Anant Agarwal on AI as Tool Topic and Transformation
Sep 22, 2023
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Anant Agarwal, MIT Professor and Founder and CEO of edX, discusses the role of AI in teaching and learning. Topics include ethics in AI, personalized learning, and the potential of AI in online education. The importance of responsible use of AI and its power for good in education are also highlighted.
The next phase of iteration is not only about scale, but about personalization.
Deep dives
The Rise of Artificial Intelligence in Education
Artificial intelligence (AI) has been rapidly advancing and impacting teaching, leading, and learning over the past seven years. This podcast episode discusses the new resource created by Getting Smart, which combines past publications, blogs, podcasts, and events to provide a comprehensive understanding of AI's history, current impact on the classroom, and future possibilities. The resource is regularly updated with new products, policies, and advancements. AI has the potential to transform education through personalization at scale, allowing for customized learning experiences for individual learners. The use of AI in education can enhance teaching by generating lectures, helping in question creation and grading, and providing personalized support to learners. Teachers can have more time for creative and personal interactions with students. It is important for educators to demystify AI, learn about its potential, and incorporate AI ethically for the benefit of learners and humanity.
The Journey of edX and the Role of AI in Higher Education
edX, an online learning platform founded by Harvard and MIT, has played a significant role in increasing access to education. In the podcast episode, Anant Agarwal, founder and CEO of edX, discusses the journey of edX and its vision for the future. AI is seen as a tool to increase the efficacy of teaching in higher education and improve pedagogy. AI can assist professors in generating lectures and materials, creating assessments, grading, and providing personalized interactions with learners. AI also has the potential to transform the learning experience for students by offering personalized support, creating adaptive learning experiences, and expanding language translations. The role of professors may shift towards guiding students, focusing on small group interactions, and mentorship. To fully benefit from AI, educators need to learn about the technology and its potential applications in teaching and learning.
Opportunities for Upskilling and Reskilling in AI
The future of work will be heavily influenced by AI, making upskilling and reskilling necessary for individuals to succeed in their careers. edX offers a range of courses, programs, and bootcamps to help learners acquire AI skills. Learners can start with short free courses on introduction to chat GPT and prompt engineering. Bootcamps in AI and data science provide practical coding skills in Python and application of AI in various fields. edX also offers executive education courses to help business leaders understand the potential of AI. The flexibility of combining micro credentials, professional certificates, bootcamps, and degrees allows learners to customize their learning journey based on their needs and interests. Employers are increasingly valuing specific skills obtained through micro credentials, enabling learners to showcase their abilities effectively.
Embracing AI and Promoting Ethical AI Usage
To fully harness the potential of AI, it is crucial to embrace the technology and address any concerns or misconceptions. Educators and leaders should work towards demystifying AI and promoting its responsible use. This includes understanding AI ethics and emphasizing principles such as using AI for the betterment of humanity, respecting learner privacy, and open sourcing AI-driven tools and resources. Open edX, managed by Axiom Collaborative, provides a powerful platform for open learning, contributing to global access and continuous improvement. By focusing on the responsible and ethical use of AI, education can leverage the benefits of AI while mitigating potential challenges and ensuring the technology serves the best interests of learners and society.
We’ve recently released a new publication that synthesizes years of research on AI and its impact on teaching and learning. You can find it at GettingSmart.com/artificial-intelligence/
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Nate McClennen is joined by Anant Agarwal, MIT Professor, Chief Platform Officer at 2U and Founder and CEO of edX, an online learning platform founded by Harvard and MIT. In 2020, Anant shared the story and vision for EdX from inception to present and its effort to increase access, reduce cost, and implement modularity in the higher education ecosystem. So much has happened in the last three years, that we thought it would be great to hear from Anant again (after his first time on the show) to get his sense of AI and how it will both play a role in both teaching in higher education as well as a topic for learning in higher education.
