In the whirlwind of technological advancement, especially in recent years, it may seem that education is drifting further from its traditional roots. The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) in education, with its promises of personalised learning and automated grading, seems to epitomise this shift. Yet, paradoxically, AI might be the very tool that helps us to reconnect with the core values of education: community and social learning.
The evolution of education
Long before educational tools were introduced into the field, and long before teaching became a recognised profession, learning and teaching centred around the community (Hibling, 2024). Think back to the days of hunters and gatherers, and thereafter, in Ancient Greece and beyond. People gathered together to learn from their elders and the wise. In other words, they learned through a process of social interaction and oral tradition. In these societies, education was not formalised. Instead, it was an integral part of daily life, deeply embedded in the community and environment. This learning through social means can be considered the first form of education.
With the emergence of agriculture came a new style of learning and teaching. As societies became more settled and complex, education began to take a more structured form (Gray, 2011: 29). This eventually evolved into the format we know today, where learners gather in classrooms to learn from a teacher, who is more often than not viewed as the central figure in the classroom who imparts knowledge – a ‘sage on the stage’, if you will. This subsequently results in a unidirectional flow of knowledge.
We saw yet another shift in education with the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic, where educators were forced to move their classrooms online. This shift to emergency remote learning and teaching led to a number of challenges, as it emphasised tools and technologies to replicate face-to-face interactions, yet it neglected the overall learning experience (Carroll et al., 2024). For example, decreased student engagement and motivation, as well as diminished academic performance, made it evident that synchronous methods of learning were quickly becoming outdated, that the way content was delivered needed to change, and that more focus needed to be placed on learner engagement (Dogan et al., 2023).
Rediscovering the community of inquiry
At this point, we can look back and see how education has transformed over the years. It’s also becoming increasingly evident that the social aspect of learning is crucial for student success. Research indicates that students engage in deeper learning when they participate in collaborative learning environments (Luckin et al., 2016: 26). This is because working together with peers fosters a sense of community and shared purpose, which enhances intrinsic motivation and engagement. As such, in their research study, Carroll et al. (2024) note that strategies need to be formulated in order to ‘create and manage online learning environments that sustain a strong sense of community’.
As a result of this growing need for learning to be collaborative, the community of inquiry (CoI) framework, developed from a study by Garrison et al. (2000), is now finding its way back into the conversation regarding the bridging of physical and virtual learning communities. This framework focuses on the intentional development of an online learning community (i.e. a community of inquiry), with an emphasis on the creation of deep and meaningful learning experiences through the development of three interdependent elements, namely cognitive, social and teaching presence (Dogan et al., 2023):
- Cognitive presence: This dimension involves how students understand and make sense of what they are studying through reflection and discussion in a community of inquiry. It involves critical thinking, problem-solving, and the exploration of content to deepen understanding.
- Social presence: This dimension involves students’ ability to project their personal characteristics into the community, thereby presenting themselves as real people. It involves creating a supportive environment where students feel comfortable to express their ideas, share experiences and collaborate with others, fostering a sense of belonging and mutual respect.
- Teaching presence: This dimension involves the design, facilitation and direction of cognitive and social processes to achieve meaningful learning outcomes. It encompasses instructional management, building understanding, and direct instruction, ensuring that the educational experience is well structured and goal-orientated.
The educational landscape has evolved over the years, and new technologies have been developed that require approaches to learning and teaching to be adapted. Although the CoI framework was initially developed when online learning began to grow in popularity, it is becoming increasingly relevant to ensuring that virtual learning communities are effective in aiding meaningful learning experiences.
So, where does this leave us with the emergence of AI?
The illusion of disconnection
At first glance, AI in education may appear to foster disconnection. Automated systems can replace human teachers, algorithms are used to personalise learning paths, and virtual classrooms supplant physical ones. It may be argued that this has the potential to alienate students from each other and their educators, disrupting the social aspect of learning (Malekos, 2023). However, this perspective overlooks the profound ways in which AI can actually enhance social learning and community building.
The benefits of AI in education
One of the most significant promises of AI in education is its ability to support and enhance the community of inquiry (Luckin et al., 2016: 25). For instance, AI can facilitate teaching and cognitive presences through the management of administrative tasks and by providing personalised feedback. This, in turn, enhances the quality of interactions between students and educators, as educators can focus on fostering meaningful interactions with students (thereby facilitating social presence).
AI-driven discussion platforms can also analyse student contributions in forums, highlighting key points and suggesting topics for further exploration, thereby encouraging students to delve deeper into the subject matter. This fosters deeper engagement and more meaningful conversations, reminiscent of traditional Socratic seminars. Here, we can see how AI supports cognitive presence. In addition, by providing targeted prompts and feedback, AI can mimic the role of an educator in guiding discussions, which also supports teaching presence. In essence, by enhancing the community of inquiry, AI helps to create a learning environment where students and educators engage in collaborative knowledge construction.
Personalised yet social learning
AI’s ability to personalise education does not have to come at the expense of social learning. Intelligent tutoring systems can tailor content to individual students’ needs, while also facilitating group work and peer interactions. For example, AI can be used to form study groups based on complementary skills and interests, ensuring that students benefit from diverse perspectives and collaborative problem-solving.
Moreover, AI can provide real-time feedback during group activities, helping students to stay on track and enhancing their learning experience. This approach mirrors conventional forms of collaborative learning, where students learn by teaching and supporting each other, fostering a sense of community and shared purpose.
Bridging physical and virtual learning communities
AI can bridge the gap between physical and virtual learning communities, creating a seamless learning experience that combines the best of both worlds. Virtual classrooms powered by AI can simulate real-world interactions, which enables students to collaborate on projects, participate in discussions and engage in social learning activities regardless of geographical location. For example, consider EDGE Education’s CourseBook™, which includes an AI assistant that enables students to engage more deeply with the content by providing plain language definitions, explanations and contextual examples.
In this way, these virtual communities can supplement physical ones, providing additional opportunities for interaction and collaboration. Moreover, AI-driven platforms can connect students with peers and mentors worldwide, fostering a global community of learners who share knowledge and experiences.
Enhancing student-educator interactions
AI can also play a crucial role in strengthening student-educator interactions. By automating routine tasks such as administrative tasks and attendance, AI frees up educators’ time, enabling them to focus on mentoring and personalised support. Intelligent systems can also provide educators with insights into students’ progress and challenges, enabling more effective and timely interventions.
This dynamic shifts educators’ roles from being the central focus in a classroom, delivering knowledge in a unidirectional manner, to acting as guides or mentors who facilitate learning. By enhancing student-educator interactions, AI helps to maintain the human connection at the heart of education.
Ultimately, the key to leveraging AI to reconnect with the roots of education lies in the human-AI partnership. Rather than view AI as a replacement for human educators, we should see it as an augmentation. AI can handle the administrative and data-intensive aspects of education, freeing up humans to focus on creativity, empathy and complex problem-solving.
This partnership enables us to harness the power of AI in order to enhance the social and community aspects of learning, rather than diminish them. By embracing AI as a tool that supports our intrinsic values and needs in education, we can create a future where technology and tradition coexist harmoniously, guiding us back to the roots of learning as a social, collaborative and community-centred process.
Conclusion
The narrative that AI leads to disconnection in education is compelling, but incomplete. By thoughtfully integrating AI into educational practices, we have the opportunity to reclaim the community of inquiry, enhance student-educator interactions, and bridge physical and virtual learning communities. In doing so, we can use AI to return to the roots of education, fostering a deeper connection to the core values of learning as a social, collaborative endeavour. This paradox of progress is not a threat, but rather, a profound opportunity to rediscover the essence of education in an increasingly digital world.
References
Carroll, N., Lang, M. and Connolly, C. (2024), ‘An extended community of inquiry framework supporting students in online and digital education’. Innovations in Education and Teaching International [DOI] <https://doi.org/10.1080/14703297.2024.2326658> accessed 4 June 2024.
Dogan, S., Celik, I., Aslihan, U. and Dogan, N. A. (2023), ‘Employing the Community of Inquiry Framework in an Asynchronous Graduate Course for Teachers’. Journal of Applied Instructional Design [DOI] <10.59668/806.13415> accessed 11 June 2024.
Garrison, D. R., Anderson, T. and Archer, W. (2000), ‘Critical Inquiry in a Text-Based Environment: Computer Conferencing in Higher Education’. The Internet and Higher Education 2(2–3): 87–105.
Gray, P. (2011), ‘The Evolutionary Biology of Education: How Our Hunter-Gatherer Educative Instincts Could Form the Basis for Education Today’. Evolution: Education and Outreach 4: 28–40.
Hibling, A. (2024), ‘Beyond tooling-up with technology: Evolving education in the Digital Era’. EDGE Education [website] <https://edgeeducation.com/beyond-tooling-up-with-technology-evolving-education-in-the-digital-era/> accessed 21 June 2024.
Luckin, R., Holmes, W., Griffiths, M. and Forcier, L. B. (2016), Intelligence Unleashed: An argument for AI in Education. London: Pearson.
Malekos, N. (2023), ‘The Rise of Artificial Intelligence in Education: Will A.I. Disrupt eLearning?’ LearnWorlds [website] <https://www.learnworlds.com/artificial-intelligence-in-education/> accessed 11 June 2024.
