How artificial intelligence and virtual reality are changing higher ed instruction
To learn more about the impact of these technologies, we attended a handful of panels on the topic led by higher education and technology leaders at Educause's annual conference in Denver this week. From teaching with VR to tracking student success with AI, we explore how colleges and universities are using new technologies to conduct research, teach students and create smarter campuses.
At Penn State University, researchers have built an immersive augmented reality program called First Class in which future teachers can engage with simulated students in a virtual classroom setting. And — just like real students — they may get bored or act out, providing teachers the opportunity to practice handling difficult or novel situations, said Kyle Bowen, director of innovation for Teaching and Learning with Technology at Penn State.
AI's growing role in the classroom
Breaking through faculty resistance to AI involves helping them understand that it will not replace their core responsibilities but instead "supplement the work we already do," said Jennifer Sparrow, senior director for Teaching and Learning with Technology at Penn State.
The university has developed a number of prototypes that implement AI for uses such as helping create courses, assembling textbooks from open-source materials and automating quiz and test production. These tools aren't meant to be a finished product but rather create a starting point that faculty can tailor to their needs, Bowen said.
Using AI responsibly
AI is not without its pitfalls, as some panelists noted, and higher education leaders should be careful about how they use it.
Without proper caution, bias can creep into AI technology.
Such risks can stem from a number of factors including AI pulling from incomplete or one-sided data or learning through bad interactions. To try to avoid these biases, it's important to consider the environment where the AI model will be and to design it to ignore undesired interactions, said Teddy Benson, the director of data integration at Walt Disney World.
See the full story here: https://www.educationdive.com/news/how-artificial-intelligence-and-virtual-reality-are-changing-higher-ed-inst/541247/