AI in Education

A Data Guy's Perspective on the Future of Learning

When people ask me about my book “Education in the Digital Age,” which was published in April 2020 just as the pandemic began, their first question often is, “What do you think about AI in classrooms?”

As a former physics/robotics teacher, I have a straightforward response. AI is a tool, and tools are useful in project-based work. However, they are not necessary when learning to pass a test. A bubble sheet, a score, or a hastily written essay only requires a #2 pencil.

In project-based classrooms, AI can be embraced and implemented as a powerful tool, while average public schools may become less relevant. This could exacerbate the gap between the wealthy and the poor.

However, the issue is not AI itself but rather test scores. Remember, I’m a data guy! Test scores do not measure a scholar’s ability to engage with ambiguity or demonstrate work ethic and attention to detail. These are the qualities we want academic data to represent. Elite private schools and fortunate public schools that are free of testing will enjoy project-based work and benefit from AI. Student work will gain depth and polish, and teachers’ feedback will focus on purpose and evidence. AI will handle punctuation, tone, and academic protocol.

Is using AI cheating? It shouldn’t be. I used AI as my editor for this article. Compare a proctor walking down the rows of desks during an exam to a teacher who has witnessed each student engage in multiple rounds of peer feedback and ask yourself which is hardest to cheat, even if you are using AI.

Most teachers are obliged to administer standardized tests, but these classrooms may become irrelevant as students discover AI. Essays can be written by AI, worksheets are no match for AI, and teachers consumed with paperwork and papers to “grade” are no match for a classroom full of motivated students eager to work as creators rather than consumers of education.

Don’t we want students to graduate knowing how to use the best aspects of AI, such as code generation and basic writing for clarity? Don’t we want to see the videos and hear the podcasts all high school students will produce if they are expected to articulate their position? Don’t we wish we could look back at our own high school work products if they had been videos and audio content to remember the best days of our lives?

The way to achieve this is to upgrade our data. From test scores to a transcript of credits, each validated by paid experts, each available for review at any time.

Each credit on hs.credit is first approved by a teacher who works extensively with the student. Only then is it uploaded to be evaluated by three credit experts who are paid to objectively apply a particular credit rubric. When a teacher signs off on an upload, we have their word that the student went through multiple feedback phases. Then, we verify the student work product on its own merits by examining it with paid experts on the platform.

Do you have questions? Want answers? Visit us at http://hs.credit.

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