AI-driven transformation in education: from chalkboards to intelligent digital classrooms

Abstract

In the digital era, where the world of education is rapidly transforming with the advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robotics, a new perspective on teacher-led innovation is required. The study focuses on a key mechanistic question of how AI integrated environments predict pedagogical innovations, complementing existing research that tends to center on the student. The research draws on the Sociotechnical Systems (STS) Theory and examines the effects of four key 21st century skills namely Problem Solving (PS), Critical Thinking (CT), Communication (COM) and Teamwork (TW). A purposive sample of size N = 150 teachers in Lahore, Pakistan were sampled to obtain the necessary data. The direct relationships hypothesized were tested using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results suggest that individualized learning and administrative efficiency are the most beneficial effects of the use of AI-based tools, with the greatest predictor being the use of Teamwork. These results imply that AI is a collaborative stimulus, which assists networked intelligence among educators as opposed to automating the tasks. This paper proposes evidence-based recommendations for policy makers to go beyond automation and shift to a sociotechnical approach to integrating AI to create human-centered innovation. Finally, the article has been presented in an impartial manner, as it has covered the ethical impact, as well as the drawbacks of the digital-first classrooms methodologies.