Robots Aren’t Replacing Instructors – Yet, But AI Does Have an Important Role to Play in Post-Secondary Education, says Expert

Blog
May 23, 2021

There’s a new generation of ‘instructor’ making its way into post-secondary education that’s available 24 hours a day, answers questions in an instant and can provide real-time guidance on assignments: artificial intelligence. Instead of fearing the technology, now’s the time for Canadian institutions to embrace it.

Glen Farrelly, a digital media consultant and assistant professor at Athabasca University who uses simulation and other AI components in his own courses, is on a mission to dispel the myths surrounding AI and provide his peers with practical tips on how to successfully incorporate it into their teaching methods.

“The reality is, there are parts of education that AI is simply really good at,” Farrelly said. “Within a few years, it may be hard to escape the technology and that means instructors are going to encounter terms like machine learning and natural language processing.”

The easiest and most popular use of AI at the post-secondary level is the chat bot which can be used to answer basic student questions online, freeing instructor resources to focus on more important tasks. But where the technology really adds value, Farrelly said, is in supporting experiential learning, something that is getting harder to do in the face of growing class sizes due to funding cuts.

“AI scales wonderfully and offers a real opportunity to deliver hands-on learning that is growing next to impossible to deliver in person,” he said, noting that tutorials that used to be capped at around 20 students are now seeing upwards of 50 at some universities.

Using AI, for example, a Business Communications instructor could create an online cast of characters and scenario to represent a real-world business challenge such as how to respond to a crisis. Students communicate back and forth with their virtual mentor through text or email, and are eventually guided on how to write an effective news release.

“Today’s students want a flexible learning model. They want to learn on their own schedule and with AI components it’s possible,” Farrelly explained. “If a student wants to learn at 2 a.m. in the morning, that’s fine. Theoretically, the AI will work whenever a student is ready.”

At Congress, Farrelly will share what he calls his AI cheat sheet, eight steps to a successful AI course implementation that includes learning the concepts, determining your goals, finding a good technology partner, managing expectations, partnering with a technical project manager and continually refining the technology.

“This isn’t a case of robots grading students or taking over the classroom,” he said. “AI won’t replace the core human teaching role any time soon – that’s still front and centre. But what it can do is provide great value by saving time and augmenting the work of the human.”