AI is becoming a big disruptor in education. By 2026, AI in education is expected to reach $10.38 billion, growing annually by 45.12%. AI EdTech startups are getting lots of money and users.
AI is used in learning for training, development, higher education, and K-12 schooling. Where and how can schools, universities, and learning companies use AI in education?
AI assists in predicting and preventing the departure of crucial employees
Losing talented folks costs organizations money. Colleges, universities, and schools feel the pinch too. Studies show that replacing highly qualified staff can cost up to 150% of their annual salary and benefits.
With AI-powered talent management software, schools and universities can foresee when important staff might leave, reducing disruptions to operations. IBM, for instance, achieved 95% accuracy in identifying potential departures using AI. This action helped the company slash retention costs by nearly $300 million.
AI assists in evaluating skill sets and identifying the right talents
An AI-powered talent management system helps a school’s HR department assess an employee’s skills and place them in the appropriate position.
This method is quicker and fairer than manager surveys. Candidates only have to explain their skills once. Then AI analyzes the data, creating a detailed list for HR of employees, their skill levels, and the best positions for them.
Another choice is for job seekers to upload their resume or CV, and an AI tool analyzes their skills to recommend a fitting job based on their experience and interests.
Begin with a competency matrix to analyze the current skill set of employees. But how do you know which skills to improve in the workforce? For that, compare the availability of each skill with the business’s strategic objectives.
Artificial intelligence improves the upskilling and reskilling
Surveys indicate that 9 out of 10 executives acknowledge or anticipate skill gaps among their staff in the next five years. However, less than half of them know how to tackle this problem.
The most popular strategy for addressing skill gaps is through internal “upskilling” and “reskilling” to promote mobility within the organization, as mentioned by 56% of respondents. External hiring is also an obvious approach.
Yet, almost 70% of HR professionals are still unhappy with how their companies fulfill their internal mobility goals.
Some employees feel stuck and don’t see a path to advancement within their company. Therefore, the most appealing way to get promoted appears to be by switching to a new employer.
AI algorithms in a learning experience platform (LXP) or management system (LMS) can assist these individuals. They look at skills, find jobs that fit, point out any missing skills, and recommend training to improve chances for advancing in their school or university career.
AI-powered software helps monitor exams
AI software can be used in exams to spot suspicious behavior and notify a proctor, especially during online or remote learning when a proctor can’t monitor students in person.
For instance, a facial recognition system can determine if a student is staying in their seat, talking to someone else, or searching for information in their notes during the test.
Universities and colleges like the hybrid model, using both human proctors and AI tools to enhance assessments and prevent cheating.
The AI apps watch for suspicious behavior, check test results, and send reports about that. Proctors see all this data in real-time, including AI-detected issues, and can act quickly to address any student’s behavior as needed.
AI-powered tool to boost student enrollment engagement
According to a McKinsey and Company report, more than 85% of college presidents see enrollment numbers as a major concern. Nearly half of students cite emotional reasons for not enrolling, while 30% mention financial constraints.
Universities that use AI in the enrollment process get more students and reduce their expenses.
Georgia State University demonstrates a great use case. Their AI chatbot sends personalized messages to remind prospective students about enrollment deadlines and requirements. The university also uses this assistant to tell students about financial aid options such as grants, loans, and scholarships.
Students chat with the AI bot using messaging apps on their phones and get quick responses. If the bot doesn’t know the answer, it forwards the question to a human. The AI bot learns from human feedback, adding answers to its database after each conversation. Thanks to this self-learning, it could handle more requests over time without human assistance.
AI technology for campus security
Phishing attacks and ransomware pose major security concerns on campus because universities, colleges, and schools hold a ton of sensitive personal information and valuable intellectual property.
AI tools can recognize normal actions and spot suspicious traffic better than humans. They analyze strange activities to create patterns. In the future, they can check the unusual cases using these patterns. Moreover, they even can create recommendations for the IT department.
For instance, let’s consider a faculty member’s usual routine. They arrive at work around 8:00 a.m., leave around 8:00 p.m., and occasionally log in remotely at 10:00 p.m. It’s unexpected for them to connect to the system at 4:00 a.m. from India. AI can spot these deviations and block access.
Here’s another example: preventing an active shooter on campus. With high-definition cameras equipped with deep learning and AI, security staff can be alerted about suspicious individuals. Additionally, an AI-driven video surveillance system is able to identify faces, license plates, and spot guns.
That means the security team doesn’t have to constantly watch the perimeter. Having the risk matrix, the AI system analyzes data and compares events with this matrix. Then, it just instructs the staff on how to respond.
