As an Ed Tech Nerd, I will admit that I am generally curious about the next shiny tool. As I learned more about the history of ed tech from Weller (2020), I am now cautiously aware of my technological environment. During MALAT LRNT 523, Catherine and I studied pedagogical agents from researchers like Veletsianos and Russell (2014). Fast-forward six months, and the terminology is more commonly known as tutors and bots, as I recently discovered with my LRNT 526 Team.
With this LRNT 526 Team exploration currently underway, I would attribute some new learning to Sal Khan and his AI-enabled tutor, Khanmigo. For example, an interview with Khan helped me envision the future of AI-enabled tutor technology (Amanpour, 2023). In addition, I recently took an asynchronous course called AI for Education at the Khan Academy. This course reinforced the knowledge that I currently have regarding artificial intelligence. I plan to recommend this free artificial intelligence course to colleagues who frequently ask me many AI-related questions at my college.
Supporting colleagues, particularly instructors, segues me to the critical inquiry topic. As instructors ponder the thought of teaching bots replacing them, Selwyn (2019) provided insights on the “need to get together to collectively reimagine what ‘the teacher’ should be in an age of (semi-) intelligent machines” (p. 131). This statement caused me to reflect on reimagining AI-enabled tutors ‘enhancing teachers’ lives instead of ‘replacing’ them. As I am creating blended online and asynchronous courses, I reflect on the idea of being able to add a tutor to each course. For instance, the complexities of the trades math trigonometry problems in the carpentry program could be assisted through tutor engagement. This thought excites me to a new level of student engagement and support.
Therefore, I am interested in learning more about the active learning engagement and feedback mechanisms these tutors can provide students. Instructors often advise me that they lack time to incorporate formative assessments into their lessons. Can these tutors accurately, efficiently, and effectively engage students on the path to success? If so, teachers may embrace these tutors’ help in the future with open arms. As part of my role, I would champion this technology endeavor college-wide.
Do you have input on aspects for me to consider in this research? Thank you for taking the time to review my blog.
References
Amanpour & Company. (2023, May 26). Personalized AI tutors? Sal Khan on transforming education [Video]. PBS. https://www.pbs.org/wnet/amanpour-and-company/video/personalized-ai-tutors-sal-khan-on-transforming-education/
Khan Academy. (n.d.). AI for education | life skills. Khan Academy. https://www.khanacademy.org/college-careers-more/ai-for-education
Selwyn, N. (2019). Should robots replace teachers? AI and the future of education. Polity Press.
Veletsianos, G., & Russell, G. S. (2014). Pedagogical agents. In Spector, J. M., Merrill, M. D., Elen, J., Bishop, M. J., Veletsianos, G., & Russell, G. S. (Eds). Handbook of Research on Educational Communications and Technology (pp. 759–769). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-3185-5_61
Weller, M. (2020). 25 years of ed tech. AU Press.
Anotidaishe
Hi Marni
Thank you for your blog post. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, and I am curious to read your findings throughout your inquiry process. At times integrating AI tools can be met with some apprehension from stakeholders as there can be many unknowns. What potential ethical considerations would you look at when integrating AI-enabled tutors into educational settings, particularly regarding issues such as privacy, equity, and the development of critical thinking skills?
Marni Russell
Hi Ano,
Thank you for your thoughtful post. You asked thought-provoking questions that I’ve been pondering for the last two weeks. Initially, I was perplexed about how to respond due to the overwhelming amount of learning I still need to accomplish in navigating this AI landscape. I’ve been reading every article, blog, and other resources that come my way.
In my organization, we developed an AI exploratory working group to help overcome feelings of apprehension. The membership consists mostly of instructors. We meet frequently to learn from each other about AI tools that everyone is trialing. For instance, my colleagues are eager to learn about my critical inquiry journey on AI-enabled Tutors. We also are discussing these important topics such as privacy and equity that you underscored. I certainly do not have concrete recommendations at this point. I’m still learning so much. As opinions can vary on these topics, learning from the experiences at other higher education institutions is imperative. Our goal is to develop AI guidelines and best practices for instructors in particular.
In terms of your critical thinking topic, Onesi-Ozigagun et al. (2024) highlighted this skill in a recently published article that might interest you. The article provides an overview of how AI is revolutionizing education. The authors focused on AI’s impact on teaching methodologies and concerns associated with AI in education. For example, issues about data privacy and algorithmic bias are addressed as challenges that require further research.
If you have any further questions and/or insights on this fascinating topic, let’s continue the dialogue!
Cheers,
~M
Reference
Onesi-Ozigagun, O., Ololade, Y. J., Eyo-Udo, N. L., & Ogundipe, D. O. (2024). Revolutionizing education through AI: A comprehensive review of enhancing learning experiences. International Journal of Applied Research in Social Sciences, 6(4). https://doi.org/10.51594/ijarss.v6i4.1011
Anotidaishe
Hi, Marni. Thank you so much for your thoughtful response. It’s great to hear about the proactive steps your organization is taking with the AI exploratory working group. It sounds like a fantastic initiative, especially with the focus on learning from each other’s experiences and addressing critical issues like privacy and equity.
Your mention of AI-enabled tutors is particularly intriguing. Sharing insights from your critical inquiry journey will enrich your group’s discussions and help develop well-rounded AI guidelines. I appreciate the reference to Onesi-Ozigagun et al. (2024); I look forward to exploring their perspectives on AI’s impact on education, especially the challenges of data privacy and algorithmic bias.
This article by Saveliev and Zhurenkov (2020) discusses how the meaning of “socially responsible” and “good” depends on the agent’s perspective of those words and can be an interesting thought when considered in educational settings.
References
Saveliev, A., & Zhurenkov, D. (2020). Artificial intelligence and social responsibility: the case of the artificial intelligence strategies in the United States, Russia, and China. Kybernetes, 50(3), 656–675. https://doi.org/10.1108/k-01-2020-0060
Brenna
Hi, Marni — I am very curious to see where your research goes. As you already know, I am a bit bot-skeptical, but I agree with you that formative assessment has a lot of value and faculty often lack the time to address these kinds of core issues in their course design. I agree with Ano’s questions for sure. I also wonder about the human factor here from two perspectives: faculty buy-in and student buy-in. Will faculty welcome their robot co-teacher (and what happens the first time a bot gives students a wrong answer and teachers need to unravel the resultant mess), and how will students feel about algorithmic instruction?
It’s a whole new world! I am so eager to hear more about your experiences.
Anne-Marie
The more I think about your topic, the more interested I am! You are working in an area of the post-secondary system that deals with strongly competency based education, and external accreditation schemes like Red Seal, so thinking about how your carpentry maths formative assessment example could support good outcomes within this wider framework is intriguing. I am not familiar with much research that is looking specifically into this space of TVET education and AI-enabled tutors, so you may be in some truly novel territory with this topic, which is exciting! You may need to think about widening your literature searches to beyond Canada. In the UK you’ll find TVET often referred to as “vocational learning” and “apprenticeships”, and in Australia it’s called VET education.