AI in Learning and Education

This theme seeks to explore the transformational effects that artificial intelligence (AI) is having and will continue to have on our approaches to teaching & learning, as well as the fundamental long-term impact AI will have on human reasoning and decision-making.

It is clear from recent innovations regarding generative AI and the widespread adoption of technologies such as ChatGPT (reaching more thank 100 million users within months of its public release) that the Education sector is undergoing a significant transformation, with 49% of student populations already reporting daily usage of these technologies to support their studies. While these powerful, general purpose Large Language Models (LLMs) are enabling students to efficiently seek information and simplify explanations of complex texts to improve their learning experiences. It is also recognised that these tools are being used by students to directly prepare responses and submissions to their academic assignments, including writing summaries and paraphrasing texts for essays and reports – blurring the lines between human reasoning and AI content creation.

While there have been responses and attempts to dismiss and outlaw AI, there is no denying that the future of learning & education needs to embrace AI and rethink the role of these technologies in our education institutions. We should be exploring the potential for AI to address educational access inequalities; imagining novel AI supported pedagogy; and working with students to shape – and better prepare for – a future with AI. It important that we not only look at the immediate opportunities and innovations that AI can bring to Education; but rather, vital that we create and adopt citizen-centred approaches to assess and evaluate the long-term impacts and develop strategies that enhance human reasoning and decision-making with the support of and collaboration with AI.

Experts

• Dr. Kyle Montague
• Professor Longzhi Yang
• Professor Pam Briggs

Related Peak of Research Excellence

• Computerised Society and Digital Citizens

Related Projects at Northumbria

• Centre for Digital Citizens

Suggested Literature

• Beck, J., Stern, M. and Haugsjaa, E., 1996. Applications of AI in Education. XRDS: Crossroads, The ACM Magazine for Students, 3(1), pp.11-15.
• Zhang, K. and Aslan, A.B., 2021. AI technologies for education: Recent research & future directions. Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence, 2, p.100025.
• Luckin, R. and Holmes, W., 2016. Intelligence unleashed: An argument for AI in education.
• Selwyn, N., 2022. The future of AI and education: Some cautionary notes. European Journal of Education, 57(4), pp.620-631.

*if you are struggling to access any of the suggested literature, then please contact ccai.cdt@northumbria.ac.uk .