26 Ways That Artificial Intelligence (AI) is Transforming Education for the Better

By Matthew Lynch    January 30, 2019
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I was having a conversation with an old school teacher who thinks that AI is ruining education. They challenged me to name 5 ways that artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming education for the better, and instead, I came up with 26. Here they are.

  1. Classroom/Behavior Management. AI is currently being used to help teachers manage student behavior and the entire classroom.
  2. Assistive Technology. AI is currently being used to help special needs students access a more equitable education. For instance, AI that performs routine tasks such as reading passages to a visually impaired student.
  3. Coding. AI is currently being used to teach students to code.
  4. Gamification. AI is currently being used to facilitate and manage educational games.
  5. Early Childhood Education. AI is currently being used to power interactive games that teach children basic academic skills and more.
  6. Adaptive Learning. AI is currently being used to teach students basic and advanced skills by merely assessing their present skill level and creating a guided instructional experience that helps them become proficient.  
  7. Lesson Planning. AI is currently being used to develop lesson plans. All teachers need to do is set a few parameters, and AI does the rest.
  8. Classroom Audio-Visual. AI is currently being used to manage classroom audio-visual devices. Just tell AI what you need for it to do.
  9. Parent-Teacher Communication. AI is currently being used to facilitate parent-teacher communication, and in the process, helping to increase parental involvement.
  10. Language Learning. AI is currently being used to help students learn another language. As a matter of fact, there are hundreds of language learning apps that are powered by AI.
  11. Writing. AI is currently being used to help students improve their writing skills. I am currently using a grammar and usage app to help me write this article.
  12. Test Prep. AI is currently being used to help student’s study for exams. It utilizes the same adaptive learning process that we discussed earlier.
  13. Scheduling. AI is currently being used to help education administrators schedule high school and college courses or individuals to manage their daily, weekly, monthly or yearly schedules.
  14. Assessment. AI is currently being used to grade assessments for teachers. AI can even grade essays.
  15. Diagnosis. AI is currently being used to diagnose reading and academic difficulties. AI can even screen students for learning disabilities.
  16. Data and Learning Analytics. AI is currently being used by teachers and education administrators to analyze and interpret data.
  17. Learning Management Systems. AI is currently being used by online instructors to manage online learning and flipped or blended learning.
  18. Staff Scheduling and Substitute Management. AI is currently being used by education administrators to handle staff scheduling. For instance, if a teacher informs you that they will be sick the next day, AI can contact a viable substitute and confirm their availability. Afterward, it will update the system, so you know that substitute has been secured.
  19. Professional Development. AI is currently being used to provide professional development to educators, allowing them to learn at their own pace.
  20. Transportation. AI is currently being to manage school transportation systems.
  21. Maintenance. AI is currently being used to manage and monitor maintenance workflow for school district’s; dispatching staff members to schools that need assistance.
  22. Facilities Management. AI is currently being used to manage the facilities of an entire school district’s, monitoring the status of power, Wi-Fi, and water services; alerting the facilities management workers when problems arise.
  23. Finance. AI is currently being used by education administrators to manage their schools’ budget, make purchases, etc.
  24. Cybersecurity. AI is currently being used by school IT professionals to keep their school network and its users safe from cybercriminals.
  25. Safety and Security. AI is currently being used to prevent school shootings by monitoring the school environment; identifying any potential threats.
  26. School Management. AI is currently being used to manage entire schools, powering student records systems, transportation, IT, maintenance, scheduling, budgeting, etc.

What did I miss?