AI in Education

Overview

In order to analyze the impact of AI in education, we will explore various facets including personalized learning, administrative efficiency, and ethical considerations.

According to recent studies, AI has the potential to revolutionize the educational landscape by providing tailored learning experiences and automating routine tasks.

According to Gert Biesta’s tripartite account of good education categorizes educational impact into three distinct but interdependent domains:

1. Qualifications

2. Socialization

3. Subjectification

This framework will guide our analysis of AI's role in education.

Socialization is the lifelong process of learning and internalizing a society's norms, values, beliefs, and behaviors, enabling individuals to function within their culture, starting with family (primary socialization) and continuing through schools, peers, and work (secondary/adult socialization). It shapes personality, identity, and social skills, ensuring cultural continuity by teaching new members how to act appropriately in different social groups and situations throughout life.

Human-centered pedagogical principles focus on placing the learner's needs, experiences, and well-being at the core of the educational process, often incorporating empathy, flexibility, and collaboration to create inclusive learning environments. These principles aim to foster holistic development, ensuring education supports the moral, intellectual, and physical growth of individuals. Key human-centered pedagogical principles include: Empathy and Compassion: Prioritizing understanding of students' individual lives, challenges, and perspectives to create a supportive, trusting, and safe environment. Learner Agency and Empowerment: Encouraging students to take ownership of their learning journey, fostering self-motivation, and providing choices in their education. Inclusion and Equity: Ensuring accessibility for all, honoring diverse perspectives, and designing for the full range of human variation rather than an "ideal" student. Community and Belonging: Building a collaborative, caring classroom culture that emphasizes relationality and trust. Flexibility and Iteration: Adapting to changing student needs and continuously refining, testing, and improving teaching materials and strategies. Contextualization: Meeting students "where they are," considering their personal and cultural contexts. Human-Centered AI Integration: Using AI as a tool for support—not a replacement—that begins with human inquiry and ends with human reflection, while focusing on AI literacy. Holistic Development: Focusing on the whole student, recognizing that feelings, emotions, and personal well-being are as important as cognitive growth. Key Frameworks Pedagogy of Kindness: Prioritizes care and compassion, focusing on fostering a sense of belonging and community. Human-Centered Design (HCD) in Education: Applies design thinking—empathy, definition, ideation, prototyping, testing—to improve the learning experience. Human-Centered AI Pedagogical Engagement (HCAI-PE): A framework that integrates Self-Determination Theory (SDT), heutagogy (self-determined learning), and sociocultural theory to use AI as a tool for cognitive, emotional, and ethical mediation.

Human Centered Teaching

What is Human-Centered Teaching? Human-Centered Teaching (HCT) refers to an educational approach that prioritizes the needs, experiences, and perspectives of students in the learning process. It emphasizes empathy, collaboration, and active engagement, allowing students to take ownership of their learning (Newton & Dougherty, 2024). This approach often incorporates principles of human-centered design, where educators design learning experiences that are responsive to students' needs and encourage them to engage with real-world problems. By focusing on the learner's experience, human-centered teaching aims to create a more inclusive and effective educational environment (Shehab & James, 2024). The principles of human-centered design (HCD) (Newton & Dougherty, 2024; Shehab & James, 2024) can significantly influence the first day of teaching in the classroom by shaping the approach instructors take to engage students and create an environment conducive to learning.

Empathy Instructors can begin by understanding the diverse backgrounds, experiences, and expectations of their students. This might involve icebreaker activities that allow students to share their interests and learning goals, helping the instructor tailor the course to meet their needs. Student-centric approach The first day can be structured around students' needs and preferences. Instructors might solicit feedback on how students prefer to learn (e.g., group work, lectures, hands-on activities) and incorporate this input into the course design [where possible), making students feel valued and involved from the outset. Collaboration The first day can emphasize collaboration by organizing group activities or discussions that require students to work together. This not only builds a sense of community but also helps students learn from each other’s perspectives and experiences. Problem-Solving Instructors can introduce real-world problems or case studies relevant to the course content, encouraging students to think critically about how they might approach these challenges. This sets the stage for applying HCD principles throughout the course. Holistic Perspective Instructors can acknowledge the broader context of students' lives, including their academic pressures, personal commitments, and diverse backgrounds. This awareness can inform how instructors interact with students and structure the course, promoting inclusivity and understanding.