Personalized Learning: How AI is Shaping the Future of Education

As AI becomes integrated into this industry, it provides educators with the means to accomplish tasks in new ways. But in even more exciting developments, it's creating new features like personalized learning that are beneficial to both instructors and students. In the following sections, we explore how AI-based personalized learning can help students and many other ways AI-based solutions are shaping the future of education.

Personalized Learning

One of the most beneficial improvements that AI-based educational systems can offer is personalized learning, also known as individualized learning. While offering the same curriculum to students' classrooms can be effective, teaching classes at each student's own pace can be even more effective, especially for those who are far ahead or far behind their peers in the learning process.

Additionally, each student has a unique learning style that AI-based systems can adapt to. These apps can provide games, personalized programs, and other features to promote learning. See how they work:

• Games. AI-powered games provide learning experiences that adapt to individual learning styles and speeds by analyzing player performance and adjusting game difficulty accordingly. This process provides valuable feedback to instructors and students and makes education more effective and accessible for students at various levels.
• Customized programs. With apps that adjust to each student's needs, the educational experience can be based on the next concept they are ready to learn, rather than a generic process that students are forced to fit into. The eLearning Industry notes that personalized programs include adaptive learning, intelligent tutoring, personalized recommendations, data-driven insights, multimodal learning, personalized assessments, and individualized learning paths.
• Other features. Features like natural language processing allow students to learn from AI-powered applications in a conversational way that feels familiar to them. For example, such a program might guide an elementary school student through a math problem or help him identify parts of speech in a story.

An example of this type of platform is one that identifies knowledge gaps, facilitates teacher interventions, makes recommendations for personalized study plans, and provides time-saving resources for teachers. It is therefore important to know how to create AI tools and how to utilize AI-powered innovations that can disrupt traditional education.

Smart Textbooks

Another highly valuable tool that has emerged with AI in education is smart textbooks, which are textbooks in e-book format. These electronic versions offer more interactive and engaging features than the static pages of paper books. The following features can be found in Smart Books:

• Chapter Summaries – Brief synopses of each chapter to help ensure students identify all of the main ideas in their reading
• Study guides – questions to help students understand the readings
• Flash Cards – simple learning tools to help with memorization tasks
• Real-time assessments and feedback – quizzes and other brief checks to help students know if they are making progress and what they can do to reach their goals
• Practice tests – tests that do not count toward students' grades but that give students practice answering the types of questions that are likely to be on the real test
• Taking notes – the ability to write down students' own understanding of the text or write questions to ask the instructor or educational chatbot

These resources can be used by students in a personalized way. For example, they can take as many practice tests as they want until they feel confident that they will be able to pass the real exam.

More accurate tests

Tests are very important in education because they help instructors understand how much students know, both individually and in groups. This information is useful for tailoring course elements for all students and for customizing the course for each student.

One aspect of accurate testing is ensuring that students meet testing standards. During in-class or online testing, AI-based applications can track each student's actions through web cameras, microphones, and web browsers, including performing keystroke analysis to ensure adherence to the testing guidelines.

While testing is a valuable tool, analyzing test results over time is even better as it can help instructors understand patterns and, as a result, initiate corrective instruction. AI-based systems can identify these patterns in each student's test results. They can also help instructors understand areas that a large percentage of students are struggling with, thus assisting them in effective lesson planning.

AI-based systems can also provide adaptive testing, which guides students on what they are ready to learn. An example of this type of platform is a web-based assessment tool that leverages adaptive questioning to determine knowledge and knowledge gaps before identifying topics a student is prepared to learn. It also adjusts according to students' learning progress.

Enhanced Access

Many students are challenged by various aspects of the educational process:

• Having a language other than English as your first language
• Having hearing or visual impairment
• Having problems with coordination
• Being neurodivergent

AI-based systems can help in the following ways:

• Translate text from one language to another to ensure optimal understanding of the material presented
• Add subtitles to movies and recordings so students with different language proficiency levels can still learn together
• Translate visual images into sound or vice versa so students of all skill levels can understand audio and video presentations
• Use voice-based commands instead of keyboards, mice, and touchpads so that students who are unable to use these devices can still participate
• Present information in a way that is sensitive to differences in individual brain function and behavioral characteristics to enable optimal inclusion in each classroom

Regarding help with neurodivergence, a recent Fast Company article stated, “Neurodivergent students – who often face challenges with processing information – have the most to gain (from AI)... (Personalized learning experiences) can result in more inclusive and accessible classrooms where each student’s strengths and challenges are supported.”

Task automation

Instructors in all educational settings – from K-12 teachers to college educators – have a wide range of tasks to keep track of:

• Preparing lesson plans
• Teaching classes
• Main activities and laboratories
• Assign and grade homework
• Provide 1-1 instruction to students who fall behind
• Documenting student progress
• Maintain discipline
• Working with parents
• Creating learning resources

Although some instructors may have assistants, many must perform all of these tasks alone. AI can accomplish some of these, freeing up instructors for leisure time or to perform higher-level tasks, such as developing learning resources. The range of tasks AI can help with includes those listed here:

• Automatically respond to student questions
• Evaluate assignments and tests
• Create lesson plans
• Provide private lessons
• Analyze student progress

As AI-driven processes take over some of these roles, instructors can perform tasks that machines likely won't be able to help with, such as encouraging students, communicating with parents, and implementing new educational models. All of these processes contribute to personalized learning.

Smart content creation

Instructors must develop a wide range of content to effectively communicate important concepts to students. They include the following types:

• Information visualization. When instructors don't have access to certain resources, AI-based content can include simulations of real-life experiences, such as laboratory experiments.
• Generation of classes. One of the main types of content that instructors must develop are lesson plans. AI-based systems and applications can generate minimal or extensive lesson plans that instructors can use to create enriching experiences for students.
• Videos or online lectures. Some instructors teach classes online as well as in the classroom and must make their lectures available to all students. This process may involve developing audio, video or transcription.
• Digital media. These elements can include images, screenshots, movie clips, or PowerPoint presentations.
• Syllabi. Instructors should create syllabuses for each class to help students know what to expect throughout the course. They typically include the course objectives, the number of credit hours the course satisfies, the modules to be covered, grading criteria, other expectations, and how to reach the instructor.

AI-based platforms, including language learning models like ChatGPT, can help develop all of these types of content and more. These materials can be made available as needed, further personalizing the educational process.

Supplemental Instruction

Many students need support or additional instruction for a variety of reasons. They may be behind in their courses or need information presented to them in a way that reflects their preferred learning style. In the past, these students would have turned to humans for private lessons, including instructors, fellow students, and professional tutors. Now they can leverage AI-powered tools, including chatbots.

Chatbots offer numerous advantages:

• Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Chatbots are always available, so students can take advantage of them whenever they are ready to learn.
• Promote independent learning. Because they are so readily available, chatbots promote students' learning at their own pace, without having to wait for the instructor to be available.
• Consistent. Chatbots provide the same information to each student.
• Provide opportunities for students to give feedback. In higher education environments, feedback from students to instructors is critical to ensuring that instructors are as effective as possible and that supervisors provide appropriate guidance.
• Impersonal. For students with specific challenges, such as those who suffer from social anxiety, an impersonal learning guide may be more helpful than a human one.

AI-based services can also match students with tutors based on their needs and the qualities they are looking for. All these aspects of educational chatbots contribute to personalized learning.

Generative AI

As ChatGPT and similar applications were introduced in recent months, some educational institutions have pushed back, believing that students using them may be missing out on critical learning opportunities. Some go so far as to strictly prohibit the use of generative AI and punish students, sometimes severely, if they break this rule. AI detection tools allow educators to determine when students have done this.

Other institutions are taking an entirely different approach, adopting and even encouraging the use of generative AI tools. Its guiding philosophy is that AI technology is increasingly becoming part of everyday life and it makes sense to offer students opportunities to become more familiar with it. The International Baccalaureate , a qualifications body, compares these tools to others that students use, such as calculators, spell checkers, or language translation apps. It announced that students can cite work generated by ChatGPT.

Assuming more institutions adopt ChatGPT and similar platforms, the nature of learning may need to lean more toward skills that such platforms cannot replicate:

• Asking questions instead of seeking definitive answers. The power of asking questions in education should not be underestimated. When students learn to ask the right questions, they gain a valuable skill for their professional lives.
• Analyzing processes. Students also benefit when they learn not just “what” but “how” or “why.” For example, in the context of the story, what events happened and when are important, but why they happened can often be more insightful.
• Debating pros and cons. When students debate both sides of an argument, they learn that there is not always a right answer and that truth is often nuanced rather than black or white.
• Working together in groups. Working in a team is another valuable skill for the workplace, and students are encouraged to do more of this in environments where AI-based platforms are used.
• Using critical thinking, communication and presentation skills. Additional skills that are useful for higher levels of learning and eventually for the workplace are critical thinking, clear communication and presentation skills.

When describing how educators can adapt to AI in their field, the host of the following video puts the philosophy another way: “Ask questions that AI can’t answer.”

As a result of framing education in a new way, AI-based technology can help both educators and students evolve alongside technology and society. Students also become independent thinkers and learners by developing these skills.

Virtual and Augmented Reality

Immersive learning experiences that can be provided with AI-driven virtual and augmented reality (VR and AR) can be highly valuable in helping students of all levels understand various concepts. For example, high school students can gain a deeper understanding of history by being guided through an immersive scene from the period they are learning about. High school students can learn scientific concepts by examining 3D models. Medical students can use a VR program to learn how to perform specific surgeries.

Furthermore, these programs can offer more than just objects and scenes. They can also provide labels and explanations to improve student understanding. Combined with customization features, they can offer challenges based on each student's progress.

Comfort in the classroom

Students learn best when their environment is comfortable and conducive to the educational process. Two of the most important factors are temperature and lighting. If a room is too hot or cold, students may become distracted from studying. If lighting is insufficient, students may have difficulty seeing the educational materials presented to them. These problems can be solved with AI solutions that automatically adjust the temperature and lighting in classrooms to optimal levels.

Additionally, AI-based technology can analyze other classroom conditions, such as occupancy rate and the amount of space between students. A greater concentration of students can lessen the impact of instructors, so analyzing this factor can let instructors know when an assistant might be helpful. Spatial issues can be very important for certain individuals, as well as during public health emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

The future of EdTech

AI-based systems, applications and platforms offer many advantages, as we have seen in the sections above. But there are also potential downsides, including the cost of AI-based educational tools, the lack of human interaction between instructors and students, and privacy concerns.

The burgeoning EdTech industry has a role to play in ensuring that these potential drawbacks do not undermine the powerful advantages of AI in education. A recent Forbes Young Entrepreneur Council post offers advice for companies offering EdTech services. It is summarized here:

• Work to make AI technology accessible and accessible to a wide range of schools.
• Seek to develop tools that augment, rather than replace, the role of instructors.
• Find ways to ensure that sensitive personal data is properly protected.
• Continue to improve the capabilities of AI-based systems.
• Use ethical standards and follow relevant laws and regulations to develop AI tools.

With these guidelines, AI-based learning tools can provide a solid foundation for personalized learning and greater instructor and student success.

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