How AI & Tech Transform Education: Tactics for Product and Technology Innovators

Technology has fundamentally transformed how we acquire knowledge and skills. From bite-sized meditation courses to expansive online learning platforms, the digital revolution has democratized education, making it more accessible, engaging, and tailored than ever before. Let’s explore some cutting-edge ways technology like AI is now transforming learning.

Stimulate Learning is the fifteenth Design Strategy in a series where I share essential tips for creating tech products people love, based on the book Design Things That Make Sense (with a free downloadable toolkit).

Read all articles about Design Strategies here.

Make It a Personalized Journey

Traditionally, everyone followed the same learning journey. However, learners have a different knowledge base to start with and different preferences in terms of content format and learning style. Ingenius offers an AI-powered adaptive platform that personalizes content, delivery format, and training path. Eureka even generates entire courses from scratch for anything you want to learn.?

Make It Engaging

Gamification has turned traditional learning around, making the process as addictive as playing a video game. Duolingo, a language learning app, uses gamification masterfully by integrating daily goals, rewards, and a progression system that makes learning a new language feel more like a game than a classroom lesson. Luis von Ahn, CEO of Duolingo, said, “We prefer to be more on the addictive side than the fast-learning side. If someone drops out, their rate of learning is zero,” highlighting the strategy of keeping learners hooked.

Make It Social

AI is bringing the social aspect of learning into the digital age by providing students with the option to engage with an AI-generated tutor. Recognizing that generative AI is not yet perfect, Brainly offers its learners options like expert-verified AI answers and the ability to switch between an AI tutor and a live expert at any time. As the AI tutor improves over time, it will become the primary tutor on the platform, available 24/7 at scale.

Make It Personal

AI will drive the creation of interactive holograms and digital characters, enabling students to "converse" with representations of historical figures like Napoleon, George Washington, Salvador Dali, or any other famous person for whom we have sufficient training material. Imagine the difference: reading about Napoleon in a book versus having a “personal” conversation with him. Which would make for a more engaging learning experience?

As early as 2019, before the generative AI revolution, the Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida, used deepfake technology to "bring the master of surrealism back to life." While not fully interactive for educational purposes in schools, it offered a glimpse of future possibilities. Visitors to the museum could even take a selfie with Dali!

Already 5 years ago, the Dali Museum in St Petersburg, Florida, used deepfake technology to "bring the master of surrealism back to life".

Make It Accessible

Platforms like EdX have made education from top institutions accessible to anyone with an internet connection. Courses are free, with additional paid options for certifications. Like many companies, EdX has jumped on the trend of providing AI chatbot options to further improve accessibility of their extensive learning content collections. For example, they offer Xpert, which can act as a personal tutor and assistant, generates summaries of video and text material, breaks down complex concepts, and more. EdX’s pilot showed that the number of questions being asked by learners went up five-fold; 85% of learners showed a preference for initially asking questions of the AI tool. Today, learners ask over 7,500 questions a day through the AI tool.

Make It an Experience

The power of combining AI and VR is just beginning to be tapped. Companies are creating immersive educational experiences that transport students to the stars or deep into history with just a headset. These tools are not only about bringing the world to the classroom but also about making complex concepts, like the workings of a volcano or the circulatory system, visually and interactively understandable.

Make It Hands-On

The proverb "learning by doing" is taking on a new dimension with technology. Osmo has bridged the digital and physical worlds by integrating physical objects with digital gameplay, using a tablet and a set of educational games that teach skills such as math, spelling, and coding. They leverage reflective AI technology to improve the learning experience, combining the tactile satisfaction of real objects with the flexibility of digital practice.

Dos and Don’ts for Stimulate Learning

?? Keep it Simple: Complex systems can intimidate and alienate learners. Strive for intuitive design that makes starting easy and enjoyable.

?? Balance Tech and Touch: While technology can enhance learning, the human element is irreplaceable. Consider blending tech-driven and traditional methods to provide a holistic educational experience.

?? Monitor Engagement: Use analytics to understand how learners interact with your content and continually refine your approach based on this data to maximize learning outcomes.

In sum, as AI technology continues to evolve, so does the potential for educational innovation. By harnessing these tools, educators and innovators can provide experiences that are not only educational but truly transformative, ensuring learners of all ages and backgrounds can achieve their potential in an increasingly digital world.

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This article is the fifteenth publication in a series of articles sharing practical, actionable tips on how to design tech products that people don't just use, but love. We'll dive into applying AI in ways that truly matter by making technology work for people, not the other way around. You can find all publications here.

The articles build on the world’s leading design methods for designing successful tech products, as described in the book “Design Things that Make Sense”. Visit www.designthingsthatmakesense.com to learn more or download the free toolkit.