Artificial Intelligence in Education for CBSE Schools

Artificial intelligence(AI) is shaping the modern world. It is revolutionizing all sectors, and education is no exception. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a Cognitive Science, and the history of its evolution suggests that it has been derived from disciplines such as Science, Mathematics, Philosophy, Sociology, Computing, and others. It is widely recognized as the power that will fuel the future global digital economy, and has gained geo-strategic importance. Many countries are striving hard to stay ahead with their policy initiatives, to get their youth ready to function in an environment driven by AI and other emerging technologies. 

According to the World Economic Forum, Artificial intelligence (AI) is the software engine that drives the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

In response to this, the Central Board of Secondary Education(CBSE) has introduced Artificial Intelligence in education by launching it as a subject for Class 9 from the Session 2019-2020 onwards and has been conducting training for Teachers on how to use AI in the Classroom. A training video has also been prepared to assist with this. The Board has also announced AI as a multi-disciplinary integrated pedagogical approach to further enhance teaching and learning across classes 6 to 10. 

Integration of Artificial Intelligence(AI) in education is the process of combining machine learning, natural language processing, GenAI, data analytics, etc, to provide in-depth learning to students and enhance their overall learning experience. It aims to make students of classes K-12 ‘AI Ready.’ This initiative completely complements the National Policy stipulated by NITI Aayog in ‘Skilling for the AI Age – Getting India Ready for the AI Wave’.For more detailed information on how CBSE would be leveraging artificial intelligence in education, one can visit this website.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN EDUCATION OBJECTIVES 

• Identify and appreciate Artificial Intelligence and describe its applications in daily life. 
• Relate, apply, and reflect on the Human-Machine Interactions to identify and interact with the three domains of AI: Data, Computer Vision, and Natural Language Processing, and undergo assessment for analyzing their progress towards acquired AI-Readiness skills.
• Imagine, examine, and reflect on the skills required for futuristic job opportunities.
• Unleash their imagination towards smart homes and build an interactive story around it.
• Understand the impact of Artificial Intelligence on Sustainable Development Goals to develop responsible citizenship.
• Gain awareness about AI bias and AI access, and describe the potential ethical considerations of AI.
• Develop effective communication and collaborative work skills.
• Get familiar and motivated towards Artificial Intelligence and identify the AI Project framework.
• Learn problem scoping and ways to set goals for an AI project and understand the iterative nature of problem scoping in the AI project cycle. 
• Brainstorm on the ethical issues involved in the selected problem.
• Foresee the kind of data required and the kind of analysis to be done, identify data requirements, and find reliable sources to obtain relevant data.
• Use various types of graphs to visualize acquired data. 
• Understand, create, and implement the concept of Decision Trees. 
• Understand and visualize a computer’s ability to identify alphabets and handwriting. 
• Understand and appreciate the concept of Neural Network through gamification and learn basic programming skills.
• Acquire introductory Python programming skills in a very user-friendly format.

IMPORTANCE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN EDUCATION

Artificial intelligence in education equips students with the ability to use AI-powered tools, troubleshooting skills, basic programming skills in Python, thinking skills, problem solving, creative thinking, critical thinking, decision making skills, social skills, teamwork, team building skills, leadership, self-awareness, empathy, effective communication skills, oral & written presentation skills. Apart from this, artificial intelligence in education helps generate personalized study plans according to the strengths and weaknesses of each student, provides real-time feedback to students on their projects and assignments to help improve their performance, and provides 24/7 assistance through virtual applications to clarify students’ doubts and address their queries. This provides students with constant support and around-the-clock availability of resources and support, whenever they want.

Artificial Intelligence in Education also helps to create interactive classes, videos, tests, and quizzes using gamification, virtual reality(VR), and augmented reality(AR), AI powered smartboards, virtual assistants, which make difficult subjects easy, help teachers track the progress of their students, and develop an intriguing learning experience which the students enjoy, are motivated and look forward to using. AI can take education altogether to a new level and make it accessible to everyone, irrespective of their abilities or disabilities. For example, AI-powered translation tools can help students speaking different languages(foreigners) understand the lessons. 

Speech-to-text technology can assist students having difficulty writing by transcribing their spoken words into written text. AI is completely supporting India’s goal of ‘Education for Everyone’ by making learning inclusive for marginalised students and those with special needs. For instance, a student with a hearing impairment can use AI to get real-time captions during lessons, and a student facing difficulties in understanding can receive personalized tutoring that matches their pace and style of learning.

Artificial intelligence in education also helps in adaptive learning. Testing tools change the level and style of questions based on students’ previous attempts. For example, if a student answers a question correctly then the next will be a little harder,but if he answers that question incorrectly,then the next question would be an easier question.This helps in evaluating student’s ‘level of understanding and find the area where they need support. This makes the test less stressful for the students, eliminates unhealthy competition,comparison and also gives accurate information for assessing their knowledge. 

Predictive analysis uses real-time performance data that provides immediate insights and suggestions. Suppose, if a student consistently struggles with physics, AI can alert the teacher that they need extra help in that subject or in that department. It can also identify patterns if a student does well in chemistry but has trouble in math, allowing teachers to tailor their support. This aids teachers in determining which students may require extra time in class and what kinds of instruction could be most effective.

The use of Artificial Intelligence in education can ease the burden of teachers to a significant level by assisting in designing exam papers to produce a balanced bunch of questions relating to each topic in the subject, generating feedback on the papers and assignments, and grading them accurately.

CHALLENGES OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN EDUCATION

With so many advantages, artificial intelligence in education also comes with certain challenges. First and foremost is the cost of implementation of AI technologies. This investment is so huge that not all schools can afford to install it. AI also comes with bias and errors, leading to discriminatory outcomes. Digital illiteracy is another issue when it comes to using artificial intelligence in education. Educators and students can be trained to bridge this gap, but it requires an extravagant amount of time, cost, and resources, which is not everybody’s cup of tea! AI stores and collects a large amount of data, which raises privacy and security concerns. Lastly, over-reliance on artificial intelligence may negatively affect a student’s attention span, creative thinking, and health.

CONCLUSION

Artificial intelligence in education promotes the adoption of a data-driven approach for both students as well as teachers. The use of artificial intelligence in education transforms the learning environment by creating customized study sessions, providing real-time feedback, automating traditional manual tasks, and making education interactive and accessible to students and teachers of schools and colleges around the world. Since AI is constantly evolving, its role in the education industry will expand. It ensures everyone gains the necessary skills and knowledge to succeed in this modern world.