Now, groundbreaking machine learning is showing the potential to improve human learning—aiding teachers and students from grade school through college with everything from real-time grading to robot study buddies.
To learn more about how artificial intelligence (AI) is advancing education, we spoke to Richard Baraniuk, C. Sidney Burrus professor of electrical and computer engineering at Rice University and the founder and director of OpenStax, which creates free online textbooks and study aids as part of the open education movement. The initiative has helped more than 23.3 million students in over 140 countries save about $1.8 billion in classroom materials since 2012, impacting 6.5 million students this past school year. Their mission is to improve educational access and learning for everyone.
Baraniuk is now developing machine-learning algorithms to drive the personalized learning functions offered by OpenStax. He noted several key areas in which AI can help humans learn better, faster.
Every student has different interests, goals and needs, which standard curriculum cannot address. AI tools enable students to easily dig deeper into a topic of particular interest, allowing for a richer exploration than might be available in a book or through a lecture.
Personalization can also involve identifying the most appropriate study problems. For example, sometimes students can’t solve algebra problems because of reading challenges—they literally don’t understand the wording of the question. An AI application being developed at OpenStax will identify when the problem might be something other than math skills. “This is all about putting the learning experience in your personal context,” says Baraniuk.
Colleges are reducing or eliminating many liberal arts programs as more students seek computer science and business degrees. But some educators lament this laser focus on job training, pointing out that subjects like literature and history build well-rounded citizens (and workers). Baraniuk says AI can help students connect with relevant subjects they might otherwise not experience.
“There could be materials that seem esoteric or disconnected from your interests or your career goals,” he says, “but that actually bring together diverse and relevant ideas that enrich your learning experience.”