It is no secret that Artificial Intelligence (AI) has seeped into every sector and the classroom is no exception. Although teachers and educators initially had reservations about AI in classrooms, they have now become more open to the idea to keep up with changing times.
“There is no other way to progress. Almost all teachers are open to using AI and are incorporating it to enhance the learning process. Integrating AI with teachers’ passion and values represents the future of education,” said Arnavaz K. Kapadia, faculty for economics at Sophia High School.
Teachers now use AI to generate their powerpoint presentations and prepare notes for higher class students and to find interactive websites for lower class students. They also use it to assess the skills of students.
“Some of our teachers use AI tools to evaluate the vocabulary of students. We encourage students to use AI to do some academic projects especially if they are in higher classes and they want to take up engineering. Some of our students along with our help have built the beta version of a chatbot, which is now integrated in our website,” explained Franklyn Xavier, computer teacher and IT coordinator at St. Joseph’s Boys High School.
Even with all its advantages, teachers do agree that AI can be a challenge in classrooms. “It is yet another piece of technology that should be monitored. AI is an example of technology threatening to displace human relationships, which could negatively impact student development. Where students used to turn to teachers or their batchmates for support, they now turn to AI,” said Jay Langkamp, high school principal, Canadian International School.
After years of experience, most teachers say that they can differentiate the work of AI from that of their students. Most of them rely on indicators like the particular student’s general vocabulary, their answers in logical application problems (which would require them to write their own answers) and the space and formatting in digitally submitted assignments to distinguish those written by students themselves and those prepared using AI. They also deploy strong plagiarism tools which can recognise AI in students’ work.
Teachers ague that with all its pros and cons, AI cannot exist independently without human elements in classrooms. Sheila Alexander, principal, Greenwood High International School, said: “AI can be used for constructive projects where human interpretation is essential in conceptualisation and decision making.”
Published - September 04, 2024 09:46 pm IST
