Education, like Justice, is blind! Well… blindFOLDED anyway. Or it should be.

I was recently asked for my definition of “Equity Access” and “Teachers’ Role” in Developed Nations

Q – Equity and Access: With access to resources and technology varying greatly within developed countries, how can AI in education be implemented to ensure equal access and opportunities for all students, regardless of socioeconomic background or location?

A – Education should be available, much like Justice should be applied, equally to everyone. If there is an interest in the advancement of society and civilization that can be availed to a single person, then it should be equally availed to everyone. Now, this establishes a beachhead proposing that education is a right held by all people. Because all people contribute to society, indeed this is the literal definition of society, and education contributes to civilization, civilization is a right held by all people. And there is no civilization without education.

Because education is essential to the success of society, and we need everyone to pitch in and contribute to this society, there is a fundamental requirement for education to be made available to everyone. Every one of us. We’re all on this planet together, and we’re all part of society (micro or macro societies all are a part of the global society of everyone).

There may be any number of reasons why resources and technology vary for a given part of society with respect to another part of society. If the reasons are naturally occurring (different continents for example), at a basic level there isn’t much to be done to create equal access relative to those different groups. Each group will define their local standards. However, within the societal group that does not have anything but a man-made division between access and opportunities, then there needs to be a man-made solution that overcomes that division for a minimum standard definition of education. If resources are scarce, technology can certainly be a means to overcome the deficiencies.

To create equal access, then proper management and allocation of resources is required. There should not be a situation where one area gets the luxury of a low student-to-teacher ratio while another area suffers a high student-to-teacher ratio. In the 21st century, technology can help to level the field and give students an equivalent opportunity to learn.

Artificial intelligence (AI) backed tutoring systems known as Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS) can be used to augment the teacher in the classroom. Research has shown that for academic tutoring, ITS is comparable to a human tutor (Lehn, 2011). With a centralized, universally maintained database that can maintain and track each learner’s information and records, the AI can then be equally deployed for all students regardless of what teacher, curriculum, or school the learner is subscribed to.

Q – Teacher Roles and Impact: As AI tools take on tasks like grading and personalized learning, what will the future role of teachers look like? How can AI empower and support teachers rather than replace them?

A – Tutoring does not make an argument for the ITS to replace the teacher in any way. That cannot be allowed to happen (aiforbeginners, 2024). There should always be a teacher in charge, no matter how “good” the AI gets, without the human in the loop, the system is not reliable in the long run. There are also things for which the AI is not prepared, nor equipped, to handle. For example, have you ever seen an AI wipe a little kid’s nose or comfort them when they are sick? That’s not all the teacher does, but it is something the AI cannot do. The teacher and the AI are a team. Partners, not enemies.

With the teacher as the classroom lead and paired with an AI assistant(s) that can handle the tutoring along with the other routine tasks automatically like taking roll, grading assignments, managing schedules, etc., equivalent resources can be made available to all students, regardless of their socioeconomic background or location, the teacher can focus on the human interaction elements of the classroom and the student’s development. In this way, the teacher can focus on the organic, spontaneous, and unscheduled elements and events of the classroom and the AI can focus on the tedious and repetitive things that can be automated yet are necessary to keep the classroom rolling along.

References

aiforbeginners. (2024, January 27). Will AI Replace Teachers in the Classroom? Exploring the Possibilities and Implications. Retrieved from aiforbeginners.org: https://www.aiforbeginners.org/2024/01/27/will-ai-replace-teachers-in-the-classroom-exploring-the-possibilities-and-implications/

Lehn, K. V. (2011). The Relative Effectiveness of Human Tutoring, Intelligent Tutoring Systems, and Other Tutoring Systems. Educational Psychologist, 46(4), 197-221. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2011.611369