AI-integrated learning to transform education, make it more accessible

The integration of artificial intelligence in schools globally is transforming the educational landscape by enhancing learning methods and increasing accessibility for all.

A KPMG report revealed that AI-powered learning systems are improving student engagement and power to retain by up to 20-30% in comparison to traditional teaching methods.

Another report by KPMG titled, "Harnessing AI in Education," explored how AI can reduce workload, improve outcomes, and enhance operational efficiency in the education sector.

AI holds the potential to make learning more inclusive by customizing educational experiences around individual student’s needs, including those with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Students who have hearing or visual impairments can use AI-driven devices like text-to-speech converters, speech recognition and real-time captioning allowing them to understand lessons as per their specific needs.

Voice assistants and AI-enabled screen readers can also assist specially-abled students in using digital learning resources with ease.

The technology also holds the power to help impart education in remote and inaccessible areas with AI-driven online learning platforms.

A study by the Special Olympics Global Center indicates that educators and parents are optimistic about AI's ability to foster an inclusive learning environment.

It can further help educators in assessing the students better by identifying key areas where students struggle and need support.

Equipping students with AI-related skills in school curricula can also make them ready for the future job market.

Recently, Beijing announced to introduction of AI courses for students in primary and secondary grades.

A recent article by The Guardian talked about many schools in England beginning to introduce AI-enabled learning to make the it practical and more engaging.

The headmaster at Willowdown Primary School in Bridgwater, Somerset, expressed children’s enthusiasm when their descriptive writing could come alive as visuals using the help of generative AI.

“All of a sudden they’ve got all these pictures from different people’s descriptions, and they can then discuss with their classmates whether that was the image they expected to be in the reader’s head,” Matt Cave was quoted as saying.

Marina Wyatt, head of science for key stage 3 at Furze Platt Senior School in Maidenhead, said that she has found teacher-led use of AI useful for engaging students in discussions, including with a virtual Charles Darwin, the report said.

“We prompt the AI before we take the class – we tell it: ‘Imagine you are Charles Darwin, you have students from a science class who are interested in your experience around the world, they particularly want to know about the theory of evolution, natural selection, variation and inheritance,” she was quoted as saying.

“Children who often don’t have the opportunity to participate, for one reason or another, were hooked on this and were asking questions like crazy,” Wyatt said.

However, the schools have not given students direct access to using AI as it is developing policies for its use, including parental consent and data security.

"AI is not just a tool but more of a transformative force reshaping the future of education in India. To unlock its full potential, we must invest in AI literacy programs for educators, strengthen digital infrastructure, and implement ethical AI frameworks,” Neeraj Kansal, founder of an ed-tech platform called Crack Academy told India Today.

“The ethical concerns must be dealt with first to reap the full potential of utilising AI to enhance accessibility. The goal should be to empower teachers, not replace them, thereby creating an inclusive, future-ready education system," he was quoted as saying.

As rightly pointed out by Kansal, the integration of AI in education comes with ethical and privacy concerns, particularly regarding the handling of sensitive student data.

Hence, it is crucial to design AI systems with transparency, security, and respect for privacy to maintain trust and uphold educational integrity.

Moreover, AI integration in education also raises questions about reduced human interaction and lack of foundational knowledge in students.

It is of utmost importance that the seamless integration of AI in schools needs strong governance reforms to ensure that these technologies are effectively and ethically implemented.