Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality & Learning Analytics

Artificial Intelligence (AI), Virtual Reality (VR), and Learning Analytics (LA) are all innovative technologies transforming how we live, work, and learn. To begin, AI is defined as the ability of a computer or robot controlled by a computer to execute jobs that are traditionally performed by humans since they require human intelligence and judgment. The vast array of tasks that a typical human can perform cannot be duplicated by an AI, yet some AIs can compete with humans in certain tasks (Copeland, B. ,2023). Next, an artificial three-dimensional (3D) visual or other sensory environment can be accessed by computer modeling and simulation, or informally known as "Virtual Reality" (VR). Using interactive, wearable devices such as goggles, headsets, gloves, or body suits that send and receive information, VR applications submerge the user in a computer-generated environment that replicates reality (Lowood, H. E., 2023). Last but not least, learning analytics is described as the collection, measurement, analysis, and reporting of data about learners with the goal of enhancing learning and the contexts in which it takes place using human decisions (Tsai, 2018). To put it simply, this essay will discuss the potential effects of artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and learning analytics on teaching and learning, as well as how these cutting-edge technologies can be used to improve learning outcomes and enrich the educational process. It will also examine any difficulties and ethical quandaries that might arise from implementing these tools in the classroom.

Furthermore, AI can affect learning in formal education in both positive and harmful ways. It could seem that AI should be used in as many educational settings as feasible because AI is currently high on the policy agenda. Technology might appear to create whole new possibilities for resolving old problems when a new promising technology is developed, and this is especially true when the limitations of the technology and the difficulties in utilizing it are frequently not fully recognized. When it comes to meeting the specific needs of students, artificial intelligence offers remarkable adaptability. Utilizing AI, personalized learning experiences are created to suit each student's learning style and pace, offering priceless one-on-one attention. When people realize that AI will alter the setting in which learning occurs and where it becomes socially meaningful, in addition to making existing schooling more efficient, their enthusiasm for the field of learning will be muted. Many of the learning methods used today meet the demands of a changing industrial world. Things that merely institutionalize old practices are simple to automate. This sometimes leads to frustration in a changing world since ideas can become outmoded even before they are put into practice.

Moreover, AI-powered devices can customize academic curricula. AI techniques can enable worldwide classrooms to include visually and hearing-impaired students. This can also assist students who are unable to attend classes due to illness. In the traditional educational system, teachers evaluate pupils on their assignments and tests, which takes up a lot of time. When AI enters the picture, it will quickly do these duties. It also aids in recommending strategies for closing learning gaps. AI offers a variety of tools to persons who speak different languages or have hearing or visual impairments (Kengam, J., 2020). Presentation Translator, an AI-based system application, provides real-time subtitles. For example, with Google Translate, students can read and hear in their own language. Modern technology like virtual reality and gamification can assist in creating more participatory meetings. There are a lot of fascinating potential uses for AI in teaching. However, it is likely that AI vendors will offer goods and services that target important decision-makers' perceived urgent issues rather than more basic social and economic concerns in the absence of explicit pedagogic principles. Offering products and services that call for altering present educational procedures is challenging for an AI start-up in the educational industry. AI enhances teaching strategies by giving pupils a distinctive educational opportunity. Through AI interactions, students can access materials outside of the classroom and get real-time feedback, opening new opportunities for learning and development. Microsoft Translator, an AI assistive tool for deaf learners, Lookout by Google, a service for people with visual impairments, Speechify Text Reader, a tool for people with dyslexia, ADHD, and low vision, and IFTTT, an automation app, are some examples of AI-powered products assisting people with special needs.

Besides, the adoption of computer-generated software by educational institutions to enhance instruction has put virtual reality (VR) in the spotlight in the education sector. Helping children with special education needs is one of virtual reality's effects (S. Penny., D. Brown. and J. Cromby, 2021). Virtual reality programs aid in improving students’ focus and concentration in class. Many students suffer from attention deficit disorder, making it difficult for them to concentrate, comprehend, or acquire the skills required in the profession. Some pupils require extra help because of a physical disability, while others do so because of mental impairments (Yosr Chamekha and Mohamed Amin Hammami, 2020). These pupils can acquire the necessary abilities in their academic path with the aid of VR apps. Working in partners while wearing virtual reality headsets is one technique to enhance vocabulary and writing abilities. While one student investigates virtual reality and discusses what they observe, the other student can take notes, opening discussion opportunities. This lesson plan was utilized by the Beatrix Potter School in London to take children on an underwater expedition. The students worked in pairs to vocally describe marine species before producing a descriptive paragraph (Class VR, 2022).

In addition, the main benefit of learning analytics to education is that it makes personalised learning opportunities possible (Greller & Drachsler, 2012). Technology advancements provide new chances to customize instruction. Students are more likely to achieve when their needs are met in the classroom (Baghaei, Mitrovic, & Irwin, 2007; Kerr,2015). Teachers used some of the data generated by learning analytics to better understand the learning processes of their students, which they subsequently used to deliver and enhance feedback to students, along with other qualitative data. This technique monitors all user learning actions inside a digital ecosystem and produces visual learning process reports. The reports can assist teachers and students in increasing learning motivation, changing practices, and increasing learning effectiveness. Hence, it is important to help students become aware of and engage in self-reflection about their learning styles and habits. Learning analytics are also used by adaptive or individualized learning systems to tailor the course material for each learner. User profiles and other types of data can also be gathered and evaluated to provide more individualized learning experiences. Continuous feedback is used in this method to support each student's development individually.

In general, technology increases both the accessibility and vulnerability of personal information. Learners' online activities can be recorded in design and training scenarios, and their personal information, such as data and training results, can be made public to an unintentional audience. However, there may be certain difficulties in integrating AI, VR, and LA in the classroom. Complexity and variety might jeopardize quality and dependability, while data collection from students and teachers can raise ethical and social problems like privacy, security, permission, prejudice, accountability, and trust. Additionally, VR instruction may call for new abilities and competencies from teachers and students, necessitating greater help and direction in the form of training, orientation, scaffolding, and feedback. Accessibility appears to be a specific ethical concern for learning technology professionals operating in a learning environment. The discussion participants underlined that accessibility implies a product reaches not only the bulk of its end customers but, more significantly, a tiny percentage of consumers who have specific needs, such as persons with disabilities. It was stated that the accessibility of the materials rather than being 'cool' or utilizing fancy technology was more crucial. It was highlighted that being more considerate of those with special needs was the morally correct thing to do (Hong Lin & Judith A. Kolb, 2006).

In a nutshell, the usage of artificial intelligence AI-based technologies in the classroom may rise significantly as these technologies become more pervasive in society. Student engagement may be higher with assistive tools that use some sort of AI than with those that do not. Teachers and students are frequently used as test subjects by educational technology businesses that build and manage these tools because many of the programs, applications, or extensions that make up AI-based assistive technologies do not go through thorough evaluations before being introduced in schools. The preservation of teacher and student privacy and security while working with AI-based assistive technologies should be a top priority because technology inclusion is becoming a higher priority in many school divisions. The amount of student data that is gathered or shared with educational technology businesses should be kept to a minimum, and it should only contain data that enables enhancements to student accomplishment, learning, and engagement. AI in education is a game changer. According to a paper published by the Centre for Integrative Research in Computer and Learning Sciences, the next level applications of AI in education have yet to be established. Therefore, individuals developing AI applications ought to fully notify educators and decision-makers in the field of education about this. Although there are various disadvantages to adopting AI in the educational sector, our future is AI, thus educational institutions should begin exposing their pupils to this type of technology, which began with a bit of AI. Only time will be able to predict how AI will ultimately affect schooling. The primary goal of AI is to facilitate the job of educators rather than to replace them.

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