Does AI measure the success of a student?

Does AI and its Challenge Measure the Success of a Student?

Technology has undoubtedly created major waves in the world of education, but how can schools and colleges objectively measure the effects in terms of achievement?

According to Mike Daugherty, Director of Technology & Innovation for Chagrin Falls Schools in Ohio, ‘it is important to note that edu-tech is not a magic wand, and it will not automatically improve student achievement’. It has been understood that Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) can generate text, translate languages, write different kinds of creative content and answer questions in an informative way. Therefore, students will soon be able to use GAI to complete their homework, write essays and even create their own works of art. But how will we create assessments that cannot be easily completed by GAI? How will we ensure that students are using GAI for the right purposes and not simply plagiarizing content? Pedagogy needs to evolve along with technology. Obviously, we need to teach students how to write prompts that generate the response they are looking for, how to fact-check that response, and how to cite the portions of the response they use so we can ensure that they are using this powerful tool to enhance their learning, rather than cheating. I strongly believe that the key to ensure a positive impact of this exciting and revolutionizing tech is to address the challenges that GAI poses early on and ensure it is being used in creative and innovative ways.

Indeed, achievement can be measured in many ways, in hard data and test scores, but also via soft data improvements in student experience. To be effective, edu-tech must be used in a way that is aligned with the specific needs of the students and the goals of the schools and the colleges. For example, edu-tech can be used to provide personalized learning experiences by using adaptive learning software that adjusts the difficulty of the material based on the student's individual progress. Focusing on practical skills is also important. When we first used “MOODLE” as an online platform during Covid-19, we asked ourselves ‘what skills will our students need when they graduate from our college? This led to the creation of several soft skills such as communication, creativity, problem solving, and presentation.

Techniques to Measure the Impact

Infact, measuring the achievement isn’t just about patting on the back where as defining success and analyzing what really works can help them choose how and where to spend their tech knowledge for the biggest impact. As we see, there are 3 ways to analyse or measure the success of the achievement. Initially, self-efficacy – we can use surveys and one-on-one conversations to hear how students perceive the tools and how they believe those tools help their learning. Another method is collaboration – it’s ideal to use group projects and peer reviews to determine how well students are working together when using various edu-tech applications. Eventually, engagement – teachers should observe how engaged students are in their learning when using different edu-tech tools. The bottom line is that edu-tech can be a valuable tool for improving student learning. However, it is important to use it wisely and to complement other evidence-based practices.