In addition, he highlighted
the use of AI for personalized learning
.
"Neither artificial intelligence nor education are new, what is new is free and open access to AI tools," he highlighted. For Luckin, these can identify "microsteps" in the student's path, and function as
virtual assistants
to create more personalized and punctual support.
More teachers specialized in AI are needed
The arrival of AI is a fact and many students are already putting it into practice, but what about teachers?
Professor Francisco García-Peñalvo, professor at the University of Salamanca, believes that
learning to use it is of vital importance
.
“We need to break the walls between disciplines and
create more multidisciplinary teachers
who, although they do not have to be programming experts, must at least know basic terms of AI,” said García-Peñalvo.
“The biggest enemy of digital transformation in education
are teachers who refuse to let their students use AI
.
However, a balanced integration of AI, parallel to the promotion of its ethical use, are good practices that will culminate in a less exclusive environment for both parties,” he noted.
Monterrey. special envoy