Artificial Intelligence

Overview:

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a rapidly evolving technology that that is meant to perform tasks that would usually require human intelligence to perform. It utilizes algorithms to "learn" and mine data that helps the machine recognize patterns, solve complex problems, and make decisions in a fraction of the time that it would take human intelligence to complete. 

Key Learnings:

AI as a Natural Language Processor and Content Creation Tool: 

AI is a tool that helps with increased efficiency and productivity when it comes to instructional design. They expedite the more mundane processes of course content and creation, thereby freeing up an instructional designer to focus on the nuances and aspects of instructional design that a AI is not yet capable of creating. For example, I used ChatGPT and asked it to design a 1 hour asynchronous course for teachers of grades 3, 4, and 5 around how to teach operations with fractions. The result was a comprehensive course outline that had many good ideas for the course trajectory. However, as a master teacher and math coach, there were notable gaps in the outline and it did not cater to a more constructivist approach that I prefer to use. The AI produced a great starting point for the course but it still required my expertise to review it and determine whether the outline would serve my desired outcomes for educators.

AI for Gamification: 

AI can be used to create personal, game-based learning experiences that increase engagement and motivation on the part of the user. AI can be used to create sort of a "choose your own adventure" course that provides the learner with choice and also can differentiate the learning based on what the learner is showing. Differentiation is a major challenge for those of us in asynchronous instructional design because we only know our audience on a broad level (eg. math educators.). It can be difficult to create course work that provides different Zones of Proximal Development to different individuals. 

AI for Assessment, Feedback, and Analytics:

AI can be used to create assessment items for a course. It can be used to generate a pre-course assessment, then use that data to route the learner into certain areas of the course that will best help that learner succeed. AI can produce feedback on what the learner can do differently when they do not succeed or provide feedback when they are correct.

Data is an imperative piece of instructional design. Data on students' learning behaviors (such as time spent on a test question/area of the course or which features a learner clicks on, etc.) informs an instructional designer about how to proceed when building future courses. AI can be used to generate predictive models  and relate it to learners' overall performance. A predictive model can help with designing better assessment questions as well. If learners are commonly choosing a distractor over a correct answer, it signals to the instructional designer that either the course content or the assessment question has design flaws and should be revisited for possible edits. 

Additional Resources:

One can learn about AI through reading about it but the best way to to understand artificial intelligence it to engage with it. There are 3 current AI tools that all have similar functionality:

• ChatGPT

• Google Gemini

• Microsoft Copilot

In addition, many course authoring software programs and apps have built in AI, such as those found in Absorb orTalent LMS.

A blog from Beekeeper CEO and Co-founder Cristian Grossman discusses 3 major benefits of AI in the workplace. He discusses the benefits of AI for increased productivity, how AI turns complex data into useable information, and how AI can be used to increase data security and privacy. 

Nasdaq.com also ran an article in January of 2024 about why now is the time for businesses to invest in AI. One of the most poignant statements in the article says:

The investment for AI is multifaceted. Firstly, the expansion of AI applications across diverse sectors signifies a tipping point that promises long-term value and growth potential. From predictive analytics to natural language processing, AI is not merely a technological tool but a catalyst for innovation. Companies that strategically integrate AI into their operations can gain a competitive edge by unlocking new revenue streams, enhancing customer experiences, and optimizing internal processes.

I have relayed this article to leaders in my own company who are pushing back on investing in AI largely because they struggle to understand its capabilities and potential. 

Implications for Instructional Design:

AI is a time saver for instructional design.  I can speak to this from experience as a colleague and I worked for nearly 2 months to develop the course outline and content for a 1 hour asynchronous PD. Our topic was about how the development of multiplication and division understanding in grades 3, 4, and 5 is directly related to students understanding of ratios and proportions in middle school. We relied on our expertise as math educators and math curriculum developers to help us but we had a number of areas where we disagreed or felt that certain concepts, while connected, were too vague to include in the course. If we had used AI resources, we likely would have agreed on a course outline much sooner and we could have used the AI to explore whether connected concepts had a place in our course.  AI helps an instructional designer repurpose their time to elements of the course that require human insight and decision making.