As the tide of generative AI tools surges forward, promising unprecedented productivity leaps, a glaring gap looms between this technology’s potential and the preparedness of Australia’s students to harness its capabilities.
Yet, in schools across Australia, generative AI offers a potential solution – the promise of customised content and an ever-present virtual 'coach'.
One expert says this innovative approach can make a big difference by providing personalised support and insights, and significantly improving how learning is delivered and absorbed in classrooms.
RMIT Online CEO Nic Cola has been watching this exciting evolution closely. At RMIT Online, Cola plays a critical role in addressing the lifelong learning needs crucial for adapting to industry changes, making significant strides in equipping the workforce for the future.
He says generative AI’s ability to analyse vast amounts of data can be highly effective in creating tailored content and generating personalised training materials, enhancing student engagement and improving learning outcomes.
“Data inputs – such as student performance, learning patterns, and preferences – can be used to generate lesson plans, quizzes, exercises, external resources, and interactive sessions that cater to the specific needs and learning styles of students,” Cola told The Educator.
“One of AI’s biggest assets is that it can shift the way people learn and bring learning insights to the point of application in the workflow.”
Cola says providing an always-available ‘coach’ involves integrating AI-powered tools and platforms into the learning environment, offering both learning and upskilling simultaneously.
“For teachers, this can uplift some of the day-to-day tasks and activities done in the classroom by using AI-driven lesson planning assistants, real-time feedback systems, and intelligent tutoring systems,” he said.
“These tools can assist teachers in streamlining their workflows and lesson plans, identifying areas of improvement, and delivering more personalised instruction to their students.”
‘We’re just now experiencing the tip of the AI iceberg’
Cola said AI can also support teachers in quickly creating new content, a process that was previously time-consuming for many teachers.
“Ultimately, we’re just now experiencing the tip of the iceberg as to how Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning capabilities will transform learning and the workforce of tomorrow,” he said.
“AI is already being utilised within content generation platforms, automated assessment tools, and adaptive learning systems to analyse existing materials and automatically generate new quiz questions, interactive modules and gamified lesson plans.”
Cola said AI is also supporting teachers in grading assignments, creating test preparation materials or drafting mock exams.
“At the Higher Education level, RMIT Online offers AI-based courses to equip modern learners with the skills and knowledge required to keep pace with the rapidly advancing digital skills required for the rate technology is changing the workplace,” he said.
“Since the introduction of ChatGPT, the focus has been on how education providers are going to craft cheat-proof assessments.”
One of the key takeaways, says Cola, is “tapping into the potential” to actively engage with AI as a digital aid to improve writing skills, create growth-orientated assessments or incorporate skills-based assessments into education.
“There is untapped potential to engage with AI in the learning design profession, especially for content creation.”
Moving teachers towards more value aligned work
Cola said students and teachers can both benefit and be equipped to adapt to the constantly changing and evolving development of the digital-centric world.
“We can be optimistic that Generative AI will elevate the manual tasks to focus on the higher order, more value aligned work,” he said.
Cola noted that RMIT Online’s ‘Future Skills’ portfolio has already evolved to “quickly and decisively” build, iterate and retire programs according to what the market needs.
“But by incorporating the use of AI into academic processes, education institutions could cut down on course build times even further, permitting them to respond to individual student needs in more agile ways, and ultimately improve the entire learning experience.”