VIRTUAL: Applying Education

Abstract

Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are essential drivers of innovation and growth in all sectors, including education. While AI-powered technologies have been around for a while in Education Technology (EdTech), the sector has been sluggish in their acceptance. The pandemic, on the other hand, radically altered the scene, pushing educators to rely on tech for virtual instructions. Now, many educators believe that technology should be an integral element of education. AI has the potential to improve both teaching and learning, assisting the education industry, simultaneously evolving to benefit both students and teachers. One of the key emerging areas in education is the use of chatbots. Aside being available 24/7 to students, chatbots can provide personalized learning experiences, instant feedback or response to students, enhanced accessibility for disabled students with alternative mode of communication and the ability to automate repetitive tasks making them cost effective. By leveraging the power of machine learning and natural language processing, AI can enable chatbots to better understand students’ learning preferences, and provide tailored content to improve their learning outcomes. AI can therefore help improve the efficiency of chatbots, allowing them to handle more complex tasks and freeing up teachers to focus on other aspects of teaching. This paper focuses on a comprehensive literature review of Chatbots, their history, applications, designs and evaluations as well as how they can be used as a tool to boost attainment for secondary school students with a particular focus on making the underlining AI explainable and ethical.