Start with the learning.
You can judge what AI should do only when you know what a student needs to learn at this point. EAI organises that decision into four steps.
Each step below uses the same example: a student learning to compare two historical sources.
What should the student learn?
What should the student ultimately know or be able to do, and how do they get there?
Look beyond the submitted work. Working with sources may involve reading, recognising perspectives, weighing arguments and supporting a judgement. Identify where instruction, practice and independent work are needed.
Where is the student now?
Where is the student in that learning process?
A student may be following an example, practising with help, responding to feedback or working independently. The same AI feature may have a different role in each situation.
What must the student make sense of?
Which step must the student make sense of themselves at this stage for learning to take place?
This is not automatically the hardest or longest step. Adding something visible is not proof either: a student can change sentences without understanding what needs to change in the reasoning. Following an explanation can be meaningful without producing new work.
What does AI do here?
What does AI do at this particular point?
Examine what AI offers, demonstrates or takes over. A hint may already supply the very step the student needs to find. A long explanation need not take that step away. What the help contains matters, not just how much help is given.
What do you know about the learning?
A good result with help does not yet tell you what the student can do independently. Keep these four questions separate.
- With help
Does the task succeed with assistance?
- Independently
Can the student perform the action without the same help afterwards?
- Later
Can they still do it at a later time?
- In a different situation
Can they apply it to different sources or a new question?
Understanding learning and understanding AI
You need to know what the student should learn at this stage. You also need to understand which questions, choices and judgements AI can supply. Both kinds of knowledge inform the choice of assistance.
Read further and check the sources
EAI organises a professional judgement. It is not an effect measure and does not automatically approve an AI application. The publications and sources allow you to examine the reasoning.
Teaching and lesson design