Navigating the Future: What Academic Leaders Should Know About AI and E-Learning
The pace of change impacting the world of education is evolving at lighting speed these days, and academic leaders find themselves at the forefront of a technological revolution that is reshaping the way education is delivered and learning is consumed. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and e-learning are two pillars of this transformation, and understanding their implications is paramount.
While a common reflex is to fear that AI and e-learning are going to replace human job roles, the truth is both more complicated and more optimistic: Rather than being a threat to job security, these are tools that should automate tasks, save time and empower experts to curate learning content for students in new and exciting ways. Academic leaders have an opportunity to lay the path that will guide their faculty and learners for decades to come.
What does the future of education look like? The tools are here, and the students of today and tomorrow are depending on leadership to model how they can and should be used.
In this blog, we’ll kick off a series of articles on the future of learning and training by highlighting five key areas that academic and training leaders need to know right now.
Personalization is key
AI-driven e-learning platforms can tailor education to individual students. This personalization enhances engagement and helps struggling learners catch up while allowing advanced students to excel at their own pace.
Today’s learner expects far more than PowerPoint notes and a textbook, but instead an entire ecosystem that supports their learning needs today and throughout their lifetime. Think of it this way, a university student selects a major, attends courses led by a professor, reads textbooks — all of this sounds familiar. But technology today can offer so much more. Video training can complement and support the classroom experience by providing a look at the subject matter beyond the classroom. A digital world of peers can connect and discuss and share resources online through messaging, engage with AI to automate tasks and more. In the meantime, that professor — the subject matter expert — has all these tools at their disposal to curate the learning experience in a deep and diverse way. And once that student graduates, they can still engage with that institution through lifelong learning. They might physically leave the place, but digital space is always base camp where they can return again and again to widen their network, improve skills and progress through their careers.
So how can academic leaders embrace this future?
Adopt learning platforms that provide a lifelong learning hub for students — a place where communications, continued learning, resources, career development and a network — are with them for a lifetime, instead of just the short time they traditionally spend on a physical campus.
Data-driven decision-making
AI generates a wealth of data on student performance. Academic leaders can leverage this data to make informed decisions about curriculum improvements, resource allocation, and identifying at-risk students who may need additional support. Rather than issuing large exams twice a semester, for example, a professor might want to check in weekly to see if the learning taking place in the classroom each week is sticking, or where the knowledge gaps are on a subject so that curriculum can be supplemented with additional time or resources. AI-generated tools and skills gap analysis tools can make this process easy and empower educators to know quickly where to focus their efforts.
Accessibility and inclusivity
E-learning with AI can be a powerful tool for making education more accessible. Academic leaders should ensure that online courses are designed with accessibility features and accommodations for all learners, including those with disabilities. Students are no longer limited by geographic and physical challenges to attending a class in person, as technology can remove many of those barriers. There will always be a need for in-person learning, connection and experience, especially in fields that require hands-on training such as medicine, pharmacy, engineering, dentistry and trades. However, so much of this training can be enhanced by virtual lab experiences as well. The tools of e-learning and AI should be approached and treated as such – tools. They can enhance and support overall curriculum planning, but they cannot replace it.
Ethical considerations
As AI becomes more integrated into education, ethical concerns such as data privacy and algorithm bias come to the forefront. Academic leaders must prioritize ethical AI practices and transparency in how data is collected and used. Educational institutions at every level are being called on to collaborate and establish acceptable use and ethical standards that outlines the best practices for using these new technologies and tools. It might seem daunting in the moment, but similar adoption strategies took place with the proliferation of the internet, cell phones and more. This is the latest stage in modern technological advancements and their impact on education practices and policies.
Faculty development
Supporting educators in adapting to AI-powered e-learning is crucial. Academic leaders should invest in faculty development programs to equip teachers with the skills and knowledge needed to effectively use these tools. Today’s academic leaders need to be trained in all the technological tools at their fingertips, not only so they can use them to their full benefit but also so they can guide their students through the modern expectations of the fields they are pursuing.
Additional reading
Here are a few recent articles for additional reading on these topics.
AI, eLearning, And The Changes In The Education Industry (elearningindustry.com)
AI Will Transform Teaching and Learning. Let’s Get it Right. (stanford.edu)
www2.ed.gov/documents/ai-report/ai-report.pdf
Hungry to know more and engage in this conversation?
Join us Nov. 9 for a webinar on AI and e-learning. More information and registration will be on our webinar page soon.
