AI in Education: Professor's Course & Feedback Experiments Show Promise
Dr. Alex Connock, a fellow at the Said Business School, University of Oxford, and professor of practice at Exeter University, has explored the potential of AI in education. Republished from The Conversation, Connock's article delves into AI-generated courses and feedback, drawing from his own works on media and AI.
Connock's AI agent, trained on his books via a deal with OpenAI, created an interactive and intellectually challenging course on media and AI. The course covered topics such as the ethics of non-player characters (NPCs) in computer games and visual effects tools like Nuke.
Connock believes that as AI becomes more central to education, human teachers will remain crucial, guiding learning experiences and driving student engagement. He argues that AI can liberate powerful interaction, unlock personalization, challenge, and motivation for students.
In a German-led study, AI-generated feedback was shown to motivate students and support exam preparation. Connock tested this idea with AI agents powered by different platforms, including DeepSeek and Gemini, with varying results. He also asked an AI tutor agent to play the role of him and teach him a personal master's course based on his own work.
Connock's exploration into AI in education highlights the potential of AI-generated courses and feedback to motivate students and enhance learning. While human teachers remain vital, AI can complement and augment educational experiences. Further research and testing with different AI platforms are needed to optimize this potential.