Feature
Education companies, colleges and universities are turning to artificial intelligence (AI) as a tool to reshape learning. Organizations are implementing AI — from virtual tutors to personalized learning pathways — to improve student engagement, optimize staff resources and meet the needs of students. Here, we look at how AI tools are enhancing learning experiences in the education sector.
1. Brainly
Brainly, an online learning platform, recognized that students faced challenges when seeking help with homework, especially on mobile devices. The company aimed to provide a solution that would streamline the learning process. To achieve this, Brainly worked with Google Cloud to use its Vision AI technology, according to a case study.
The engagement with Google Cloud enabled students to photograph their questions and receive instant, relevant answers. The approach and Vision AI's multilingual capabilities significantly enhanced engagement and yielded high satisfaction rates. The technology recognized text in various languages and allowed Brainly to cater to a global audience, making it possible for students worldwide to benefit from the platform.
Google Cloud's scalability was a key factor in the implementation. The platform handled the surge in demand brought on by remote learning, allowing Brainly to support students worldwide.
Brainly's work with Google Cloud resulted in a solution that creates more accessible and equitable learning experiences.
“Everyone who’s ever been to school knows what it’s like to be stuck on a problem you just can’t solve, but not everyone has the same resources to get the right help,” said Bill Salak, CTO, Brainly. “We’re using Google Cloud technology to build a solution that democratizes access to education and helps students who often get left behind.”
Results
- 70% student satisfaction rate
- 6x engagement boost with photo queries
- Increased revenue from subscriptions
2. Berlitz
Berlitz, a language education company, wanted to meet the growing demand for flexible learning options. The company sought to maintain its focus on spoken language practice, even in an online environment. Berlitz worked with Microsoft to achieve this and used Azure AI Speech technology, according to a case study.
Azure AI Speech, particularly its pronunciation assessment capabilities, addressed the limitations of traditional speech-to-text solutions. The switch resulted in a significantly improved student experience and the ability to reach thousands of new learners.
Azure AI Speech Studio and text-to-speech enhanced Berlitz's capabilities by offering a cost-effective voice generation feature. The feature allowed learners to engage with diverse accents and speaker profiles and addressed previous limitations in budget, scheduling and geographic barriers for adult learners.
Capitalizing on Azure AI speech tools, Berlitz significantly reduced its product development costs and time to market, allowing for investment into other areas of product innovation and customer support.
“We conducted research to determine the best speech-to-text solution for our needs,” says Nicolas Potel, director of learning experience, Berlitz. “Our primary criterion was to find a solution with the lowest number of false negatives, meaning it would reject the fewest acceptable answers. … This was crucial for us, as it was the main aspect we needed from the technology.”
Results
- Improved student experience with pronunciation assessment for 500,000 learners
- Greater accessibility for diverse learner profiles
- New product launch reaching thousands of new customers
See more: 10 Top AI Education Products
3. EUDE
The European School of Management and Business (EUDE) faced some logistical challenges in supporting its growing international online student body. Seeking to improve the experience for students and faculty, EUDE worked with IBM to develop EDU, a virtual co-tutor powered by generative AI, according to a case study.
EDU supported administrative, academic and logistical queries using natural language processing (NLP) in real-time. To do so, EDU used IBM's suite of AI solutions, including IBM Watson Assistant, Watson Discovery, as well as IBM Cloud for secure data management. The Watson platform also ensured EUDE's control over content and responses.
A successful pilot demonstrated EDU's benefits: faster response times for students, increased engagement and the ability for faculty to focus on higher-value tasks. Students provided positive feedback as well, indicating high accuracy and responsiveness.
Results
- Improved student experience with rapid, accurate responses
- Optimized faculty time for personalized tutoring
- Potential for broader impact within the higher education sector
4. Loyola University Chicago
Loyola University Chicago, a private institution, wanted to enhance student services by focusing on timely support regardless of location or business hours. Loyola implemented LUie, an AI-powered digital assistant built on the Oracle Digital Assistant platform, according to a case study.
LUie integrated with Loyola’s existing PeopleSoft Campus Solutions system and IntraSee chatbot. LUie addressed the challenge of round-the-clock student inquiries, providing real-time answers and personalized information extracted directly from Loyola’s administrative systems. The integration also relieved strain on staff, allowing them to focus on strategic tasks. The initial pilot provided positive feedback and a high answer success rate.
“LUie currently provides hundreds of answers to common questions,” said Susan M. Malisch, VP and CIO, Loyola University of Chicago. “Early results were impressive with initial accuracy rates of 86% that improved to 91%. … Pilot feedback was encouraging with 91% positive comments, and we continue to broaden LUie to handle even more questions for more audiences.”
Results
- 24/7 student support, improving the student experience
- Optimized staff workload for higher-value tasks
- Significant per-transaction cost savings and reduced transaction failures
5. Bolton College
Bolton College faced some challenges creating engaging online learning videos. The college’s traditional methods were time-consuming and inflexible and didn’t account for presenters’ discomfort and lack of experience. Bolton College worked with Synthesia to overcome these issues, according to a case study.
Synthesia’s AI-powered video creation platform eliminated the need for cameras, studios and editing expertise by generating videos from a script. Bolton College users added the text, chose an AI avatar and customized elements, such as animations and screen recordings. Synthesia then transformed the inputs into ready-to-use videos.
Bolton College simplified and streamlined its video creation process for training videos and significantly increased output.
The Synthesia platform can help busy teachers who “don't have the time or skills to work with many different video creation tools,” said Aftab Hussain, ILT & LRC team manager, Bolton College. “It combines everything into a single platform."
Results
- 80% reduction in video production time
- Scaled training library to over 400 new videos in a year
- Ease of use and flexibility for the team
See more: 10 Top AI Certifications for Educators
