The Symbiosis of AI and PBL
As a #teacher, I have always concerned myself with trying to improve how I engage students and how I design authentic #assessment. My own experiences as a #student, particularly with boring lessons and exams, influence this.
I was never great at listening for long periods of time at school. I often fell asleep in lectures at uni. I much preferred to be 'doing' something, being involved in the learning more than consuming.
I confess that exams were never my forte. The sterile environments and the unwavering expectation to regurgitate information; hand ache from frantic scribbled responses, trying to keep up with the ticking clock. Then there were the cold exam halls, the shuffling of papers, and the ever-present exam invigilators pacing like caged lions. I always felt some degree of isolation despite being amidst a sea of fellow students.
Hence, it’s probably no surprise that when I became an #educator, I wanted to avoid passing on these experiences to those in my care. I think this led to dabbling with different variants of project based learning #PBL and I have always felt that this fits my values.
PBL experiences
Seeing students engrossed in projects that allow them to express their passions always has and always will excite me. Passive learning sessions of note-taking, long periods of listening, are not my preferred method of #learning and I don't find too many students for whom they are. Having students actively constructing their knowledge, breathing life into their learning, leads to better engagement in my experience as a teacher. As a facilitator in PBL environments, it has allowed me to develop relationships with students more easily, develop skills and capabilities beyond traditional subjects and disciplines.
Even though I don't recall ever receiving sustained periods of formal training in PBL, I have eagerly learned through staccato professional development, colleagues, collaboration with experts reading and watching. I do not, for a minute, profess to offer a well-crafted PBL experience to students I teach and the mechanics I have seen those with superior knowledge put into place to tune programs, etc, tells me that I have much to learn. However, I am confident that I cover the core concepts.
Despite all this, I have always had concerns about PBL in respect of:
How much students have learned and whether they have the same depth of knowledge as they would get from more direct instruction
Being able to assess the knowledge as detailed above
How much time can be wasted by students trying to design or polish elements of their projects that are not actually not really important to the learning experience (eg a website or a presentation).
AI is a PBL Game Changer
Enter #ai – the PBL game-changer. Internet access meant instant information, research and expertise. Yet, despite these resources, critiques still argued that students were limited by a lack of foundational knowledge. Questions such as:
How can a student undertake a project that involves developing sporting equipment that prevent injuries without knowing key information about biomechanics?
How can teachers ensure that all students access information that they understand about biomechanics and learn from that regardless of their role in a project team?
How will PBL teachers know that this has happened?
AI, with its advancements, addresses these concern. #chatbots can rapidly distill information and knowledge into formats that students can comprehend at their level. This ensures that students have access to the foundational knowledge needed for their projects. Additionally, these same tools can provide formative assessments, enabling students to assess their understanding of underlying concepts. These can be shared with teachers, demonstrating understanding for each individual student.
Further Symbiosis of AI and PBL
AI has the potential to enhance PBL in more ways. It can help students in creating professional content for their projects, tools such as:
Seenapse can be used for ideation as can a chatbot
Gamma can be used to quickly create presentations or websites without spending excessive time on design elements.
Chatbots can be used as a virtual assistant, a critical friend, who can provide feedback, challenge ideas, and ensure that projects align with the curriculum.
Image generators, text-to-speech, talking avatars, AI research assistants, etc.
But perhaps the most empowering aspect of this symbiosis is as described by Ethan Mollick, where AI enables students to use #chatgpt to impersonate experts, thus bringing an element of specialist advice to their projects. This level of support has got to be far more engaging for students than previously imaginable and ensures projects remain focused and relevant, without meandering.
No More Excuses
With AI enhancing PBL, as educators, we no longer have any excuses not to venture into this dynamic approach. By empowering students to take control of their learning and by providing them with the tools to do so effectively, we are equipping them with education that values innovation and critical thinking over rote memorisation. We can safely ditch the exam knowing that PBL is a richer, more authentic experience and the critics' fears have been allayed.
The amalgamation of AI and PBL holds the promise of a transformative educational experience - one that resonates with my ethos as an educator and reaffirms my belief in #aieducation.
