Artificial intelligence could be the key to improving the quality of education.
By Jowet Haile
The teacher shortage crisis in America is no secret. With the exhaustion and recently added stress
of virtual classrooms, low salaries, and reduced job satisfaction, teachers are leaving their
schools at what some consider an alarming rate. At the same time, college students are pursuing
the field at a lowered rate, which is concerning for future generations of students if this trend
continues. On the contrary, the technology field is soaring with innovations constantly emerging
and redefining the norm we live in. With that being said, artificial intelligence may be the key to
improving the experience of education for both teachers and students!
The intersection between artificial intelligence and education might seem quite new with
the rising popularity of OpenAI systems like ChatGPT. Despite this, artificial intelligence was
introduced to the field in 1970 by Jamie Carbonell, who developed the first intelligent tutoring
system. Since then, artificial intelligence has been developed to assist in grading, creating lesson
plans, explaining concepts, and providing a learning environment outside of the classroom through various intelligent tutoring systems. The usefulness of artificial intelligence can help mend the issues created by the teacher shortage.
While artificial intelligence has many benefits, it has carried a negative reputation
amongst educators. To iterate, as many as sixty-seven percent of educators believe ChatGPT will
make their job harder and twenty-six percent of educators have found students cheating using the
platform according to this study. However, when students do not take advantage of these
platforms to plagiarize and cheat on assignments, OpenAI systems could greatly improve their
understanding of difficult concepts. Teacher shortages have led to an increase in class sizes,
resulting in a decrease in the level of personalized class time catering to students’ various
learning styles. Subsequently, this has placed additional responsibilities and stress on teachers
while negatively impacting student achievement. Luckily, educators can utilize artificial
intelligence’s chatbot features to enable students to ask questions that a teacher might not
normally have the opportunity to respond to in class. This could alleviate the negative effects of
larger class sizes and ensure students still receive tailored learning. Teachers could also use
artificial intelligence to speed up the process of both preparing class lessons and grading
students' work. Shifting their focus in the classroom to solely supporting the students’ learning
goals instead of worrying about tomorrow’s lessons or grade deadlines. Ideally, this could
potentially reduce teacher burnout and strengthen the quality of the education system.
Artificial intelligence can also bridge the education gap experienced by first-generation
Americans, non-native English speakers, and refugee students. Unfortunately, many students
who do not primarily speak English at home do not always have the same quality of education as
students who learned English as a first language. A variety of factors contribute to students of
foreign descent having a more difficult time in school. For instance, many non-native English
speakers cannot receive help with schoolwork at home due to a language barrier. Fortunately,
artificial intelligence can help students learn English, whether it be assisting with grammar,
pronunciation, or vocabulary. In addition, artificial intelligence can provide the help students are
unable to receive from their parents by answering specific questions, thoroughly explaining
concepts, and introducing new perspectives. This can prevent students from falling victim to the
education gap and propel their success in school. Similarly, parents can now use artificial
intelligence and chatbots to comprehend concepts their children may struggle with.
In conclusion, the potential for artificial intelligence to transform the resources available
to teachers, students, and communities is unprecedented. Schools should leverage new
technology to relieve stress on teachers, to help them manage their duties, and to aid students
struggling to grasp a clear understanding of their courses. As with any other advancement,
artificial intelligence can be abused, creating more problems for schools as they now must
navigate robot-written essays. However, if students use artificial intelligence to personalize their
learning experience, such as by helping them master difficult topics, there is a reduced desire to
plagiarize and cheat with chatbots. Ultimately, schools must adapt and become accustomed to
new technologies to ensure both students and teachers are not falling behind in this
ever-changing world.