Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education: Challenges and Opportunities

Abstract

According to various international reports, Artificial Intelligence in Education (AIEd) is one of the emerging fields in education technology. Whilst it has been around for about thirty years, educators remain unclear as to how to take full pedagogical advantage of AI on a broader scale and how it could actually have a meaningful impact on teaching and learning in higher education. This paper aims to evaluate Artificial Intelligence within Higher Education, focussing on the opportunities and challenges it presents. It also investigates the educational implications of emerging technologies on the way students learn and how institutions teach and evolve. The paper gathers some examples of the introduction of AI in education in a bid to establish equitable, quality education for all. Firstly, the paper analyses how AI can be used to improve learning outcomes, presenting examples of how AI technology can help education systems use data to improve equity and quality in Higher Education. The paper also addresses the benefits and challenges of introducing AI in educational settings, as well as the potential risks of such an endeavour. Finally, we put forward some recommendations for AI in education, with a focus on establishing discussions around the uses, possibilities and risks of AI in education for sustainable development.