Unlocking AI potential for quality academic research and learning outcomes

Kennedy Ashiagbor Education Jun - 10 - 2024 , 09:57

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been hailed as the next revolution in education and research.

AI is a broad term that refers to computer systems capable of performing tasks that typically require human intelligence. Again, AI has the potential to revolutionise the way we teach and learn as well as the way we conduct research.

Furthermore, AI is an emerging technology that has the potential to enhance teaching and learning in higher education greatly. Besides, AI can personalise learning experiences, provide intelligent tutoring systems, facilitate collaboration and automate grading.

Notably, AI in higher education has developed more efficient, adaptive, and effective educational models. However, introducing AI in educational settings also presents challenges and potential risks that need to be addressed.

Ethical principles such as human-centred values, transparency, accountability, and inclusiveness should be applied in using AI in higher education.

Relevance of AI

Students can benefit from using AI tools in education and research for several compelling reasons. AI can tailor educational content to individual students' needs, allowing them to learn at their own pace and address their specific strengths and weaknesses.

It can create and curate high-quality educational resources, such as textbooks, interactive simulations, and videos, making learning more engaging and effective. Functionally, AI can handle routine administrative tasks, such as grading assignments and scheduling, allowing educators and students to focus more on meaningful educational activities.

Also, AI can analyse large datasets to identify patterns and trends in educational performance, helping educators make data-driven decisions and intervene when students are struggling.

More so, AI can help students with research by assisting in literature reviews, data analysis and even proposing research questions based on existing knowledge and these tools can help bridge language barriers, making educational resources accessible to a global audience.

Another point is that, AI tools can support continuous education by offering resources and learning opportunities throughout one's life, fostering a culture of lifelong learning.

Furthermore, AI can be a valuable tool in tackling complex research questions and fostering creativity and innovation and it can connect students to diverse perspectives, cultures, and research projects from around the world, enriching their educational experience.

Finally, AI tools into education and research can help students develop essential skills in the 21st century, such as critical thinking, data analysis, and digital literacy.

Benefits

By collecting and analysing data on student performance, AI can help teachers identify areas where students may struggle. The artificial intelligence-supported system can instantly adjust course difficulty and content according to student performance.

AI can make learning more interesting and motivating for students by making learning more interactive and engaging through the use of virtual teachers, gamified classrooms, and immersive simulations.

Artificial intelligence can reduce the cost of education by making education accessible to a wide range of students by managing jobs, creating digital textbooks, and providing affordable online courses.

Importantly, AI can assist teachers through task management, understand student performance, and recommend teaching strategies and resources. Using predictive analytics, AI can identify students at risk of falling behind or dropping out, allowing teachers to intervene and provide extra support when necessary.

As you quickly process and analyse large amounts of data, AI can help researchers identify topics, relationships, and insights that traditional methods are missing. Artificial intelligence algorithms can help scientists make informed decisions and create hypotheses by predicting future trends or outcomes based on historical data.

Also, artificial intelligence helps analyse text, allowing researchers to extract and summarise information from a wide range of academic materials and texts. AI-enabled robotics and automation can aid experimental work, making experiments more efficient and repeatable.

Some Artificial intelligence applications can simulate complex situations and allows scientists to test theories and scenarios in a virtual environment before conducting real-world experiments.

By processing and analysing images and videos, AI can aid computer vision, biology, and environmental science research. With providing a platform for knowledge sharing and routine tasks, AI-powered tools can facilitate collaboration between scientists and enable more efficient work.

Recommendations

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly changing the field of education and research. It provides many opportunities to enhance teaching, learning, administration and student experience. Here are some future thoughts on AI in education and research. AI-powered systems can analyse student data to create personalized learning experiences.

This allows students to progress independently and receive support, increasing retention and benefits. More so, AI-powered course programs provide students with instant feedback and support to help them learn skills better; chatbots and virtual assistants are increasingly used to manage tasks, answer student questions, and provide 24/7 support, improving the overall student experience.

Predictive assessment uses cognitive skills to identify students at risk of dropping out or struggling academically. Schools can intervene to increase retention through support. Artificial intelligence can make work more competitive, reduce teachers' time, and deliver consistent education to students.

Translation tools can help international students focus on the curriculum and facilitate communication in a variety of learning environments. Schools are using AI to analyse big data to make better decisions on issues such as resource allocation, curriculum design and program evaluation.

Artificial intelligence algorithms accelerate the pace of academic research by helping researchers analyse data and scientific research.

The Writer is a PhD candidate at the University of Ghana
Writer’s Email: kashiagbor@yahoo.com