Revolutionary Role of Automation in Education 4.0

In the age of technology, automation has become increasingly prevalent in our daily lives, and the field of education is no exception. With the advent of new tools and software, teachers and administrators have been able to streamline many educational tasks, from grading to course delivery.

In this article, we will explore automation in education, examining the ways in which it is transforming the field of education as we know it.

Here are some statistics to accentuate the importance of automation in education:

• The global market for automation in education surpassed USD 2 billion in 2021 and is projected to reach USD 80 billion by 2030.
• Automation tools are used in some capacity by 63% of universities worldwide.
• 20% to 40% of educators’ time is devoted to tasks that could be automated with the aid of technology.

The Education 4.0 initiative also focuses on automation to simplify and streamline overall teaching/learning experiences.

Previously on Education 4.0 series:

• Leading the way in digital education, with Education 4.0
• Building a Strong Foundation: The Five Pillars of Digital Education 4.0
• Preparing Students for the Future: The Importance of Education 4.0
• Personalized Digital Learning: A Revolution in Education 4.0

Automation in education has the potential to replace a variety of manual tasks for both students and faculty through algorithms, which in turn leads to increased efficiency, knowledge retention, and quality of education.

Let’s start with the basics.

Automation – A Pathway to Streamlined Education

Automation in education refers to the use of technology and software to automate various educational tasks and processes, such as grading, assessment, record-keeping, course delivery, and administrative tasks. Automation technology can streamline and simplify these tasks, reducing the workload for teachers and administrators, and improving the overall efficiency and effectiveness of the educational system.

Examples of automation in education include:

Learning management systems (LMS): LMS platforms automate the delivery of online courses, providing students with access to course materials, quizzes, and other learning resources.

Automated grading and assessment: Automated tools like machine learning algorithms can be used to grade assignments, tests, and exams, providing immediate feedback and more consistent results.

Automated scheduling and record-keeping: Automated systems can schedule classes, track attendance, and maintain records of student performance, saving time and effort at the same time.

Virtual assistants: Virtual assistants like chatbots can be used to answer students’ questions, provide personalized feedback, and assist with administrative tasks.

Personalized learning: Automation technology can be used to personalize learning experiences for individual students based on their performance, interests, and learning styles.

Overall, automation in education has the potential to raise academic standards, lower administrative expenses, and optimize learning outcomes.

Let’s move on and discuss some of the applications of automation in specifically in the education sector.

Applications of Automation in the Education Industry

It’s important to know the different categories of automated processes in courses to understand the impact of automation in education.

Let’s discuss the top 3 impactful applications of AI in education – Learning prediction, intelligent feedback system, and student behavior detection.

1 Learning Prediction (Progress Monitoring):

The first category of automated processes in education focused on learning prediction, which should be represented by computer systems that forecast student learning status and performance using AI algorithms and modelling techniques.

Researchers and teachers have used automation in education to predict students’ academic progress and learning breakdowns.

Examples:

• The prediction models for locating at-risk students in introductory physics classes were developed and examined using random forest classification.
• In computer engineering courses, decision trees, an applied educational data mining and machine learning technique, were used to forecast students’ final performances based on their prior grades.

2 Intelligent Feedback System:

The intelligent feedback system is described as an AI-enabled approach that is intended to support personalized, adaptive learning by giving students individualized instruction or feedback integrated with automated grading system.

The aim is to utilize automation for education to provide one-to-one assessments and recommendations for different learning paths and content.

Examples:

• A cutting-edge flowchart-based feedback system that mimicked a human instructor to provide individualized suggestions to students using Bayesian network techniques (Probabilistic graphic model for expressing knowledge about an uncertain field).
• A deep learning-based recommendation system for programming education that suggested assignments, missions, and resources for learning based on the stages of learning and proficiency of the students.

3 Student Behavior Detection:

According to researchers and teachers, the analysis and comprehension of students’ behaviors in STEM education can be greatly aided by student behavior detection.

Student learning detection systems use AI-enabled data mining and learning analytics to identify students’ learning behaviors, patterns, and characteristics during the teaching and learning process.

Examples:

• K-means and the association rule algorithm are two data mining techniques that can be used to better understand how students behave during introductory programming classes, enhancing the learning process for new programmers.
• Instructors encouraged learning in engineering students by observing their learning habits, such as preferred learning resources and self-guided learning performance.

Now that we have discussed the advantages of automation in education, let’s delve deeper and understand the impact of automation in education.

Impact of Automation on Education

1. It Cuts Down on Development Time

eLearning course development can be accelerated and resource-efficient with the aid of automated authoring. This is because assessments are automatically generated and graded on your behalf via algorithms. You don’t have to spend a lot of time coming up with questions and their answers. The system simply creates your exams and pop quizzes using the eLearning materials you’ve already uploaded. Nevertheless, you still have the authority to choose your own criteria in order to construct more intricate assessments.

2. Personalized eLearning Experiences

Personalization is one of the most exciting developments in eLearning automation. Depending on the outcomes of their assessments and their performance, you can give online learners access to specific courses.

For instance, a learner who completes the first module’s eLearning tasks and assessments online with ease, the system directs them to the more sophisticated modules that are better suited to their requirements automatically.

Similarly, struggling students get extra activities to help them catch up. The criteria can be set by eLearning experts to guarantee that online learners receive the materials and resources that they need.

3. It Increases Learner Motivation

The motivation and engagement levels rise as a result of eLearning personalization. Online students are aware that the course material is pertinent to their objectives and requirements, they are therefore more likely to actively engage in the eLearning process.

Online assessments that get progressively more and more challenging can help online students in identifying their knowledge and skill gaps. The full potential of your eLearning course is realized by motivated online learners, who are also more likely to continue digital learning in the future.

4. Access to More eLearning Data & Insights

You can deploy modules more frequently by automating some processes in your eLearning course. As a result, you can test different components to see if they work. After each round, educators can gather extensive feedback for adjustments and modifications to match the needs of the students.

To improve your eLearning strategy, conduct audience research through surveys, polls, and interviews. This enables you to test out various eLearning exercises and instructional design strategies in search of the best fixes for any problems that crop up.

Conclusion

Automation for education can boost your course’s effectiveness while saving you time and money. Automated processes can provide a wide array of unmatched benefits for educators and students alike, for instance, personalized learning, immediate feedback, saving time and effort in grading and other administrative tasks, and much more.

With the sole purpose of modernizing STEM education across the globe, DigitalEd offers the interactive Möbius platform. Möbius is a cutting-edge eLearning platform for creating and distributing digital courses that leverages automation to facilitate enhanced learning and teaching experiences.

Möbius promotes better knowledge retention with an automated process:

Step1:

Students gain access to algorithmically randomized questions for repeated practice.

Step2:

The results of the questions are automatically displayed on the platform.

Step3:

The students can connect with the educators for immediate feedback and guidance.

This automated process facilitates a personalized learning environment with effective self-evaluation.

Want to learn more?

Contact us to book an in-depth product demo session.

Also, stay tuned for new additions in our Education 4.0 series.