The AI Revolution in Education: Will AI Replace or Assist Teachers in Higher Education?

By Cecilia Ka Yuk Chan, Louisa H.Y. Tsi. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 2023

319 citations recorded by the source corpus.

This paper explores the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in higher education, specifically its capacity to replace or assist human teachers. By reviewing relevant literature and analysing survey data from students and teachers, the study provides a comprehensive perspective on the future role of educators in the face of advancing AI technologies. Findings suggest that although some believe AI may eventually replace teachers, the majority of participants argue that human teachers possess unique qualities, such as critical thinking, creativity, and emotions, which make them irreplaceable. The study also emphasizes the importance of social-emotional competencies developed through human interactions, which AI technologies cannot currently replicate. The research proposes that teachers can effectively integrate AI to enhance teaching and learning without viewing it as a replacement. To do so, teachers need to understand how AI can work well with teachers and students while avoiding potential pitfalls, develop AI literacy, and address practical issues such as data protection, ethics, and privacy. The study reveals that students value and respect human teachers, even as AI becomes more prevalent in education. The study also introduces a roadmap for students, teachers, and universities. This roadmap serves as a valuable guide for refining teaching skills, fostering personal connections, and designing curriculums that effectively balance the strengths of human educators with AI technologies. The future of education lies in the synergy between human teachers and AI. By understanding and refining their unique qualities, teachers, students, and universities can effectively navigate the integration of AI, ensuring a well-rounded and impactful learning experience.

Subfields: Computer Science Applications, Education, Information Systems

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/d0d968351ecf60e10184175f9f64ef0f9a75d112

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Citations in the corpus

A comprehensive AI policy education framework for university teaching and learning (2023, background): “As mentioned above, the use of AI technologies has raised different issues of concern (Chan & Tsi, 2023; Chan & Zhou, 2023).”
The AI generation gap: Are Gen Z students more interested in adopting generative AI such as ChatGPT in teaching and learning than their Gen X and millennial generation teachers? (2023, background): “…to build trust and rapport with students is also limited, and cannot currently replace teachers in their roles of facilitating students’ socio-emotional competencies, providing mentoring and support for students in the classrooms and for ethical or moral dilemmas, and so on (Chan & Tsi, 2023).”
The Robots Are Here: Navigating the Generative AI Revolution in Computing Education (2023, background): “In a related strand of work, Chan and Tsi focused specifically on the capacity of generative AI for replacing human teachers [54].”
Students’ voices on generative AI: perceptions, benefits, and challenges in higher education (2023, background): “In Chan and Tsi (2023) study, there is a particular concern towards holistic competency development such as creativity, critical thinking.”