Interplay of Learning, Analytics, and Artificial Intelligence in Education
Speaker: Prof. Dr. Mutlu Çukurova
Location: EF 506
Short CV: Dr. Mutlu Cukurova is a Professor of Learning and Artificial Intelligence at University College London. His work broadly addresses the pressing social-educational challenge of preparing people for a future with AI agents that will require much more than the routine cognitive skills currently prized by many education systems. His research is interdisciplinary and encompasses research in the learning sciences, computer science, and Human-Computer Interaction. In addition, he is in UNESCO's Digital Learning and UCL’s Grand Challenges on Transformative Technologies working groups, an Editor of the British Journal of Educational Technology, and an Associate Editor of the International Journal of Child-Computer Interaction. For more detailed information and recent publications: https://iris.ucl.ac.uk/iris/browse/profile?upi=MCUKU85
Abstract: Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education is more than the application of tools like ChatGPT. This talk presents a multi-dimensional view of AI's role in learning and education, emphasizing the intricate interplay between AI, analytics, and the cognitive processes of learning. The speaker challenges the prevalent narrow conceptualization of AI as stochastic tools, highlighting the cognitive diversity inherent in AI algorithms, and posits that AI can serve as an instrument for understanding human learning. Early learning sciences and AI in Education research, which saw AI as an analogy for human intelligence, have diverged from this perspective, prompting a need to rekindle this connection. The presentation delves into three conceptualizations of AI in education: the externalization of cognition, the internalization of AI models to influence human thought processes, and the extension of human cognition via tightly integrated human-AI systems. Intelligent tutoring systems (ITSs) are examined as instances of the cognitivist approach, which adapts to individual learning needs. The talk also explores the potential dehumanization of learning through AI and the socio-psychological barriers to AI adoption in education. The speaker argues for a balanced view that recognizes AI's limitations and the need for AI systems that support human agency, facilitate the internalization of learning processes, and enhance human cognition without replacing it. The presentation concludes with advocacy for a broader educational approach that includes educating about AI and innovating educational systems to remain relevant in an AI-centric world.
