Adult Education

Trends in Adult Education: Artificial Intelligence

Tanya Dunne, Physiotherapist & Educator  — November 2023 

Fast forward to today. In researching trends in adult education, I inevitably came across ChatGPT and other forms of generative AI. I decided that it was time to learn more. What is AI? What is ChatGPT? What are the pros and cons of using AI in adult education? Should I incorporate these tools into my practice as an educator?

How Can We Use AI?

As educators we “need to be mindful of the limitations of AI and use it appropriately, while learners need to develop skills to navigate AI-based learning tools effectively” (Greene-Harper, 2023, para 17). This will be my goal. In the coming years I plan to incorporate AI into my teaching when it adds value to the learning experience, and I plan to teach my learners what it is and how to use it effectively.

As a starting point, I will share Gurung’s (2023) FEAL model with my learners. This model presents an easy-to-use guide for asking questions and making decisions about when to use AI.

• F:  Will the task be faster?

• E:  Is it ethical?

• A:  Is it accurate?

• L:  Will I learn?

I am also planning on creating a learning activity based on Orlando’s (2023) recommendations on how to incorporate AI into assignments. My learners are professionals who need to stay on top of best practice to ensure that they are providing the best possible care to their clients. This requires being able to stay on top of a large amount of information and research. An activity that uses AI as a starting point for research, to gain an overview of the topic, could be helpful in highlighting how AI can be used as a tool to save time. Having learners run the query through multiple AI systems will give an appreciation of the limitations of the systems and how the responses produced can vary. Combining these responses can serve as a starting point for learners to then build on with other resources but will also require the evaluation of the AI’s responses to determine if the information is comprehensive and accurate. I’m excited about this new tool and look forward to exploring its potential.