Is technology changing education or are expectations too high?

Contents:

• The Digital Age: New Horizons in the Educational Process
• Prospects for Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
• Reasons Why Educational Technologies May Not Live Up to Expectations

At the SberUniversity conference entitled "More than education," a case session was held on the topic "Trends in the development of education: how EdTech makes education human-centered?" The event featured practical examples from EdTech companies and corporate universities. Participants shared their approaches to using technologies such as virtual reality (VR), chatbots, and other modern tools in educational processes. Speakers also discussed how the current growth of generative artificial intelligence may impact the future of learning.

The Digital Age: New Horizons in the Educational Process

Speakers shared examples of specific changes that have occurred as a result of the implementation of digital technologies in the educational processes of their organizations.

Alexander Fedyakov, head of School 21, noted that with the development of the internet, the peer-to-peer learning method has become popular again. This approach has deep roots, as the exchange of knowledge between people existed long before the emergence of educational institutions. But what has caused its revival in the modern world? Fedyakov attributes this to the so-called "inflation" of information resulting from the widespread use of the internet.

According to him, the amount of information necessary for studying various subjects is currently available to anyone who desires it. In this regard, the role of the teacher is largely reduced to selecting and filtering content. The peer-to-peer learning method, which is used, in particular, at School 21, also helps in selecting publicly available information, allowing students to jointly process and comprehend it.

Alexander Fedyakov metaphorically describes the learning process as passing information through a "sieve," emphasizing that for each specific skill or topic, it is possible to find a suitable person with whom the study will be more engaging and comfortable. This approach represents a more flexible option compared to traditional interaction with just one teacher.

Alexander Fedyakov notes that School 21 uses analytical methods to analyze social interactions among students during the selection stage. This allows for the formation of groups or "tribes" where students can learn together comfortably and conveniently, based on the identified clusters. This social structure is based on mathematical principles, and the collection of such data is made possible by the digital environment in which future IT specialists are trained.

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Maria Mikhailyuk, who heads the Alfa-Bank Academy, noted that one of the significant advantages of digitalization is the ability to accurately assess the effectiveness of educational processes. In the field of corporate training, it has become much easier to determine the justification for investments in training programs. Since both the training process and employee activities are now conducted digitally, it is possible to collect a variety of metrics. Changes in these indicators make it possible to assess whether employee productivity has increased after completing the training and also provide the opportunity to quantify the percentage improvement in their performance.

The speakers also emphasized that modern digital technologies facilitate active student engagement in the learning process. In particular, Maria Mikhailyuk highlighted Telegram as an important tool in organizing educational programs. This messenger allows for maintaining audience interest through video messages from lecturers, as well as by posting discussion questions and reflective posts, and conducting polls.

It's true that modern digital technologies have given rise to new learning methods, such as virtual reality and various simulators. Sergey Lukashkin, director of the Digital Technologies in Education Research and Education Center at the Graduate School of Management at St. Petersburg State University and also managing digital transformation projects at VTB, shared this in the context of preparing for public speaking.

According to the expert, virtual reality is most effective in promoting skills that require a clear sequence of actions. For example, St. Petersburg State University developed a simulator designed for practicing public speaking skills. It evaluates how well a student maintains eye contact with an imaginary audience, whether they use unnecessary words, and whether they maintain an optimal tempo. Other similar simulators help to learn algorithms of actions in emergency situations or during communication with clients who contact with the same type of requests.

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Educational institutions such as schools and universities are increasingly introducing virtual and augmented reality technologies for the learning process. These innovative approaches create immersive environments that significantly enrich the educational experience.

Virtual reality (VR) allows students to immerse themselves in fully digital worlds where they can interact with various objects and scenarios. For example, in medical schools, future doctors can practice surgical simulations, helping them develop practical skills in a safe environment. Meanwhile, in schools, history lessons can take the form of field trips to ancient civilizations, allowing students not only to study but also to directly "visit" important historical events.

Augmented reality (AR) offers a slightly different approach. It overlays digital information on the real world, opening up new horizons for learning. Students can, for example, use a tablet or smartphone to view 3D models that come to life on the pages of textbooks. This makes learning more visual and interactive, which, in turn, can increase motivation and interest in the subjects.

Thus, the introduction of VR and AR into the educational process not only diversifies teaching methods but also promotes a deeper understanding of the material, developing students' critical thinking and practical skills.

Sergey Lukashkin, in turn, believes that truly mastering public speaking requires working with a live teacher. Achieving the level of an outstanding speaker in virtual reality is impossible, although basic skills are quite possible to develop. The expert also noted that sometimes the use of virtual reality is not justified, since students can successfully memorize the necessary actions based on videos or text materials.

Prospects for Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

During the discussion, participants repeatedly mentioned generative artificial intelligence, emphasizing that excessive expectations are placed on this technology.

The participants agreed that artificial intelligence has the potential to change the education system in the future, in particular due to the possibility of developing truly individualized educational routes. However, as Marianna Snigireva, CEO of Netology, noted, it may take several years to collect the data necessary to understand how these routes should be formed and how to make the learning process as effective as possible for each individual. Currently, even EdTech companies lack the information they need to effectively manage digital learning and tailor courses to students' individual needs.

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Artificial Intelligence in Education: Analyzing Practical Examples.

According to experts, in the coming years, artificial intelligence in education will be primarily effective for solving specific problems. For example, Maria Mikhailyuk emphasized that generative neural networks are excellent at developing educational courses in various formats: text can be easily converted into an audio file with any voice, and videos with a digital teacher can be created.

Alexander Fedyakov noted that chatbots using artificial intelligence significantly facilitate the process of overcoming the fear of a blank page for specialists in various fields. If a problem proves difficult to solve immediately, one can always turn to AI for ideas. Although it won't provide final solutions, the materials it suggests will provide a good foundation for further work. Other experts also agreed that the use of this tool would have a positive impact.

Only Vyacheslav Yurchenkov suggested that chatbots could become a kind of "solution book," resulting in human interactions occurring through prompts, i.e., queries to generative neural networks. This raises the question: could a situation similar to the Google effect repeat itself, where people find it easier to resort to a search engine or chatbot than to take the time to think independently?

Nevertheless, most study participants believe that the use of neural networks in professional settings is acceptable. Maria Mikhailyuk emphasized that, given the labor shortage in various fields, this is even necessary. In places where there is a shortage of specialists, it makes sense to delegate routine tasks to neural networks.

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Generative neural networks are finding their application in the process of adult education. Marianna Snigireva shared her opinion on the importance of chatbots for student support. All participants noted that asynchronous learning, where students are left alone with pre-recorded material, poses a significant challenge for maintaining motivation. Even mature students with clear goals can face difficulties without someone nearby to monitor their progress and answer any questions that arise. Unfortunately, online course tutors and instructors are not always able to promptly respond to all student requests. Snigireva notes that Netologia has often encountered cases where even basic questions could only be answered after a day. This led to students being forced to postpone practical assignments, as they were unable to complete them without clarification. In light of this, the chatbot, which was initially created to handle administrative requests, such as platform instructions, was further trained.

Currently, artificial intelligence can handle 70% of the questions students ask. These primarily concern simple technical issues they encounter while completing homework in various applications. It turns out that the vast majority of these queries are standard and can be quickly resolved using machine learning.

The more difficult questions that remain are answered by tutors and instructors. Due to the reduced number of questions, this process takes no more than ten hours. Thus, the number of demotivating factors in the courses has decreased.

Reasons Why Educational Technologies May Not Live Up to Expectations

During the event, Vyacheslav Yurchenkov, who is the moderator and heads the Center for Research in Educational Technologies at SberUniversity, asked the speakers to briefly describe how actively their organizations have integrated digital technologies into the educational process, as well as how they select and use these technologies.

Some observers noted that digital technologies have indeed become part of the educational process, but have not brought about fundamental changes. Comparing the actual state of affairs with previously expressed forecasts can be disappointing. Technological advances seem to have little impact on the learning process.

For example, Maria Mikhailyuk noted that if she had been asked a few years ago how she thought technology, including digital technology, would impact education, she would have predicted that everyone would have a chip for instant transfer of knowledge and skills. However, the reality is that this hasn't happened yet, and the educational process continues in the traditional format.

Why is there a gap between technology predictions and their actual implementation? Marianna Snigireva noted that one reason could be initially inflated expectations. People tend to think that a new innovation will instantly transform their daily lives. Information overload about modern technologies may also play a role. Roughly speaking, much news about innovations is simply hype, and when their practical application begins, the actual results are often disappointing. As the examples cited by the speakers emphasize, new technologies lead to changes in communication, learning, and assessment methods, rather than a sudden revolution.

Marianna Snigireva identified another reason why the technological transformation in education has not reached the expected scale. She noted that learning is not yet fully integrated into metaverses and virtual reality. One of the main obstacles is the high cost of VR devices. This technology has not been widely adopted even in areas where the benefits of virtual training are obvious. For example, medical students are often trained to work with real patients by training them in virtual operating rooms, but such opportunities are not available everywhere. For innovative solutions to successfully scale, their cost must be affordable.

Sergey Lukashkin put forward another hypothesis. He believes that the introduction of modern technological solutions into the educational process may not have a significant impact on the overall situation due to the habits and established approaches of specialists working in this field.

Faculty who were raised and trained in a traditional information environment truly find it difficult to imagine how to transition from a format of conventional lectures and weekly seminars to the use of video materials and digital simulators.

Furthermore, experts are confident that changes to the education system are unnecessary. If traditional teaching methods have been preserved for centuries, this is evidence of their effectiveness. However, with the advent of new generations, the situation is beginning to change – young people who grew up in the digital age are striving to integrate them into their educational practices.

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